Track & Field 1/26/2024 8:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

Bronchos Head Back To Pitt For Wendy's Invite

Central Oklahoma Takes On The Field At Pitt State For Second Week In A Row

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Central Oklahoma returns to southeast Kansas this weekend for the Wendy's Pittsburg State Invitational.

The Bronchos are sending a baker's dozen for the meet, which is the second in as many weeks at Pitt State. Last week, UCO scored team points in seven events and set a school record on the track at PSU's Plaster Center.

Action begins with field events at 10 a.m. Saturday and Kelsey Drapeau will get things going for the Bronchos in the long jump. The senior from Elgin, Oklahoma and transfer from Southwestern Christian has improved her jumps in three meets this season. Drapeau hit 4.78 meters, then 5.32 meters, and last week at Pitt, 5.42 meters. She won the long jump in Wichita, Kansas earlier this month, and finished seventh at Pitt State last week.

Mattison Thetford and Talyn Been will compete in the pole vault at 1 p.m. Thetford, a sophomore from Moore, Oklahoma, won the pole vault at OU in December, tied for first in Wichita, and then finished seventh last week at Pitt State with an Indoor career best 3.51 meters. Been, a sophomore from Dewar, Oklahoma, has increased her height in all three meets this season and set a new career high last week in Pittsburg at 3.21 meters.

Dahsauni Lyday rounds out the field events with the weight throw at 1:30 p.m., and the senior from Wagoner, Oklahoma will also compete in the shot put at 5:45 p.m. Lyday is an All-MIAA thrower that finished third in the shot put at Pitt State last week. She also finished sixth in the weight throw. Both marks at Pitt were season bests.

Noel Buckhaults is one of two distance runners in action Saturday for Central, with the senior from Hooker, Oklahoma competing in both the mile and 3,000 meters. Buckhaults has only ran the mile once this year, clocking a 6:11.57 at the season opener in December. Her PR in the mile came at Pitt State in 2022 while she was at Hutchinson Community College in a regional meet when she clocked a 5:26.40 to win first place. Buckhaults has run the 3,000 twice this season with times of 12:39 and 12:25, the latter coming last week at Pitt.

Genevieve Young will also compete in the 800 Saturday. The junior from Cache, Oklahoma has finished second and first in two meets this season competing in the event. She ran a personal best 2:24 in the runner-up performance at OU, and won the race with a 2:30 at Wichita State.

Young will also be competing in the 4x400 as Central will enter two teams into the relay. Deriayah Lee, Mikayla Stephenson, Treasure Vallerie, Sai Brookins-Fleming, Kerrigan Huynh, Reta Ojene, and Jakayla Swanson will all join Young in the event. Brookins-Fleming, Huynh, Swanson, and Vallerie set a UCO school record last week with a 3:57.68 in the 4x400 relay.

Those seven sprinters are also competing in four other events.

Lee will race in the 60-meter hurdles, Stephenson will compete in the 60-meter dash, and Huynh will compete in the 400. Vallerie and Brookins-Fleming will also compete in the 400 and both will race in the 200 as well.

Vallerie has Central's season best in both the 200 (25.36 seconds) and the 400 (57.30).

Central Oklahoma has one more meet on the schedule for the 2023-24 Indoor regular season. The Bronchos will head to Topeka, Kansas for Washburn's Ichabod Invitational Feb. 10. UCO will return to Topeka for the 2024 MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships Feb. 23-25.

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Players Mentioned

Talyn Been: Pole Vault; Sophomore

Noel Buckhaults: Distance; Senior

Dahsauni Lyday: Throws; 5' 4"; Senior

Mattison Thetford: Pole Vault; Sophomore

Sai Brookins-Fleming: Sprints; Freshman

Kelsey Drapeau: Jumps; Senior

Kerrigan Huynh: Sprints; Freshman

Deriayah Lee: Hurdles; 5' 3"; Freshman

Treasure Vallerie: Sprints; Freshman

Reta Ojene: Sprints; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Talyn Been
: Sophomore
: Pole Vault

Noel Buckhaults
: Senior
: Distance

Dahsauni Lyday
: 5' 4"; Senior
: Throws

Mattison Thetford
: Sophomore
: Pole Vault

Sai Brookins-Fleming
: Freshman
: Sprints

Kelsey Drapeau
: Senior
: Jumps

Kerrigan Huynh
: Freshman
: Sprints

Deriayah Lee
: 5' 3"; Freshman
: Hurdles

Treasure Vallerie
: Freshman
: Sprints

Reta Ojene
: Sophomore
: Sprints