Track & Field 1/19/2024 9:08:00 PM Chris Brannick

UCO Continues Improving Trend At Pitt State

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Central Oklahoma finished ninth at Pittsburg State's Rumble in the Jungle Friday with more personal records coming yet again for the Bronchos.

Mattison Thetford continued her improving marks in the pole vault to start the day off and finished seventh with her final height of 3.51 meters. That mark is a PR for Indoor and is just shy of her 3.55-meter PR that came during an Outdoor meet last season. Talyn Been also finished ninth in the event with a vault of 3.21 meters.

Dahsauni Lyday added a sixth-place finish in the weight throw, hitting 14.95 meters on her second throw of the day. That is the third-best throw of her Indoor career and the second-best mark she's hit at Pitt State. Her career-best is 15.27 meters in Pittsburg last winter. Lauren Wilson also finished 16th with a 10.96-meter heave.

Lyday was back for the shot put later Friday and put together a third-place finish, medaling with a 13.41-meter throw on her first attempt of the day. Abigail Kelly also finished 14th in the shot put with a mark of 10.37 meters.

In the long jump, Kelsey Drapeau finished seventh with a season-best 5.42 meters. She hit that mark on her first and third jump. Drapeau has improved her distance in the long jump in each of her first three meets this season with another DII PR for the junior transfer.

Central Oklahoma scored team points in all four field events the Bronchos competed in Friday.

In the 60-meter hurdles, Deriayah Lee missed out on the finals by the narrowest of margins. Lee, a freshman, finished the race in 9.11 seconds and finished ninth. The top eight advanced to the finals. The eighth-place finish was 9.10 seconds. Lee's time was another Central PR.

Central also had two sprinters in the 60-meter dash. Sai Brookins-Fleming finished 10th in the prelims with a time of 7.86 seconds, and Mikayla Stephenson finished 20th with a time of 8.05 seconds. Brookins-Fleming made her season debut in the event. Stephenson ran for the second time this season and improved from her previous time of 8.08 seconds.

Four Bronchos competed in the 400 and Treasure Vallerie led the way with a sixth-place finish. The freshman finished in 57.30 seconds in her collegiate debut. Kerrigan Huynh finished 13th with a time of 59.38 seconds. Jakayla Swanson (1:02.89) and Karly Clemons (1:09.60) also ran Friday.

Vallerie and Brookins-Fleming returned for the 200 and both scored points for the Bronchos. Vallerie finished fifth with a time of 25.36 seconds and Brookins-Fleming finished eighth with a time of 25.61 seconds.

Huynh also ran in the 200 and finished 19th (26.30), Stephenson finished 27th (26.87), Lee finished 32nd (27.17), and Clemons finished 39th (29.02).

Noel Buckhaults and Kylee Smith both competed in the 3,000 meters Friday. Buckhaults finished 38th (12:25.39) and Smith finished 39th (12:44.71).

In the final event of the day, Central Oklahoma put together a pair of 4x400 relay teams and ended the day with a record-setting performance. The A team, Brookins-Fleming, Huynh, Swanson, and Vallerie, finished seventh with a time of 3:57.68, breaking the school record by 0.6 seconds. The B team, Lee, Stephenson, Clemons, and Buckhaults, finished 12th with a time of 4:30.14.

Central Oklahoma will return to Pittsburg next week for PSU's Wendy's Invitational.

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Players Mentioned

Talyn Been: Pole Vault; Sophomore

Noel Buckhaults: Distance; Senior

Dahsauni Lyday: Throws; 5' 4"; Senior

Kylee Smith: Distance; Sophomore

Mattison Thetford: Pole Vault; Sophomore

Sai Brookins-Fleming: Sprints; Freshman

Karly Clemons: Sprints; Freshman

Kelsey Drapeau: Jumps; Senior

Kerrigan Huynh: Sprints; Freshman

Abigail Kelly: Throws; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Talyn Been
: Sophomore
: Pole Vault

Noel Buckhaults
: Senior
: Distance

Dahsauni Lyday
: 5' 4"; Senior
: Throws

Kylee Smith
: Sophomore
: Distance

Mattison Thetford
: Sophomore
: Pole Vault

Sai Brookins-Fleming
: Freshman
: Sprints

Karly Clemons
: Freshman
: Sprints

Kelsey Drapeau
: Senior
: Jumps

Kerrigan Huynh
: Freshman
: Sprints

Abigail Kelly
: Freshman
: Throws