GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. The Western Colorado track and field team wrapped up competition at Colorado Mesa University on Saturday afternoon, with a select group of athletes taking the opportunity across Friday and Saturday to secure their final provisional marks for the national meet.
Friday's events featured strong distance performances in the women's 5,000m run, where Lauren Willson placed fourth in 17:21.66 and Annaka Rudolph followed in fifth with a time of 18:18.32. On the men's side, Esteban Reyes delivered a standout performance, claiming first place in 14:55.32, while Jan Thewes finished close behind in second at 15:04.01. In the field events, Louisa Hess earned a third-place finish in the women's hammer throw with a mark of 42.23 meters (138 feet 6.50 inches).
Competition continued Saturday with more impressive results. Ethan VanMeter placed fourth in the men's shot put with a throw of 14.51 meters (47-7.25). Gaby Huggins led the way in the women's long jump, winning the event with a leap of 5.74 meters (18-9.75). Shawn Carter secured first place in the men's triple jump with a mark of 14.94 meters (49-0).
In the women's high jump, Nykole Meshew and Kyla Wolitzky shared the top spot, each clearing 1.64 meters (5-4.50). Aiden Ellebracht continued the momentum on the men's side, winning the high jump with a clearance of 2.02 meters (6-7.50). Brayden Jones added another top finish, tying for first in the men's pole vault after clearing 4.70 meters (15-5.0). Rounding out the weekend, Will Stone placed third in the men's 400m hurdles with a time of 55.37 seconds.
Up Next: The Mountaineers will return to action on May 21 at the 2026 Outdoor National Championships in Emporia, Kansas.