Track & Field 2/25/2024 5:50:00 PM Chris Brannick

Bronchos Find Treasure At MIAA Championships

UCO Freshman Treasure Vallerie Earns Two Podium Appearances As Bronchos Rewrite School Record Book

TOPEKA, Kan. – Treasure Vallerie made a splash at her first MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championship this weekend with the freshman from San Antonio, Texas breaking three school records and earning two podium appearances.

Vallerie finished third in both the 400-meter and 200-meter races, and she broke school records in both events too. She capped off the weekend with the 4x400 relay team and the squad broke that UCO record too.

Central Oklahoma finished ninth in the MIAA Championships with 25 team points.

"I'm really proud of the entire group," second-year head women's track & field coach Gus Schmader said. "They've been working really hard and this was the payoff. We're competing at a high level and they are seeing what they're capable of. It's fun to watch and we're already looking forward to the next one."

Vallerie earned a third-place finish in the 400 and the 200, Kelsey Drapeau finished runner-up in the long jump, and Dahsauni Lyday finished sixth in the shot put to give UCO 23 team points. The Bronchos got two more with a seventh-place finish in the 4x400.

Vallerie raced to a third-place finish in the 200 in 24.04 seconds, breaking the school record she set earlier this winter. The freshman was 0.01 seconds off the record in January, then bested it in February before shattering it on Sunday afternoon.

She raced to a third-place finish in the 400 with a time of 55.40 seconds. Vallerie broke the UCO record for the 400 by 0.45 seconds.

Vallerie served as the third leg in Central's 4x400 race later in the day Sunday afternoon. Sai Brookins-Fleming, Jakayla Swanson were 1 & 2, and Deriayah Lee anchored the team. Three of those four set a new UCO 4x400 record in January, and then this squad broke that record on Sunday.

UCO finished second in its heat with a time of 3:51.87, almost seven seconds better than the record that was set in 2012 and last 14 years. Sunday's race was almost three seconds better than the record set in January.

Lyday competed in the shot put and was aiming to return to the podium after a second-place finish in the event last year. Whitle the senior from Wagoner didn't get back to the podium, she did break the school record in throwing 13.96 meters. That mark is an NCAA provisional qualifying mark. She previously tied for the school record with a 13.76-meter throw last year that got her second in the event.

UCO's final competitors of the weekend were Mattison Thetford and Talyn Been in the pole vault. Been did not clear the opening height of 3.34 meters. Thetford did, and then cleared two more heights on her way to a ninth-place finish. Thetford, a sophomore from Moore, Oklahoma, cleared 3.49 meters and 3.64 meters on her first attempts. The latter is a personal record for Thetford. She could not clear 3.79 meters though and her day ended there, just one place out of scoring more team points for the Bronchos.

Central Oklahoma wrapped up its 2023-24 Indoor Season with Sunday's MIAA Championships. UCO saw five school records fall this season, with two records broken a second time. The 200, 400, and 4x400, as well as the long jump and shot put records were all taken down this year. The 200 and 4x400 were not only broken, but bested a second time during this winter.

The Bronchos will now turn their attention to outdoor season, scheduled to begin March 15 in Texas.

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Players Mentioned

Talyn Been: Pole Vault; Sophomore

Dahsauni Lyday: Throws; 5' 4"; Senior

Mattison Thetford: Pole Vault; Sophomore

Sai Brookins-Fleming: Sprints; Freshman

Kelsey Drapeau: Jumps; Senior

Deriayah Lee: Hurdles; 5' 3"; Freshman

Treasure Vallerie: Sprints; Freshman

Jakayla Swanson: Sprints; 5' 5"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Talyn Been
: Sophomore
: Pole Vault

Dahsauni Lyday
: 5' 4"; Senior
: Throws

Mattison Thetford
: Sophomore
: Pole Vault

Sai Brookins-Fleming
: Freshman
: Sprints

Kelsey Drapeau
: Senior
: Jumps

Deriayah Lee
: 5' 3"; Freshman
: Hurdles

Treasure Vallerie
: Freshman
: Sprints

Jakayla Swanson
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: Sprints