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CANYON, Texas – The New Mexico Highlands track and field team took over the national lead in both the long jump and triple jump courtesy of freshman
Shanice McPherson and junior
Salcia Slack while senior
Lindsay Hayes became the first Highland's athlete to provisionally qualify for the NCAAs in the weight throw to lead the Cowgirls at the West Texas A&M Open Saturday afternoon (April 12).
"I'd have to say 'mission accomplished,'" head coach
Bob DeVries said. We had big marks in the long jump and triple jump and the first ever hammer thrower on the national list.
"We also had nice improvement in the javelin and 200's. It was a good day," DeVries added.
The first national automatic qualifier came from McPherson in the long jump. The Indoor NCAA Champion in the long jump, she took over the national lead in the same event on her third of six attempts with her mark of 20'-3" (6.17 meters).
Even in her last attempt, McPherson still reached the automatic qualification mark of 6.15 meters.
However, it was Hayes who forever etched her named in the New Mexico Highlands Track and Field history books. She bested the hammer field by more than 26 feet with a throw of 171'-10" (52.38 feet) to become the first Cowgirl to ever provisionally qualify for the NCAA championships in that event.
Slack, who continues to lead the nation in the heptathlon, took over the national lead in the triple jump with a distance of 42'-2.25" (12.86 meters) to win the event by more than three feet. In other events, she moved up to 13th in the nation in the javelin throw to win the event with a mark of 144'-1" (43.93 meters).
To round out her day, Slack finished second in the discus with a throw of 139'-1" (42.40 meters).
Taking second in the javelin was sophomore
Michelle Traynham, who moved up to 17th in the nation with a distance of 140'-10" (42.92 meters).
To round out wins in field events, senior
CiCi Cordova took the pole vault by clearing a height of 10-11.75" (3.35 meters). Classmate
Elizabeth Robertson took the shot put crown with a mark of 42'-11" (13.08 meters).
"CiCi won the abbreviated vault and took some great attempts at the national mark. She is right there," DeVries said.
Sophomore
Tayler Hendren (19:36.23) and freshman
Jaymne Quintana (2:21.44) took second in the 800 and 5,000 meters, respectively.
In a competitive race, the Highlands 4x400 relay team finished fourth with a time of 4:03.83.
"We did not run our top time in the 4x4, but the teams we ran showed so much heart and competed hard. That is all we ask of as coaches," DeVries said.
The Cowgirls return to action in Gunnison, Colo., April 18-19 for the Western State Combined Events.
