Track Team has good showing in New Mexico

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Melissa Bauer-Herzog

The WTAMU track team hit the road this weekend to compete in Albuquerque, N.M. at the New Mexico Invitational. The team had a successful meet with 15 top 10 performances.

The Lady Buffs started the show by earning WT eight of their top 10 placings at the two-day meet. Rachel King, Kirsten McCowan, and Bailee Skeen put WT on the leader board placing seventh, eighth, and 10th in the 60-meter hurdles. King and McCowan’s times of 8.80 seconds and 8.89 seconds hit the provisional mark for Nationals. McCowan would continue her good meet by throwing 12.71 meters in the shot put to place third.

Makenzie Crane continued WT’s top rankings with a sixth in Pole Vault with a height of 2.85 meters and Casey Nelson joined Kirsten McCowan on the shot put leader board with a fifth place, breaking her personal best record with a 12.48 meter throw. Back on the track, Amber Moore ran the lengthy 3000-meter race in a time of 11 minutes 7 seconds, good for ninth. Continue reading →

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In the Spotlight – Luke Irwin

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Megan Gerber

Luke Irwin

Freshman middle distance runner, Luke Irwin from Uxbridge, Ontario is a leader in multiple events on the West Texas A&M track and field progression chart. Unlike many athletes at WT who started participating in their sports as children, Irwin didn’t begin competing in track and field until 10th grade at Uxbridge Secondary School.

“I started running track because my friend ran, and he invited me to come out and run on the team,” Irwin said. “I also joined because I ran cross-country in ninth grade, and my coach said that I should run track as well.”

Head track coach, Darren Flowers, recruited Irwin out of Uxbridge and onto the WT track team.

“I talked to the coach, and he sounded like a good guy,” Irwin said. “I liked the way he described the program, and I liked how track was new to the University. I thought the idea of being part of a new program would be fun.”

Irwin now runs the 800m, 1500m, 3000m steeplechase and the 5000m for the WT men’s track team. Irwin holds the fastest time for WT in the 5000m with 15:15.07, set at the Tarleton Invite on March 11.

At the Tech Open on March 26, Irwin topped the charts in the 1500m with a time of 4:09.48 and the 2000m steeplechase with 6:33.77. Irwin clocked the fifth fastest time in the 800m with 1:58.76 during the McMurray relays on April 1, 2010. Along with running, Irwin also holds a fifth place position in javelin throw with a mark of 44.63.

“As an athlete, I would like to improve my running over the next four years,” Irwin said. “I hope to win the 3000m steeplechase at the national division level. I also hope that I can continue running when college is over.”

Even though he is over 1600 miles from home, it doesn’t affect Irwin on the track.

“I like the fact that I get to compete in a different part of the world,” Irwin said. “No one really knows who I am down here in Texas, so it’s nice going to meets with less pressure. It makes it easier to perform. I also really like my teammates. There are some really good people on the track team, and that makes going to practice and traveling a lot better.”

Irwin strives to compete at the national level every year in track and cross country.

“I think having a competitive nature is very important at this level,” Irwin said. “You really have to go for it if you want to do well in a race.”

The Buffalo track and field team will travel to Norman, Oklahoma to compete in the Sooner Open on April 24.

WT Athletics – What You May Have Missed

Posted on January 21, 2010 by Megan Gerber

PRAIRIE | ALLIE RENYA

Web Editor’s Note: For more Track photos, click here.

For most West Texas A&M students, December 11 through January 11 is time to leave the University and spend time relaxing. That isn’t the case for WT Athletics. Here is what you may have missed over the holidays.

Track

The WT Men and Women’s Track and Field teams opened their 2009-10 indoor season on December 12 in Manhattan, Kansas at the Kansas State All-Comers Meet.

For the men, freshman Xavier Bennett, sophomore Josh Braddock, junior Andrew Sanders and freshman Taylor Johnson ran to grab second place under Kansas State for WT’s 4x400m Relay Team with a time of 3:25.00.
Many individual honors were also given to the men’s team. Placing first among the Division II runners, freshman Justin Reeves put up a time of 8.42 to finish 60m hurdles. In the mile run, junior Rolando Vasquez placed third with a time of 4:28.73. Senior Jarret Kachel grabbed sixth in the 1,000 meters with a time of 2:33.62, placing second among other Division II competitors.

For the Lady Buffs, the 4x400m Relay Team of freshman Sarah Snider, freshman Morgan Shelton, sophomore Sadie Newsome, and freshman Tara Tarrant finished fifth overall and was first in Division II relay times, with 4:03.07.

In individual events, sophomore Allie Reyna and freshman Aries Bazaldua finished second and third in the mile run with times of 5:24.43 and of 5:30.10. In the 60 m hurdles, freshman Bailee Skeen finished third with 9.14, while freshman Rachel King finished in fourth with a time of 9.18. Junior Jadiah Riley threw 42-05.25 in the shot to place third overall.
The WT Men and Women’s Track and Field teams are currently competing in the Texas Tech Invitational in Lubbock.

Basketball

The WT Men and Women’s Basketball Program took part in 17 games combined while most of the student section, or “Thunder Alley,” was away on break.

The Lady Buffs triumphed over all ten competitors they faced over the holidays which brought their overall record to 16-1. After a win over Texas A&M-Kingsville on January 13 and a loss to Abilene Christian on January 16, the current Lady Buff record stands at 17-2 (LSC 1-1).

The Buffaloes lost three of the seven games played over the break, bringing them to a 9-6 mark. Their winning record improved with wins over Texas A&M-Kingsville and Abilene Christian to 11-6. The men are undefeated in the conference, 2-0.

Sophomore forward Jamie Simmons tops the leader board for the Lady Buffs with 281 points, a scoring average of 14.8, 155 rebounds and 15 blocked shots for the season. Junior guard Joni Unruh leads the team in steals with 44 and assists with 65. Unruh also contributes 111 rebounds, 249 points and a 13.1 scoring average.

Leading the Buffaloes is senior guard Nick Burns with 224 points, a 13.2 scoring average, 56 assists and 28 steals. Senior guard LaDarius Hall follows Burns in scoring with 220 points and a scoring average of 12.9 for the season. Under the basket, senior forward Bijan Dotson leads the Buffs in rebounds with 90 totaled for the season.

The Lady Buffs and Buffaloes each have 10 Lone Star Conference games remaining in the season. The next double-header at the First United Bank Center in Canyon is scheduled for Saturday, January 23 at 4 and 6 p.m. against Tarleton State.

An Olympian in our midst

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Amanda Garcia

Michael Boit

Amanda Garcia
Prairie Reporter

Web Editor’s Note: Click here for more Olypmic photos!

For over a century, the world has been mesmerized by the competition and honor that come with the Olympic Games. Every four years, millions are captivated by the ceremony and grandeur of competitors from all over the globe striving for a chance of glory.

Despite the passing of the Games, West Texas A&M University is still able to thrive in that honor and glory. As of a month ago, Dr. Michael Boit, a former Olympian of middle distance running, came on staff as a visiting professor of sports and exercise sciences.

Boit was born in Nandi, Kenya and raised in Eldoret. His running career began while in school as a child, and his victories led to his progression of representing his school and his region in competitions. He ran the 400, 800 and 1500 meter run, along with the one-mile in cross country.

“Running is the easiest sport,” Boit said. “There’s no equipment needed except shoes, and even then, that’s not always necessary. I believe running is fundamental, and that all people were made to run. It’s inherent, but because of our lifestyles and the easier means of communication, people in general, have become lazy.”

After winning the national high school title for the 800-meter run and graduating from St. Patrick’s High School in 1969, Boit attended Kenyatta University in Nairobi to study sports and exercise sciences. After receiving his diploma, he came to America to further his education at Eastern New Mexico University where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree.

He went on to receive two Master’s Degrees from Stanford University and a doctorate from the University of Oregon.

His accomplishments don’t stop there. The same year he received his degree at ENMU, Boit qualified to participate in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany.

“It was an overwhelming and exciting experience,” Boit said. “It was such a long time ago; I was so young, and it was my first time out of Kenya. It was just overwhelming and exciting knowing that the whole world was watching, and so many people were cheering for you.”

At the age of 23, he earned the bronze medal for his efforts in the 800-meter run and came in fourth place in the 1500 meter run.

IT’S ALL IN THE GENES: Michael Boit’s cousin, Philip Boit, competed in cross country skiing at the 1998 games held in Nagano, Japan. He was the first Kenyan to participate in the Winter Olympics.

“I was little bit disappointed in winning the bronze medal because I believe I should have won,” Boit said. “The person who came in first place was an American, and he won by 100th of a second. The man who came in second was a Russian, and he came in at the same time as me.

In the 1974 Commonwealth Games, Boit received the silver medal in the 800-meter run. In the 1977 World Cup of Athletes in Dusseldorf, Germany, he received the silver medal for the same race. He received the gold medal in the 1978 Commonwealth Games and the bronze in the same competition in 1982 for the 1500-meter run.

After years of thriving competition, Boit finally retired in 1985. After receiving his doctorate from the University of Oregon, he moved back to Kenya to teach at Kenyatta University.

Boit’s wife, Lillian, lives in Kenya, teaching education administration at the same university. They have two sons and a daughter. Their eldest son attended Texas Tech and now lives in Houston where he is putting his engineering degree into practice. The youngest son is studying electrical engineering at Eastern New Mexico University, and his daughter is attending Texas Tech working on her masters in sports and exercise sciences.

Boit has four sisters and four brothers. One of the deciding factors for him to teach temporarily at WT was because one of his brothers ran for the track team and lives in Amarillo. In addition, two of his nephews are currently attending WT.

“I like WT because the people are so friendly,” Boit said. “WT is a great institution, and this community is so nice to live in because everyone is so willing to help each other.”

Boit will be at WT for nine months, assisting in the instruction and recruiting for the sports and exercise department.