Sprinters find stride at USAFA All Comers Meet

Gilkes puts up team's second national qualifying mark of season, Willis sets school record in the 400.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Jan. 14, 2011) - Three meets into the season, CSU-Pueblo sprinters picked up the pace in a big way Friday, netting a school record as well as a national qualifying mark at the Air Force Academy All Comers Meet.

CSU-Pueblo, the only Division II team participating in the Division I meet, held its own against some of Colorado's top track programs.

Headlining was a national-qualifying sprint of 7.70 in the 60-meter by Blair Gilkes (Jr., Aurora, Colo.), who scored the most points in the event by besting all other runners affiliated with a school in the open meet.  Gilkes finished third, her mark 0.08 seconds faster than her previous personal best in the 60. 

With the mark, she becomes the second ThunderWolf this season to qualify for nationals with a provisional mark (triple-jumper Danita Wyatt did the same earlier this season).

Fellow sprinter Shilay Willis (Fr., Aurora, Colo.) came just short of qualifying in multiple events, but took over a school record in the 400-meter, putting up a time of 59.24 in the event, good enough for a fourth-place finish in the event.  She bested the record held by teammate Maya Richards (Jr., Denver, Colo.), who ran a 59.63-second 400 last season.

CSU-Pueblo will embark for New Mexico next weekend, travelling to the Cherry and Silver Invitational in Albuquerque, site of this year's Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships.