Felipe Valencia narrowly missed out on competing in the Rio Olympics over the summer and is poised to be a top thrower for the Cougars. | Courtesy of Hal Yeager
The throwers on the Cougar track and field team have gained experience entering the 2016-2017 indoor season and are primed for another successful outing. Head coach Leroy Burrell, who typically specializes with runners, has high hopes for the shot putting unit in upcoming months.
Junior Felipe Valencia, senior Cameron Cornelius and senior Alex Garza’s skills and recent successes have the coaching staff excited for the trio to, possibly, sweep medals at the conference meets and make noise at national meets.
Junior Felipe Valencia
Following a debut season where he struggled due to personal and athletic issues, Valencia had a breakout campaign as a sophomore.
Valencia, who replaces the redshirting Cornelius, had a consistent season where he either scored valuable points at every meet or outright won his event. He ended his campaigns with a first-place finish at the Indoor Conference Championships and as a runner-up in the outdoor championships.
Although Valencia missed out on traveling to the national meets, he did make his debut on the international scene.
A third-place finish at the Mexican Olympic Trials left him just short of Olympic qualification, but it did earn him the right to represent Mexico at the 2016 North American, Central American, & Caribbean Under-23 Championships in El Salvador, where he placed fifth.
Valencia’s quick success has put himself in a leadership position despite being one of the team’s younger members. Many expect the junior to carry the momentum from last season into his junior year.
Senior Cameron Cornelius
Both Cornelius’ coaching staff and himself expected a huge year, but nothing materialized when Cornelius chose to redshirt the entire season.
Before last year, Cornelius was the two-time defending indoor conference champion and had placed second at the Outdoor Conference meet twice. All his success earned him All-American honors and a pair of trips to the NCAA Regionals.
Despite missing out on last season, Cornelius is still the same athlete. He is a strong cog for the Cougars and has had a year to get healthy as well as increasing his distance on his throws.
He will be looked as one of the most consistent throwers on the Cougar roster.
Senior Alex Garza
Garza was a new addition to the Cougars last season. A transfer from Coffeyville Community College, he had a consistent debut season where he routinely scored points by finishing in the top five.
Following a fifth-place finish at the indoor conference championships, Garza placed third at the outdoor conference championships with a throw of 17.71m.
Garza is a talented athlete who competes in four different throwing events across the two seasons.
Having a whole year with the Cougars under his belt, he should be a valuable tool for the throwers, especially the shot putters, as the season rolls along.
