Track & Field Preview: Don Barrett & Alex Wilson

March 2, 2006

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This Week In Rams Track & Field:
M 3 Don Barrett Air Force Open, Air Force Academy, Colo. 4:00 p.m.
M 3 Alex Wilson Invitational, South Bend, Ind. All Day

We Are The Champions: For the first time in school history, the Colorado State women's indoor track & field team has won a conference title. The women's team defeated perennial powers BYU, 156.5-155.5 at the Albuquerque Convention Center, becoming the first team in league history other than the Cougars to win a conference indoor title. The title came down to the final event, the women's 4x400 meter relay, and the Rams won the first heat, finishing fourth overall to the Cougars sixth, to win the crown.

Dropping Like Flies: Colorado State saw four school records fall at the Mountain West Conference Championship. The multi-eventers started things off with junior Katie Lloyd winning the pentathlon with a school record 3,898 points. She broke the old school record of 3,855 held by Nancy Malloy from 1979. Then first thing Friday morning, junior Kevin Johnson broke his own school record in the heptathlon with a point total of 5,319, breaking the record of 5,185 from earlier this season. On Friday afternoon, junior Janay DeLoach broke the school record in the 60 meters, running a 7.31 to break to old record of 7.35 held by Brandi Bernert from 1999. In the final event on Saturday, the women's mile relay, the quartet of junior Megan Fox, DeLoach, sophomore Rebekah Yetzer and sophomore Emily Pearson ran a 3:49.10 to win their heat and break the school record of 3:49.54 from last season's championship. Both Fox and Pearson were members of the old record holding team, along with Katrice Thomas and Becky Hammitt. A total of seven events have now been broken this season as DeLoach also broke the 55 meters and long jump records earlier this year and senior Nicole Feest established a new 5000 meters record at the Husky Classic.

Individual Awards: Both Nicole Feest and senior Nate Heyrman were named the 2006 Mountain West Conference High-Point Award Winners. Feest was a double champion, winning both the 3000 and 5000 meters in NCAA provisional qualifying times and her time of 17:08.61 in the 5000 meters broke the Mountain West meet record and the Convention Center Track Record. Heyrman shares the award with David Pendergrass of BYU. Heyrman was also a double champion, winning both the shot put and the weight throw. Head Coach Del Hessel was also named the Women's Coach of the Year in a vote by his peers. This is the second straight year he has had at least a share of the award He was also the men's indoor coach of the year in 2002 and 2003 and shared the award with Ralph Lindeman of Air Force in 2004.

A Conference First: In the men's throwing events, the shot put and weight throw, Colorado State amassed 63 of its 143 (44.1 percent) team points. The men swept the top five spots in the weight throw, marking the first time in conference history a single team has earned the top five places in a single event. The Rams also took the top three spots in the shot put, as well as fifth and seventh. Nate Heyrman won both titles for the men, making him the third male in conference history to win both titles (2003, Drew Loftin - CSU, 2000, Jason Gervais - Wyo.).

Wearing The Crown(s): Colorado State had eight athletes earn 10 conference titles over the weekend. Katie Lloyd got things started on Thursday with the pentathlon title. Early on Friday, the Rams won four straight events, with senior Jill McCormick winning the weight throw, Nicole Feest in the 5000, junior Rob Watson in the 5000 and Nate Heyrman in the weight throw. Janay DeLoach then won the long jump title to close out Friday's awards. On Saturday, junior Rae Backes provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championship with her winning clearance of 5-10 in the high jump, then senior Justin Hazzard won the 60 hurdles, Heyrman won the shot put and Feest won the 5000 meters.

All-Conference: Colorado State had 23 student-athletes named to the Mountain West All-Conference team after the conclusion of the 2006 championship. The list of those honorees follows:
Rheannon Backes, High Jump
Janay DeLoach, 60 meter dash, Long Jump
freshman Chantelle Dron, Distance Medley
junior Trey Eder, Shot Put, Weight Throw
Nicole Feest, 3,000, 5,000
Justin Hazzard, 60 meter hurdles
Nate Heyrman, Shot Put, Weight Throw
senior Amanda Huddleston-Miller, Triple Jump
sophomore Jarelle Johnson, Triple Jump
Kevin Johnson, Heptathlon
junior Ryan Kirkpatrick, Distance Medley
junior Danielle Korb, Mile, Distance Medley
Katie Lloyd, 60 meter hurdles, Pentathlon
Jill McCormick, Shot Put, Weight Throw
senior Matt McKinney, Shot Put
sophomore Emily Pearson, Distance Medley
senior Jace Rivera, Weight Throw
freshman Scott Sanders, Distance Medley
senior Dylan Spitzer, Distance Medley
sophomore Steven Swartz, Distance Medley
junior Jaimee Troth, Shot Put, Weight Throw
sophomore Ashlee Velez, Distance Medley
Rob Watson, 3,000, 5,000

Personal Bests: The entire Colorado State track & field team stepped up for the conference championship as 35 student-athletes recorded at least one personal best over the weekend. Men: David Eischeid, triple jump; Collin Ferguson, 60 meters; Alex Godell, shot put; Rashaun Greer, 60 hurdles; Nate Heyrman, shot put; Jarelle Johnson, triple jump; Kevin Johnson, 60 meters, 60 hurdles, 1000 meters, high jump, pole vault, heptathlon; Ryan Kirkpatrick, 3000 meters; Brandon Mora, pole vault; Drew Morano, 200 meters; Scott Sanders, mile, 3000 meters; Logan Sherman, 3000 meters; Andy Stenzel, 60 meters; Steve Swartz, mile; Andres Urbina, 3000 meters, 5000 meters and Rob Watson, 5000 meters. Women: Rae Backes, high jump; Tonya Cure, 60 hurdles, shot put, pentathlon; Janay DeLoach, 60 meters; Megan Fox, 200 meters; Kristen Hemphill, 800 meters; Haley Hunt, weight throw; Katie Lloyd, 800 meters, long jump, shot put, pentathlon; Heather Loseke, 800 meters; Val McGregor, 3000 meters; Ashleigh Morton, 800 meters, long jump, shot put, pentathlon; Mindy Parsons, weight throw; Emily Pearson, 60 hurdles, high jump, shot put, pentathlon; Stacey Poulos, weight throw; Danielle Rawlings, 3000 meters, 5000 meters; April Thomas, 3000 meters; Melissa Thomas, 3000 meters; Jaimee Troth, shot put, weight throw; Ashlee Velez, 3000 meters and Rebekah Yetzer, 800 meters.

Last Chance: Several athletes will be traveling to the Air Force Academy on Saturday for the Don Barrett Air Force Open. As of Wednesday, 21 CSU student-athletes were entered in events in hopes of qualifying or bettering their qualifying marks for the NCAA Championship. Also, nine athletes will travel to the Alex Wilson Invitational at Notre Dame: Janay DeLoach, Chantelle Dron, Nicole Feest, Megan Fox, Kristen Hemphill, Danielle Korb, Steve Swartz, Rob Watson and Rebekah Yetzer.

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