LARAMIE – Paul Barrett knew what he was looking for to strengthen Wyoming's roster.
 
A competitor like Daniel Reynolds.
 
Barrett, UW's longtime throws coach, was standing next to head track & field coach Bryan Berryhill during a meet at Air Force last season when they caught a glimpse of Reynolds competing for Chadron State in the hammer throw.
 
"As soon as he threw, I thought, I need someone exactly like that," Barrett recalled. "A couple weeks later he emailed me. So, I was like, OK. I was pretty excited."
 
Reynolds, after a decorated career at the Division II level, entered the portal and joined the Cowboys as a graduate transfer.
 
The junior from Granby, Colo., won the 35-pound weight throw at the Mountain West Indoor Championships and broke UW's 25-year-old hammer throw record with a mark of 227 feet at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate on April 11 in Long Beach, Calif.
 
"I was surprised," Barrett said of Reynolds' historic performance. "It was a goal we had set. I figured it would be later in the season at a smaller meet, not under so much pressure. It was at a very elite meet, and he was throwing against the national leader and some very high-level guys. His first time in that kind of atmosphere, so I was pretty shocked when he hit that.
 
"I went up and gave him a little chest bump because it was pretty exciting, fun to watch."
 
Kevin Mannon, a member of the UW Athletics Hall of Fame, held the program's hammer throw record since 1999 with a mark of 226-6.
 
"It's an honor," Reynolds said of eclipsing Mannon, a seven-time All-American, on UW's all-time list in the event. "I'd like to keep pushing it. It was definitely something to strive for and I knew once I got here that was my goal initially."
 
Reynolds, who didn't even discover the hammer throw until arriving at Chadron State, previously won the weight throw at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Indoor Championships and was second in the hammer throw.
 
"He's incredibly focused and his work ethic is off the charts," Barrett said. "He has made massive gains from high school and he has made massive gains this year. He has improved his PR by 24 feet, which this late in a career is unheard of. …
 
"The guy just means business in everything. He's one of the toughest competitors I've ever seen at Wyoming, and I've had a lot of All-Americans. That guy brings it every competition, every day."
 
To compete with the top throwers in Division I, Reynolds knew he had to improve his form to match his strength.
 
"I think Coach Barrett is a mastermind in the technique," Reynolds said. "I was kind of an all power guy where I would just use my strength as a crutch. Working with Coach Barrett, breaking it down going through the fundamentals and he's got all these cues and these things that we can do to fix problems, that was huge. That's where that jump is definitely rooted in."
 
Reynolds will face some stiff competition – beginning with the Mountain West Outdoor Championships final on Thursday in Fresno, Calif. – in his quest to make it to the NCAA Outdoor Championships next month in Eugene, Ore.
 
Air Force's Texas Tanner is the heavy favorite to win the conference title after posting a hammer throw of 237-5 earlier this season, which ranks ninth nationally. Reynolds' school record distance currently ranks 15^th in Division I this season.
 
"We have two of the best guys in the nation battling, so it will be a great competition for later as well because he'll see (Tanner) again at the national meet. It's going to be a battle for the conference title," Barrett said. "David is ranked 15^th but this is one of the toughest years depth wise. Normally he'd be top 10 right now with that mark."
 
The men's hammer throw final at the conference championships is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. Thursday on the Mountain West Network.
 
"I think this will be a really good practice to get into the little more stressful scenario and just kind of go in and do what I do," Reynolds said. "Hopefully we get some good results. I always like to compete."
 
Reynolds is working on his MS in Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management at UW.

"He's just a great competitor. You get to competition day and he's going to give it his best," Berryhill said. "I think he has been everything we thought he would be and a little more. We're excited to see what he can do this week out in Fresno."

If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes. 
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.