Fourteen of the University of Wyoming track and field student-athletes’ seasons will continue after being selected to participate in the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
The West Preliminary Round will take place from May 24 to 26. From there, the top 12 finishers from each event will then receive and invitation to the NCAA Championships being held in Des Moines, Iowa on June 6-9.
The Cowboys proceeded to the West Preliminary, including sophomore Garrett Zans, senior Taylor Kelting, senior Greg Miller, senior Nick Ekel, junior Lenyn Leonce, senior Jeremiah James, junior Joe Plante, freshman Paul Thomas and junior Henry Ferreira.
Cowgirl qualifiers were sophomore Candace Wollert, sophomore Erin Kirby, junior Mollie Dahl, freshman Shreese Daniels and senior Ashley Hutchinson.
“It’s a great achievement for these kids,” Wyoming assistant coach Randy Cole said. “It’s a positive affirmation of their training. You can see, each person individually, how they’re coming on at the end of the season. They’re on top of their game. They’re all excited about the opportunity. They want to go in and compete, and not just be glad they are there.”
The 14 qualifiers this year surpassed last year’s total of 12. Athletes Kirby, Hutchinson, Leonce, Kelting, Miller, Wollert, and Zans are all returning from last year’s NCAA West Preliminary round.
Freshman Aaron Derner was just a few spots out of the top 48 during the 10,000-meter run. He still has the chance to receive an invitation if there are scratches in the event.
Plante and James are currently ranked the highest out of all the Cowboy and Cowgirl competitors for the meet. Plante, the junior who won the Mountain West Conference championship in discus, is currently ranked 18th in the West region while James is ranked 18th in triple jump. Miller and Ekel are ranked 23rd and 25th respectively in the 10,000-meter run.
The highest ranked Cowgirl is hammer thrower Hutchinson. Hutchinson is currently ranked 29th in the West.
The meet kicks off today in Austin, Texas.
