Tuesday, April 21, 2009

UW track signs 13 student-athletes

University of Wyoming track and field head coach Don Yentes announced the signing of 13 student-athletes to a National Letter of Intent to compete for the Cowboys and Cowgirls in the upcoming 2009-10 season.

The Cowgirl squad will be nine stronger next season with the addition of Brandy Bullinger, a middle distance runner from Burlington.; Maria Cress, a thrower from Darby, Mont.; Katy Hall, a sprinter/hurdler from Murrieta, Calif.; Olivia Heaston, a sprinter from Centennial, Colo.; Brooke Hughes, a distance runner from Glenrock; Ashley Hutchinson, a thrower from Spokane, Wash.; Diana Long, a sprinter/hurdler from Torrington; Brittany Rehm, a high jumper from Cheyenne and Hannah Romsa, a sprinter/hurdler/jumper from Casper.

The Cowboys will add four student-athletes next season with the addition of Brandon Douglass, a pole vaulter/hurdler from Casper; Mark Flegal, a sprinter/hurdler from Prineville, Ore.; Dalton Sybrant, a thrower from Corvallis, Mont.; and Jaymes Talkington, a jumper from Harrisburg, Neb.
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Track and field signees
Brandy Bullinger - middle distance, Burlington (Burlington HS)

In last year’s outdoor state championship, Bullinger was the 800-meter champion as well as the runner-up in the 400-meter dash. In 2009 during the indoor championships, she placed fifth in the 800-meter run.


“Brandy is very talented and with a few years of experience she can be a very solid runner for us in the future,” said head coach Don Yentes.

Maria Cress - thrower, Darby, Mont. (Darby HS)
Cress was the 2008 class B State Champion in the javelin throw, she also competes in the shot put and discus events at Darby High School. She is the school record holder in the javelin as well as a standout for the volleyball and basketball team.

“Maria has all the tools to become a very successful javelin thrower,” said head throws coach Paul Barrett. “She is a tall, very fit, versatile athlete who I believe will also be able to compete in the 20-pound weight throw and hammer throw.”

Katy Hall - sprinter/hurdler, Murrieta, Calif. (Murrieta Valley HS)
Hall is a sprinter and a hurdler that comes in with all the tools to become very good in the Mountain West Conference. She has a personal best of 14.47 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles, and a sister that plays volleyball at Indiana University.

“Katy has tremendous upside to her and is really the second best hurdler I have ever seen come out of high school,” said Yentes.

Olivia Heaston - sprinter, Centennial, Colo. (Cherry Creek HS)
Heaston is a sprinter from Colorado that has only been competing in track and field for two years. As a Cowgirl she will run in the 100, 200, and 400-meter dashes. She is currently ranked seventh in the 200-meter dash in the state of Colorado.

“She is a totally untapped talent that when I saw her video, I knew she was someone that we had to have in our program,” said Yentes.

Brooke Hughes - distance, Glenrock (Glenrock HS)
Hughes is the reigning cross country champion in the state of Wyoming as well as placing second in both the 3,200 and 1,600-meter run in the 2008 outdoor championships.

“We are very excited to be adding such a good talent to our already solid distance crew,” said Yentes.

Ashley Hutchinson - thrower, Spokane, Wash. (Spokane Falls Community College)
Hutchinson, a transfer from Spokane Falls Community College, was named to the 2008 Junior College All-American team in the hammer throw and shot put events after her freshman season. She is currently the school record holder in the hammer throw and ranks sixth in the shot put. She was also the class AAA Washington state champion in the shot put her senior year.

“Ashley has a great, tall, athletic build and has a very good technical base coming from a great junior college program and coach in Ryan Weidman,” said Barrett. “Coach Weidman consistently produces high level throwers year after year. I believe Ashley will be able to step right in and contribute to our team in several throwing events.”

Diana Long - sprinter/hurdler, Torrington (Torrington HS)
Long joins a Cowgirl squad that contains Jennifer Schmitz, and Lindsey Simmons from Torrington High School and Shaylee Babbitt from Southeast High School. She was the 2008 300-meter hurdle champion and owns the second-fastest time in state history.

“When I saw Diana run, I really felt that she could become a great 400-meter hurdler in our conference,” said Yentes. “We are very excited to have Diana become a Cowgirl next season.”

Brittney Rehm - high jumper, Cheyenne (Cheyenne East HS)
Rehm is a very competitive athlete who will high jump for the Cowgirls next season. He height at 5-feet, 10 inches, combined with her family brings an experience that few have, as her father, Jack, was once a high jumper for the ‘Pokes. In 2008, Rehm was the state runner-up in the 4A high jump.

Hannah Romsa - sprinter/hurdler/jumper, Casper (Natrona County HS)
Romsa will most likely become a multi-eventer next season for the Cowgirls. Her mother, Kathy Romsa, was a multi-eventer while she was a Cowgirl and still owns the heptathlon record with 5,258 points in 1984. She was also inducted into the University of Wyoming Hall of Fame in 1998.

Romsa was the state indoor champion in the 55-meter hurdles as well as in the long jump, while she placed second in the triple jump. During the 2008 outdoor championships she was fourth in the 100-meter hurdles, second in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump.

“She is tremendously talented and we feel she will become a very good pentathlete,” said Yentes.

Brandon Douglass - Pole Vault/Hurdles, Casper (Kelly Walsh HS)
Douglass is a pole vaulter who will help fill a void that the Cowboys have at the event as well as add depth to the hurdle events. At the 2008 outdoor championships, he won the 110-meter hurdles while placing second in the pole vault. During the 2009 indoor championships, he placed second in the 55-meter hurdles, second in the long jump and finished fourth in the pole vault.

“Brandon is new to hurdling but we really look forward for him to have a heck of a career here at UW,” said Yentes.

Mark Flegal - hurdler, Prineville, Ore. (Crook County HS)
Flegal, another hurdler that comes to Wyoming from Prineville, Ore., and Crook County High School was the 4A state champion in the 110-meter hurdles as well as placing third in the 300-meter hurdles.

“Mark has a lot of upside and can definitely strengthen our hurdle crew,” said Yentes.

Dalton Sybrant - thrower, Corvallis, Mont. (Corvallis HS)
Sybrant was the 2008 class A Montana State Champion in the discus throw and is the top returning discus and shot put thrower in the state. He was also named All-State in both football and basketball and became only the second male athlete to be named All-State in three sports in his high school’s history.

“At 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, Dalton obviously has a massive frame to go with his extremely athletic ability,” said Barrett. “I believe that Dalton will be a NCAA national level thrower during his college career. Dalton has the passion and the dedication in the throwing events that will help carry him. His throwing coach, Garrett Middleton, has built a great throws program and has really developed him into an elite level competitor. We are thrilled to have Dalton become a Cowboy.”

Jaymes Talkington - jumper, Harrisburg, Neb. (Banner County HS)
Talkington joins a jumping crew that has produced MWC Champions in the long jump and triple jump in the past few years, under the tutelage of Quincy Howe a Wyoming Cowboy great. In 2008, Talkington placed second in the triple jump and sixth in the high jump at the state championship in Nebraska.

Jaymes has quite a bit of upside that will combine with the knowledge of Quincy that will make him into a very good jumper here at UW,” said Yentes.

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