Unland moves up in the record books in Fresno

FRESNO, Calif., -- The University of Wyoming Track and Field teams took to the track at Veterans Memorial Stadium to compete at the West Coast Relays on Thursday and Friday in the final tune up before the 2021 Mountain West Outdoor Championships. 

The meet hosted by Fresno State, got started on Thursday afternoon with the Cowboys and Cowgirls competing in the Hammer Throw at Veterans Memorial Stadium. 

The Cowboys were up first and ready to go as Kirk Unland and Hap Frketich had their best performances of the year.

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Already having moved up to seven on the UW All-Time Top Event List this season, Unland took it a step further with his mark of 214-2 being good for 6th all time at Wyoming. Frketich joined his teammate in throwing for a personal best going 199-7 for fourth place to Unland’s second-place finish. 

Three Cowgirls waited for their chance at the meet and followed in their teammates footsteps, setting personal bests and moving up on the Top-10 Event List. The highest placing Cowgirl, Mary Carbee, maintained her No. 7 spot all-time at Wyoming with her throw of 193-2 good for a fifth place finish. Anna Gillis finished in sixth place right behind Carbee and moved up the all-time list with her throw of 191-1. 

We had a full slate of events on Friday running from the early morning to late night to spread out the distance events in the California heat. Kareem Mersal and the Cowboy Long Jumpers put on a show in the early afternoon finishing in first, third, and fourth. Mersal took first at the meet with his jump of 24-9, followed by Hunter Brown in third at 23-6 and William Nolan in fourth with a mark of 23-3.25.

On the women’s side of the event, Shayla Howell had one of her best outdoor meets of the season taking third place with a jump of 19-10.25. 

Nolan came roaring back in the Triple Jump to take second place in the event with a personal best jump of 50-4.75. Already on the UW All-Time Top-10 Event List, Nolan maintains his No. 8 spot on the list with his mark. For the Cowgirls, Aumni Ashby took fifth place in the event with a mark of 39-6. 

Taking it back to the throwers here. Addison Henry went 46-9 in the Shot Put on the women’s side of the event notching a third place finish for the Pokes.

On the men’s side Mikey DeRock and Colton Paller went four-five for the Cowboys. DeRock set a personal best with a throw of 54-2 with Paller right behind him at 54-0.5. 

Paller concluded the West Coast Relays with a mark of 183-3 in the Discus, good for a fourth place finish in the event. 

Caige McComb captured the highest place finish for a Cowboy sprinter at the meet with his seventh place effort in the 110M Hurdles. McComb went 14.95 in the event while also taking eighth place in the 400M Hurdles with a time of 54.45. 

Howell went 12.16 in her first appearance in the 100M dash this outdoor season for an 11th-place finish in the event. In addition to her third-place finish in the Long Jump, Howell participated in the Cowgirls 4x100 relay team that finished third with a time of 47.65. Howell was joined by teammates Ashby, Camille Foster and Sadie McMullen to finish third in the relay. 

In the second-to-last event of the relays Albert Steiner ran a 8:54.41 in the 3000M Steeplechase to earn the No. 9 spot on the UW All-Time Top 10 Event List. Steiner took 8th place in the event, second among Mountain West participants. 

FULL RESULTS 

COWBOYS 

Long Jump: 1. Kareem Mersal 24-9, 3. Hunter Brown 23-6, 4. William Nolan 23.25, 7. Alec Richardson 22-3

Hammer Throw: 2. Kirk Unland 214-2 (No. 6 All-Time UW), 4. Hap Frketich 199-7

Triple Jump: 2. William Nolan 50-4.75, 5. Jefferson Danso 47-9, 7. Reece Shannon 46-3.25

Shot Put: 4. Mikey DeRock 54-2, 5. Colton Paller 54-0.5, 9. Nathan Reid 49-9.75, 11. Daniel Carrillo 48-10

Discus: 4. Colton Paller 183-3, 23. Nathan Reid 140-9, 24. Mikey DeRock 139-5

4x400M Relay: 4. 3:19.43

110M Hurdles: 7. Caige McComb 14.95

400M Hurdles: 8. Caige McComb 54.45, 10. McCade Johnson 55.18

3000M Steeplechase: 8. Albert Steiner 8:54.41 (No. 9 All-Time UW), 18. Seth Bruxvoort 9:17.56, 20 Philip Henry 9:19.00

Javelin: 9. Hap Frketich 178-4, 12. Sage Coventry 163-9

High Jump: 10. Samuel Schneider 6-5, 12. Pete Mead 6-5, 16. Sage Coventry 6.325

400M: 11. Jaymison Cox 50.05, 12. Tyler Dahl 50.26, 14. Bryson Engebretsen 50.64

Pole Vault: 11. Bryson Engebretsen 14.55

100M: 13. Wyatt Moore 11.12

200M: 15. Wyatt Moore 22.30

10000M: 16. Jerald Taylor 30:23.25, 20. Christopher Henry 31:09.33

1500M: 23. Asefa Wetzel 3:52.57, 26. Daniel Hintz 3:54.22

5000M: 25. Josh Rodgers 15:47.11

COWGIRLS 

Long Jump: 3. Shayla Howell 19-10.25, 6. Sadie McMullen 18-8.5

4x100 Relay: 3. Ashby, Foster, Howell, McMullen 47.65

Shot Put: 3. Addison Henry 46-9, 8. Jordan Christensen 42-10.75, 11. Mateya Mobley 40-11.75

Hammer Throw: 5. Mary Carbee 193-2 (No. 7 UW All-Time), 6. Anna Gillis 191-1 (No. 8 UW ALL-Time), 10. Addison Henry 169-8

Triple Jump: 5. Aumni Ashby 39-6

Javelin: 7. Giulia Lodi 128-9

100M: 11. Shayla Howell 12.16, 12. Camille Foster 12.19

10000M: 12. Addi Iken 38:54.81

Pole Vault: 12. Kayla Stibley 11-5

800M: 15. Jasmyne Cooper 2:11.26, 24. Julia Kay O’Neill 2:16.58

200M: 17. Camille Foster 25.02

400M Hurdles: 18. Marie Doherty 1:06.54

3000M Steeplechase: 19. Katelyn Mitchem 10:52.69

1500M: 25. Kaylee Kearse 4:38.43, 27. Michelle Renner 4:44.42

The West Coast Relays is the last meet on the schedule before the Cowboys and Cowgirls head back out to Fresno, Calif., for the 2021 Mountain West Outdoor Championships slated to take place on Thursday-Saturday May 13-15. 

* University of Wyoming press release