UW tracksters second at Front Range

BOULDER, Colo. -- The University of Wyoming track and field men and women both finished third in the Front Range Classic on Saturday.

The Cowgirls scored 143 points, four and a half points behind the Air Force Academy and 18.5 points behind Colorado State, which won the Front Range Classic for the second time. As for the Cowboys, they scored 108.5 points behind Colorado State and Air Force with 153 and 197 points respectively.

Senior Jake Shanklin continued his climb on the UW top-10 list in the hammer throw, as he improved to third best with his toss of 219-feet, 11 inches and a first place finish. His throw moved him into the fourth-best in the Mountain West Conference and currently the seventh-best throw in the NCAA this season.

Fellow Cowboy thrower Joe Plante had one of 11 first-place finishes for the Wyoming squad. He placed first in the discus throw at 179-3, his personal best and sixth-best throw in UW history.

“Jake (Shanklin) is really starting to get his feel for the hammer since coming off his red-shirt year,” said assistant coach Paul Barrett. “As for Joe (Plante), he is performing like one of the top freshmen in the nation. It’s really exciting to watch him throw.”

The jumpers performed well, as sophomore Travis Corrow and junior Jay Petsch finished first and second for the ‘Pokes in the long jump. Corrow’s leap of 21-8 gave him his best finish of the season. Sophomore Jeremiah James finished first in the triple jump for the sixth time this season and Lindsey Fuller was the lone Cowgirl jumper, as she placed second in the long jump and triple jump. In the triple jump, it was Fuller’s fifth-straight top-five finish.

Senior Sharon Larrier placed first in the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter dash with her times of 24.61 seconds and 54.97 respectively. It was the third time she finished first in the 200 this season in as many races. Fellow senior, Shaylee Babbitt followed Larrier in the 200-meter dash in 25.13 and a second-place finish, along with her first-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles with her time of 13.94. Jennifer Schmitz took second place in the 100-meter hurdles in 14.18.

“We had some good performances in some very tough conditions; the rain and cold really put a damper on the meet,” said head coach Don Yentes. “However, our kids really competed hard and did very well.”

Junior Kekoa Chavez had one of the best meets of the year, as he finished in second in the 400-meter hurdles and third in the 110-meter hurdles. His times in both events entered him into the top-10 list. In the 400-meter hurdles, he ran the seventh-best time of 52.72, and in the 110-meter hurdles he ran the tenth-best time of 15.02. Sophomore Philemon Kimutai finished first in the 5,000-meter run along with sophomore Seth Grossman who placed third in the same race.

“It was a good stepping stone for us to see what we can do at the conference meet,” said Yentes. “We had an opportunity to rest a few guys and let them all gear up for the conference meet.”

The Cowboys and Cowgirls will have a week and a half before they begin action at the MWC Championships on May 13-16 at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex.