Feb. 27, 2004

Colorado Springs, Colo. - Four University of Wyoming track and field athletes earned All-Mountain West Conference honors in their respective events Friday at the second day of the 2004 MWC Indoor Track and Field Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. Cowgirl Andrea Batt took home first place in the women's weight throw, while Cowboys Kyle Herl and Zack Shaefer finished first and second in the men's weight throw and Jared Grant placed third in the men's high jump.

Batt, a senior from Six Mile, Mont., earned her first ever MWC title Friday with her first place finish in the weight throw. She had previously placed in the top three the last three seasons but never claimed the top spot. Her distance of 63' 3 1/2" dominated the competition as Natasha Eldridge of Utah finished a distant second with a mark of 57' 7". Batt will go for anther conference title Saturday in the shot put.

Also scoring team points for the Cowgirls on Friday was Jennifer Thompson in the women's 5,000 meter run. Thompson's time of 18:22.3 is a personal best time for the junior from Cheyenne, Wyo and was good enough for sixth place.

Herl, a junior from Hays, Kan., took the No. 1 spot in the men's weight throw with a distance of 67' 5 1/2". The mark is a career and season best and currently ranks as the ninth best throw in the nation. Herl's performance increases his chances of making the cut for the 2004 NCAA Championships.

Finishing in second place in the men's weight throw was junior Zack Schaefer. Schaefer, from Battle Ground, Wash., recorded a distance of 66' 1 1/2". This is Schaefer's second consecutive top three finish in the weight throw as he place third at last season's indoor conference meet.

UW's Jared Grant, a freshman from Lovell, Wyo., surprised many on Friday with his third place finish in the men's high jump. Grant cleared the bar at 6' 8 1/4", a career and season's best mark giving the Pokes seven team points.

Two other Cowboy's picked up some solid team points Friday as Blake Jackson and Devale Johnson both placed in the men's long jump. Jackson's mark of 23' 4 1/2" was good enough for fifth place while Johnson's mark of 22' 6 1/2" placed him seventh.

Four Cowboy runners qualified to compete in tomorrow's finals competition. In the 800 meter run, Jeremiah Johnson had the best time of the day clocking in at 1:52.92. Jeremy Thompson also qualified for the finals with his time of 1:54.38.

Dwight Neptune and Jermaine Kelly will be competing in the finals of the 60 meter dash on Saturday. Neptune finished with the fifth best time of the day, 6.93, to qualify. Kelly made the cut with a preliminary time of 7.02.

For the Cowgirls, Kima Wells turned in the fastest time of the day in the prelims of the women's 60 meter dash. Her time of 7.37 is a new UW school record and improves her NCAA provisional qualifying chances.

Jessica Fox finished with the best qualifying time in the women's 200 meter dash. Fox crossed the finish line in 23.74, breaking her previous Cowgirl record of 24.19. The time is also an NCAA provisional qualifying time.

Shauna Smith qualified for the finals of the 60 meter hurdles with her time of 8.35, the best time of the day. Smith did not compete in the 400 meter dash due to illness and will be questionable for tomorrow's competition.

UW's Tanice Barnett turned in a solid performance in the prelims of the 800 meter run. Her time of 2:17.08 was the second fastest preliminary time and qualifies her for the tomorrow's finals.

In the team standing's the BYU women are in first place with 71 team points, the Cowgirls are in fifth place with 21 team points. The Colorado State men's squad holds the first place position with 63 points, the Cowboys are in third place with 40 points.

"Overall I thought we had a pretty good day," said UW head track and field coach Don Yentes. "We had our ups and our down's today, but the meet is not over and our kids are really giving it a battle. There is a long way to go before the end of this thing and we are up to the challenge."

The MWC Indoor Track & Field Championships conclude Saturday, February 28, following the men's mile relay at 3:45 p.m. MST and the announcement of the individual and team awards.