UW track qualifies four more

UW's Kate Burton competes in the hammer throw.

Burton leads way with record hammer throw at Front Range

by Wyomingsports.org

The Air Force Academy men and the Colorado State women walked away with the team championships at the inaugural Front Range Invitational Saturday at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex.

The Wyoming Cowgirls finished second and the Cowboys placed third. The weather held up as 15 total records were broken and four more Wyoming athletes -- Shaylee Babbitt, in the 100-meter hurdles; Vashone West, in the 100-meter dash; Jeremiah James, in the long jump and John Alderson, in the triple jump.

For Kate Burton, it was an exceptional day, as she set the new Wyoming record with her toss of 209 feet, 8 inches. Her throw qualified her for the Olympic Trials and ranks second in Mountain West Conference history, along with being the seventh best toss in the nation this year.Babbitt who ran her personal best time of 13.61 seconds in the 100 hurdles, which is good for fourth best all-time.

“Kate (Burton) is no fluke, she is the real deal,” UW head coach Don Yentes said.

Both Burton and Babbitt walked away with some individual hardware as they both were awarded with the outstanding performances in the track and field events respectively.

“Shaylee (Babbitt) had a great meet today and I am really proud of her achievements all year long,” Yentes said.

For the Cowboys, West set his personal best time during his 100-meter regional qualifying race, as he ran a 10.38. He also ran the fifth best time in UW history in the 200-meter dash, with his fourth-place finish and time of 21.29. Along with West, James qualified in the long jump with his leap of 24-1. Alderson took first place and set his season best in the triple jump with his flight of 49-4 1/2. John Alan, who qualified last weekend in the hammer throw, increased his personal best at 190-0.

“We really had some kids perform better than expected, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the way they competed down to the last event,” said Yentes. “We had a lot of people put in a lot of time in order for these kids to compete today, and I am very thankful with everyone, from the administration to the facilities crew, and to all the volunteers that gave their time.”

The Mountain West Conference Championships are up next for the Cowboys and Cowgirls, as they will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, May 14-17. The NCAA Midwest Regional meet is May 30-31in Lincoln, Neb.