Photo credit: Brandy Kate Yager. Photo source: Mountaineer Athletics
The Western Men’s and Women’s Track and Field teams will be in action Friday, Jan 28., beginning at 2 p.m. (kicking off with the pentathlon and heptathlon events). On Saturday, Jan. 29, the action resumes in the Mountaineer Field House at 11 a.m. for the second day of the Mountaineer Open & Multi, Western’s second home meet of the season.
The Mountaineers are coming off 6th (out of 9 competing schools in Men’s overall ) and 7th (out of 10 competing schools in the Women’s overall) place finishes against tough Division-1 competition at the Air Force Academy. Competing schools included Brigham Young University, Colorado State University, and the University of Colorado.
Redshirt sophomore long jumper Malcom Wesley, who also plays on the football team, will aim for another standout performance after notching first place finishes in his previous two outings. Wesley jumped 7.28 meters in his very first jump in the Dec. 11 Mountaineer Open, a full quarter-meter higher than his other 10 competitors. Wesley has already qualified for the Indoor NCAA Championships in mid-March.
At Air Force, Wesley jumped 7.19 meters, good enough for another comfortable win. Women’s freshman jumper Eireann Donahue is another Mountaineer to watch, posting a second-place finish in Colorado Springs with a national-qualifying distance of 11.71 meters.
At the upcoming meet, masks will be required for all spectators, regardless of vaccination status. Next weekend, the Mountaineers will head to Albuquerque, New Mexico to compete in the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.