Pack misses out on team title by slimmest of margins

Joe Davies Invitational: CSU-Pueblo, 2nd out of 7 teams

GOLDEN, Colo. - CSU-Pueblo's women's track team was but a scant point away from a team milestone - the squad's first team title at a meet - when it finished just one point behind Western State for the championship at the Joe Davies Invitational at Colorado School of Mines Saturday.

The Pack finished with 108 team points, just one point shy of Western State's 109, as CSU-Pueblo turned in its strongest team performance to date since the return of the program last season.

CSU-Pueblo boasted wins in the 200-meter (Blair Gilkes (So., Aurora, Colo.)) and scored the most points in the triple jump as Danita Wyatt (So., Aurora, Colo.) finished second behind an unattached jumper and taking the first-place points in the event.  The ThunderWolves scored points in all sprints, hurdle and relay events.

Gilkes had one of the more impressive days among the ThunderWolves - in addition to the 200-meter win, where she set a personal best with a sprint of 26.17, she also finished fourth in the 60-meter, getting second place points because of two unattached runners in the top four. 

Wyatt was also very strong, setting personal bests in the long jump (5.27m), triple jump (10.85m) and the 60-meter dash (8.09). 

The Pack was also very strong in field events.  Summer Hawkinson (Fr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) finished in a three-way tie for first in the high jump with a 1.57m mark, later judged to be a second place finish.  Thrower Holli Salazar (Fr., Hayden, Colo.) finished second in the shot put with a 12.63m heave, and finished fourth in the hammer throw with a personal-best 13.02m throw.

CSU-Pueblo will get two weeks to reflect on its strong performance before heading to the New Mexico Classic in Albuquerque Feb. 6.