CLOVIS, Calif. (May 15, 2026) – Seniors Ryker Holtzen and Cam Burkett win Mountain West titles in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and shot put, respectively, to close a high-scoring night on day two of the Mountain West Championships, Saturday.

Following action on day two, the Cowboys sit in fifth with 28 points while the Cowgirls have a total of 10 points for ninth.

COWBOYS
Sophomore Christian Edwards opened what would be an exciting afternoon session for the Cowboys in the long jump. He made the finals and placed eighth overall, adding a team point. His best jump landed him at 7.17 meters, tying his personal best from the Doug Max Invitational.

In the high jump, junior AJ McGloflin added another five points to the Cowboys' total with his fourth-place finish. He cleared a height of 2.07 meters on his second attempt after taking two tries on the previous height. This matches his season-best set at the Beach Invitational.

Senior Mac Zastrow ran a gritty race in the 1,500 meters. With a time of 3:51.36, he placed 13th, just outside finals contention. Zastrow will run again in the 5,000 meters tomorrow.

In the 400 meters, junior Cody Hape and senior Darius Wiggins finished next to one another in the standings at 14th and 15th, respectively. Hape ran a time of 48.65 while Wiggins made his way around the track in 48.74.

Freshman Ryan Elsen bounced back from yesterday's finish in the 200 meters and ran the third fastest 100 meters on the day. With a time of 10.45, he won his heat by 0.001 seconds and earned a big "Q" to advance to Saturday's final. Elsen's time of 10.45 was a personal best and moved him to No. 5 in school history.

Also, in the 100-meter dash, senior Carter McComb placed 12th overall at 10.52, his best finish since April 26, 2025, at the Border Dual.

The Cowboys closed the night with back-to-back conference titles in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the shot put.

Senior Ryker Holtzen led nearly the whole steeplechase and crossed the line at 8:37.62. He closed with his best split of 1:07.92 and finished over two seconds ahead of the competition. For his efforts, he added 10 team points and added another MW steeplechase title to his collection. Over his four-year career, Holtzen never finished worse than second in the event at the Mountain West Championships.

In the shot put, senior Cam Burkett earned a title four years in the making. As the only thrower over 19 meters, he won with a best mark of 19.19 meters on his third attempt. After finishing second behind former Cowboy Daniel Reynolds a year ago and third as a freshman, he finally sat atop the podium at the Mountain West Outdoor Championship. This marks Wyoming's seventh MW shot put title across indoor and outdoor competition.

Back in the steeplechase, three other Cowboys ran ,with one finishing in scoring position. Sophomore Solomon Holden-Betts finished seventh and earned the team two points. After taking a tumble that would have left most runners out of the race, he fought his way back into the Top 8 scorers and crossed the line at 9:02.36.

Sophomore Austin Akers crossed the line 10th with a time of 9:07.27, a personal best. He was followed by senior Dylan van der Hock, who finished his first steeplechase in 13th at 9:46.53.

COWGIRLS
Freshman Desirae Iacovetto wrapped her first championship heptathlon in the morning. Her day began with the long jump, where she posted a new personal best. While she jumped over her previous best on her first try, her third and final attempt reached a distance of 5.35 meters for T-9th and 657 points.

Iacovetto would then compete in the javelin throw, where she placed ninth. Her best throw landed at 25.99 meters for 399 points. In the final event, the 800-meter run, she would finish with a personal best time of 2:40.60 for 10th and 566 points.

With a total of 4,660 points, good for 10th overall, Iacovetto moved up to No. 7 in the Wyoming record book, an improvement of nearly 300 points.

In the afternoon session, freshmen Jade West and Teagan Becker competed in the shot put. West made her way into the final after her second throw landed at 14.55 meters. She would hold this mark, an outdoor personal best, to place sixth for three team points. Becker finished in tenth at her first outdoor championships with a mark of 13.57 meters, also on her second throw.

Iacovetto was joined by fellow freshman Payton Becker in the 100-meter hurdles to open the track on the day. Iacovetto finished 14th with a time of 14.48 while Becker crossed the line at 15.23 for 17th overall.

Redshirt-freshman Claire Engelhardt and junior Hailey Uhre finished 17-18 in the 1,500 meters, respectively. Engelhardt crossed the line at 4:29.64, with a closing split of 1:08.65 while Uhre ran a time of 4:33.98.

In the 400-meter dash prelims, sophomore Eva Dellorco ran a time of 55.58 for fourth in her heat and 14th overall.

Two Cowgirls competed in the long jump: sophomore Koi Adderley and senior Elayna Chafee. Adderley finished 14th with a top leap of 5.70 meters on her first jump. Chafee would reach a mark of 5.55 meters on her first attempt and take 19th.

In the last sprint event for the Cowgirls, senior Faith Jehu ran a time of 12.62 for 33rd overall.
The night for the women concluded in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with three Cowgirls running.

Sophomore Muriel Jones led the way in sixth place and three team points. She crossed the line at 10:23.97, a personal best and No. 4 in program history.

Redshirt-freshman Gracie Uhre ran to 13th in the steeplechase at 11:04.89 while sophomore Brionna Holso took 15th with a time of 11:07.18.

UP NEXT
The third and final day of the Mountain West Outdoor Championships will start for Wyoming with the women's triple jump at 4 p.m. MT. Events on the track will begin at 6:35 p.m. MT, with the women's 4x100-meter relay and wrap up with the running of the men's 4x400-meter relay at 10:10 p.m. MT.

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