LARAMIE, Wyo. – For 11 Wyoming track & field athletes, the 2018 outdoor season continues Thursday through Saturday in Sacramento, Calif., at the NCAA West Preliminary Round. Seven Cowboys and four Cowgirls will attempt to finish in the top 12 of their respective events at this weekend's regional competition in order to advance to the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 6-9.
 
Junior Cowgirl Ja'la Henderson leads the way for Wyoming as the only Poke slated to compete in multiple events at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium. Henderson qualified as the No. 8 ranked women's triple jumper in the West region after breaking her own UW record to win the Mountain West title in the event with a mark of 43 feet, 10.5 inches. Henderson will also compete in the long jump, qualifying as the No. 34 competitor in the West at 20-2.5.
 
Junior Emelda Malm-Annan will be the other Cowgirl competing in a field event in Sacramento, as her new personal best hammer throw mark of 198-6 from the MW outdoor championships slots her 26th in the West region heading into the weekend. Fellow junior Jerayah Davis qualified as the No. 34 runner in the women's 100 meters with a time of 11.49 seconds, also recorded at the MW outdoor meet two weekends ago. Senior Kerry White was the final Cowgirl to qualify, as she heads into the weekend as the No. 48 competitor in the women's 800 meters with a time of 2:08.69.
 
The Cowboy crew heading to Sacramento this weekend includes two-time defending MW hammer throw champion and senior Damon Unland along with six distance runners. Unland enters No. 40 in the West for the event at 200-7. The Cowboys have two pairs of runners competing in the same event, as sophomore Daniel Hintz and junior Michael Downey will both compete in the men's 1,500 meters while juniors Bryce Ailshie and Ricky Faure are both slotted in for the 800 meters.
 
Hintz is the highest-ranked Cowboy heading into Sacramento, as his time of 3:43.20 from the 7220 Invite ranks him 15th in the West. Downey is not far behind, ranked 20th with a time of 3:43.95. Ailshie is 24th for the 800 meters at 1:49.25, while Faure is 31st at 1:49.71. Harry Ewing and Christopher Henry were the only Wyoming freshmen to qualify, as Ewing is 19th in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase while Henry is 39th in the men's 10,000 meters.
 
Unland will start things off for the Pokes at 1 p.m. MT Thursday. Follow along with the action at the links above and stay tuned to @wyo_track on twitter for more information about the regional meet. Below is Wyoming's schedule for the weekend.

Wyoming's NCAA West Preliminary Round Schedule (all times MT)
 
Thursday, May 24
1 p.m. – Men's Hammer Throw (Damon Unland)
6:30 p.m. – Men's 1,500m First Round (Michael Downey, Daniel Hintz)
7:55 p.m. – Women's 100m First Round (Jerayah Davis)
8:30 p.m. – Women's Long Jump (Ja'la Henderson)
9:10 p.m. – Men's 800m First Round (Bryce Ailshie, Ricky Faure)
9:35 p.m. – Women's 800m First Round (Kerry White)
10:00 p.m. – Men's 10,000m Semifinal (Christopher Henry)

Friday, May 25
7:15 p.m. – Women's 100m Quarterfinal (Jerayah Davis)*
7:30 p.m. – Men's 800m Quarterfinal (Bryce Ailshie, Ricky Faure)*
7:45 p.m. – Women's 800m Quarterfinal (Kerry White)*
9:20 p.m. – Men's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase Quarterfinal (Harry Ewing)

Saturday, May 26
1 p.m. – Women's Hammer Throw (Emelda Malm-Annan)
5:30 p.m. – Women's Triple Jump (Ja'la Henderson)
7:30 p.m. – Men's 1,500m Quarterfinal (Michael Downey, Daniel Hintz)*
 
*Contingent upon advancement from first round