The UW track and field team changed numerous top 10 school records at the California Invitational Combined Events in Azusa, Calif. this weekend.
“Our team is really making progress with every week that passes,” head coach Bryan Berryhill said. “I am so proud of the efforts each of these athletes has made. Their hard work and practice really shines in how they’ve been performing.”
Freshman Kereston Thomas was a highlighted runner for Wyoming’s team. She earned UW’s seventh best all-time mark in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.90 seconds, moving up the list from her previous eighth-best UW time of 11.92 set earlier this season. The time earned her eighth place at the meet.
Junior Jenna Mann completed her final three events of the heptathlon marking some of her personal bests. Mann finished 10th in the 30-athlete field with a career-best 5,074 points, breaking her own UW all-time No. 2 record and falling just short of Kathy Romsa’s school-best 5,258 from the 1984 season. Her previous best mark was 4,828 from last season and her season best from this year was 4,754 at the Air Force Relays two weeks ago.
Mann also placed 10th in the long jump at 18’-3.75” for 723 points. This mark broke her former personal best of 18’-3.” After finishing 10th in the javelin throw at 107’-7.75,” Mann came in 12th in the 800-meter run in 2:25.33, also breaking another previous personal-best time of 2:27.18.
Henry Ferreira finished eighth in the javelin event, with a throw of 197’-8.50,” while discus throwers Paul Thomas (179’-7.75”) and Joe Plante (179’-4.50”) achieved respective fifth- and seventh-place distances. Thomas’ mark nearly beat his career-best distance of 180’-3” set earlier this season.
In the men’s 110-meter hurdles, senior Brandon Douglass came in fourth-place time of 14.32, nearly beating his career best of 14.29. In the men’s long jump, senior Lenyn Leonce placed fifth at 24’-2.25,” approaching his career-best distance of 24’-6.50.”
Cowboy Nick Ekel ran in the men’s 10,000-meter run elite invitational and placed 27th in 31:12.77. This was Ekel’s first 10,000-meter of the year. His personal best time of 29:26.85 from 2012 is UW’s eighth best all-time mark.
For the men’s 4×100 relay, the UW squad of Stephen Michel, Leonce, Douglass, and Colin Herold came in ninth place in 41.99 seconds. Cowgirl shot putter Mollie Dahl placed 10th in the meet with a mark of 47’-3.”
Junior Sam Kee finished 14th in the women’s 400-meter dash in 56.69, while freshman McKenzie Brogan placed 40th in 58.04. Kee’s time nearly topped her personal-best time of 56.11 for the event.
“As a whole, our coaching staff couldn’t ask for a better group of athletes to work with,” Berryhill said. “Everyone comes together and it’s really rewarding to see how that changes everything from our atmosphere at practice to performances at different events and competitions.”
Wyoming will travel to Fort Collins, Colo., for the Jack Christiansen Invitational Friday and Saturday at Colorado State’s Jack Christiansen Track.
