Distance Runners Lead Pokes at CU Invitational

Boulder CO. – Three UW all-time top 10 marks from the Wyoming distance unit highlighted Wyoming track & field’s trip to the CU Invitational on Saturday. Kacey Doner, Harry Ewing and Daniel Hintz each etched their names into the UW record books against the toughest field of copetition Wyoming has faced so far this outdoor season.

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Hintz, a Cowboy sophomore, clocked an altitude-adjusted time of 3 minutes, 45.86 seconds in the men’s 1,500 meters to take sixth place in a massive field of 88 runners. The time ranks Hintz No. 5 on the UW all-time list for the event, just a fraction of a second behind the second through fourth spots. Hintz’s time is the fastest for a Cowboy since 2009, when Philemon Kimutai clocked 3:45.23.

Meanwhile, redshirt freshman Daniel Ewing placed second in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase with an altitude-adjusted time of 8 minutes, 57.77 seconds, putting him No. 9 on the UW all-time list. UW assistant coach Scott Dahlberg was impressed with his duo of New Zealand natives.

“They both ran really well,” Dahlberg said Saturday. “They took advantage of competitive heats to run good times. They were excited to come down here and compete. They’ve been training hard, and it’s really good preparation for some sea-level competition.”

Dahlberg was also impressed with redshirt freshman Christopher Henry, who won the men’s 3,000 meters with an adjusted time of 8:15.14 while sophomore teammate Michael Downey was sixth in the field of 41 at 8:23.44.

“He ran a really smart race,” Dahlberg said of Henry. “He was patient. When it was time to make a move, he just held it to the end. A couple guys tried to come up on him and he held them off. He’s putting together some tools that are very valuable in a lot of different race styles.”

Kacey Doner, a Cowgirl sophomore, finished as the top collegiate competitor in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase with an adjusted time of 10:58.57. In doing so, she switched places with former Cowgirl Catherine Cloetta on the UW all-time list for the event, moving up to No. 4. UW associate head coach Amanda Clower echoed Dahlberg’s sentiments about the Cowboy distance unit when asked about Doner’s performance.

“Kacey (Doner) has been training hard, putting a lot of time into her steeplechase work and it is paying off,” Clower said. “I am excited to see her race at sea level in a couple weeks.”

Rock Springs graduate and Cowboy junior Ricky Faure showed consistency with another high finish in the men’s 800 meters, taking third in a field of 45 runners with an adjusted time of 1:50.36. Fellow junior Bryce Ailshie was sixth at 1:50.60. On the women’s side, Kerry White clocked an adjusted 2:12.66 for third place in a field of 53.

Junior Jackson Wood provided a highlight for the sprints squad, tying for sixth out of 48 in the men’s 400 meters with a time of 48.67. On the women’s side of the 400 meters, senior Melina Harris was eighth out of 38, checking in at 57.80. Freshman McCade Johnson took fifth in the men’s 400-meter hurdles at 54.41, while Heidi Pfoor and Ariana Williams went 4-5 in the women’s 400-meter hurdles with times of 1:03.59 and 1:03.63, respectively. Williams was fourth in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, clocking 14.36.

The UW throws bros were at it again on Saturday, as Damon Unland claimed yet another men’s hammer throw victory with a toss of 197-4 while younger brother Kirk took second at 188-3. Garrett Lynch recorded another high finish for the throwers in the men’s discus, tossing 160-9 for third. Hannah Carr mirrored Lynch’s finish in the women’s discus, taking third at 156-5. Carr and freshman Addison Henry went 4-5 in the women’s shot put, throwing 44-7.5 and 44-4, respectively. Emelda Malm-Annan rounded out a good day for the throws crew with a fifth-place finish in the women’s hammer throw, tossing 178-4.

The men’s long jump was another solid field event for UW on Saturday, as three Pokes finished in the top five. Freshman William Nolan was the runner-up with a mark of 22-10. Seniors Caleb Seeton and Bobby Wingeleth took third and fifth at 21-11 and 21-8.25, respectively. In the women’s long jump, Ja’la Henderson again found herself at the top of the standings, leaping 18-10.75 for the win in a field of 27.

UW head coach Bryan Berryhill was proud of the effort the Brown and Gold exhibited on Saturday. “We’ve had back to back weekends with tough conditions. The team went out there with a lot of spirit and competed hard,” he said following the meet.

Wyoming track & field will return to Nottingham Field in Greeley, Colo., next Saturday for the NOCO Challenge hosted by Colorado State. Stay tuned to @wyo_track on twitter for more information about the meet.