DENVER - Utah Valley's Trac Norris and Grand Canyon's Pierre-Louis Ricou have been named Western Athletic Conference Track and Field Athletes of the week, respectively, for April 11-17.
Norris, a senior from Panguitch, Utah (Panguitch HS) bested his last school record in the 3,000m steeplechase by nearly ten seconds with an impressive time of 8:40.88, landing him in sixth place in the elite section of the event-the third best collegiate time, with more than 30 athletes invited to race in the elite portion. In years past, Norris' time would be good enough to qualify him through the NCAA Rounds, however, official rankings will not be released until the conclusion of regular season in late May. Norris ranks 7th in the NCAA.
Ricou, a junior from Mornac, France (Lycee Camille Guerin) smashed the GCU school record in the decathlon at the Mt. Sac Relays as he came home the event winner, scoring 7,340 points on Thursday night. Ricou's mark broke teammate Timmy Johnson's prior record of 6,704 from the 2015 Mt. Sac Relays. Ricou's mark currently ranks him 13th in the country.
Other track nominees: Grand Canyon's Brandon Kocmoud broke his own school record by three seconds in the men's 1500 as he placed 10th overall with a time of 3:51.70. Kocmoud's previous best mark of 3:54.70 came at the Steve Scott Invitational in 2014. Kocmoud's time currently ranks him No. 4 in the WAC. Missouri-Kansas City's Bryce Miller broke the UMKC school record in the 1,500-meter run at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California. Miller's time of 3:46.11 broke a school record that stood since 1999, placing 31st in the event that held over 200 competitors. The record is the second that Miller broke this season, after he surpassed his own record-mark in the 3,000-meter steeplechase earlier this month at the Stanford Invitational. Seattle U's Matthew Seidel finished in first place in his heat in the 5,000 meter run with a new outdoor personal record time of 14:39.22. This time gives him a No. 3 ranking in the WAC in the event. UT Rio Grande Valley's Yariel Matute posted a 10th place finish out of 88 total runners in the 400-meter dash at the Long Beach Invitational after crossing the finish line with a time of 47.84 seconds. He also added a 29th place finish in the 400-meter dash at the Mt. SAC Relay with a time of 48.72 seconds.
Other field nominees: Missouri-Kansas City's Alex Yoxall broke the UMKC school record in the javelin at the Beach Pacific Coast Intercollegiate in Long Beach, California. Yoxall placed second in the event with his record-breaking throw of 64.22 meters coming in the preliminary round of the event. Seattle U's Devon Walker finished in sixth place in his flight in the discuss with a toss of 43.1 meters, giving him the No. 6 ranking in the WAC. At the Beach Invite the next day, Walker finished fourth in his hammer throw flight with a throw of 46.89 meters, giving him the No. 7 ranking in the WAC. UT Rio Grande Valley's Paul May posted a sixth place finish out of 26 total throwers in the shot put at the Bryan Clay Invitational after a career-best throw of 16.49 meters. His mark ranks second in program history and currently first in the WAC. He also added a 20th place finish in the discus throw after a mark of 43.27 meters. May also posted a 34th place finish in the shot put at the Long Beach Invitational out of 58 total throwers after hitting a mark of 14.92 meters. Utah Valley's Scott Moake posted a 2.10m jump in the high jump to earn third place by an attempt. Moake is ranked No. 61 in the NCAA in the high jump.