Jayson Ortiz

MW Track and Field 5/25/2026 12:53:00 PM Tyler McDonough, Assistant Director of Sports Communications

The Standard In Pueblo: Final Thoughts From Kansas

Cue up Ain't in Kansas Anymore by Miranda Lambert.

Because as the buses rolled back into Southern Colorado from Emporia, Kansas, it felt like another chapter had been written in what has become one of the most dominant eras in CSU Pueblo track and field history.

For a week, the CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves lived in the heat, humidity, rain, and chaos of the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. Emporia gave us everything. Long weather delays. Grueling races. Emotional finishes. National champions. Heartbreak. Redemption.

And once again, head coach Matt Morris and the ThunderWolves proved something that people around the country are finally starting to understand — this isn't just a good Division II program anymore.

This is one of the premier track and field programs in the nation.

And honestly, I think one moment summed up this program better than any medal or trophy ever could.

I couldn't even get a full quote out of Coach Morris after the meet without him tearing up.

Not because of records.

Not because of points.

Because of the people.

And I think that says everything you need to know about the pedigree of athletes in this program and the pedigree of coaching that Morris has built here in Pueblo. This isn't just about producing champions on the track. It's about building relationships, building culture, and building young men and women into something greater than athletes.

That emotion told the whole story, seen first hand by myself, a young SID who has grown fond of this program.

And when the ThunderWolves left Kansas, they didn't leave empty handed.

The week was headlined by the emergence of a new star on the men's side, and honestly, it felt fitting. When Caleb McLeod crossed the finish line first in the men's 1500-meter run, it almost felt like the event still belonged to Pueblo. Reece Sharman-Newell won it a year ago, and now McLeod kept the throne planted firmly in Southern Colorado.

To people nationally, maybe it was shocking.

To people around CSU Pueblo track and field? Not really.

McLeod has been building toward this moment for a while now. The Scottish sophomore first burst onto the scene by earning RMAC Indoor Freshman of the Year honors before proving on the national stage that he's here to stay. And in Emporia, he announced himself to the rest of the country in a major way, winning a national championship in under 3:50 in one of the most tactical races of the weekend.

The scary part?

It still feels like he's only scratching the surface.

That's what makes this program so dangerous moving forward. The future isn't coming for CSU Pueblo track and field — it's already here.

Young names are everywhere across this roster.

Take Xavier Freeman for example. If you needed one moment to define what this program is built on, it might've been his final throw in the shot put.

Sixth attempt. Last chance. Season on the line.

Freeman uncorked a throw of 18.69 meters and launched himself into second place nationally. It was one of the clutchest moments of the entire meet.

Runner-up. All-American. Massive points for the ThunderWolves.

And maybe the coolest part? Freeman just continues to prove that hard work pays off. Every single year, every single meet, he's gotten better. Now he's one of the top throwers in the country.

On the women's side, Keturah Templeman may have left Emporia frustrated with her performance in the javelin, but nobody around this program should be discouraged about her future. Not even close.

Templeman finished 19th nationally with a throw of 43.08 meters in a loaded national field and in conditions that were anything but easy. The atmosphere in Emporia was brutal at times — hot, humid, exhausting — but through two seasons, Templeman has already established herself as one of the nation's best young throwers.

And she's still just getting started.

Then there's Jon Sweepe.

Honestly, it still feels crazy that he was even running the 5,000 meters at nationals. You can probably count on one hand how many times he's run that event competitively, but that's what makes this program unique. Coach Morris isn't afraid to throw athletes into the fire.

And Sweepe embraced it.

With about a lap to go, he was right there battling near the front of one of the most grueling races in the sport. He eventually finished 17th nationally in his second straight outdoor national championship appearance, but the finish hardly tells the whole story.

The young man from Peoria, Arizona, just keeps getting better.

Fresh off being named CSU Pueblo Male Athlete of the Year, Sweepe has become one of the faces of the program, and somehow, the ThunderWolves still have eligibility left with him. The future is ridiculously bright.

And on a personal note — congratulations are probably in order for Jon as well, as he's set to get married soon back home in Arizona.

Not every story in Emporia ended with a finals appearance, but making nationals in itself says everything about the level this program has reached.

Charlotte Young proved throughout her first year in Pueblo that she belongs among the best 800-meter runners in the country. While she acknowledged she didn't have the race she wanted in the prelims, anybody watching closely could see the potential immediately.

The women's 800 meters may be one of the deepest events in Division II track and field, and Young still looked like she belonged.

Already owning a national championship from the indoor season as part of the women's DMR squad, Young now steps into a legacy event at CSU Pueblo. Yasmine Hernandez. Helen Braybrook. Reece Sharman Newell. Leah Keisler. The standard in the women's 800 has always been high in Pueblo, and now Young looks ready to carry that torch forward.

Another runner from across the pond hungry for more.

On the men's side, Tim Anstett left Emporia frustrated after not advancing to the finals in the 800 meters. If you asked him, he'd probably tell you he expected more from himself.

But anybody who follows Division II track closely knows exactly who Tim Anstett is.

One bad prelim doesn't erase the fact that he's one of the best 800-meter runners in the country.

The German junior has consistently proven he belongs in the national conversation, and heading into his senior season, don't be surprised if he enters as one of the favorites to win that event outright.

And maybe no athlete better represents patience, perseverance, and trusting the process more than Febe Wessels.

Wessels spent years waiting for her opportunity.

For a long time, she sat in the shadows of one of the greatest throwers in Division II history in Katherine Higgins. Higgins dominated not just the RMAC, but the entire NCAA Division II landscape, stacking up national championships, scholar-athlete awards, and All-American honors while becoming one of the faces of CSU Pueblo athletics.

And through all of that, Wessels waited patiently for her moment.

Then 2026 arrived.

And when her number was finally called, she answered in a massive way.

Back on March 14 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Wessels authored one of the clutchest moments in CSU Pueblo track and field history. Entering the fifth round of the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships sitting in seventh place, Wessels looked like she was running out of opportunities to climb the leaderboard.

Then came the throw.

16.25 meters.

On her second-to-last throw of the competition, Wessels surged into first place and captured her first-ever national championship in the women's shot put. In one single moment, she etched her name alongside Katherine Higgins and the other legendary throwers that have come through Pueblo.

And during outdoor season, Wessels proved that Virginia Beach wasn't some magical one-off moment.

It wasn't a fluke.

She backed it up all spring long before finishing runner-up nationally in the outdoor shot put, closing out one of the greatest throwing careers ever seen in the navy and red.

Then there's Jadyn Herron, who around the program has always felt like the veteran presence that held everything together.

Herron does everything for CSU Pueblo.

Whatever the ThunderWolves needed, she did it.

Cross country? She was there grinding out miles and doing the dirty work. Indoor season? She was one of the emotional engines behind the national championship DMR squad. Outdoor season? As steady and dependable as ever, punching national championship ticket after national championship ticket.

Herron spent much of her career right alongside Helen Braybrook, whether it was pacing in the 800 meters, running the 1500, or stepping into distance events wherever the coaching staff needed her most.

And that's what made Herron special.

She never cared about the spotlight.

She cared about the program.

She concludes her career with a fifth-place national finish in the 1500 meters out in Kansas, another All-American performance in a career full of them.

And then there's Braybrook.

Honestly, as I sit here writing this, it's hard not to get emotional talking about what Helen Braybrook has meant to CSU Pueblo athletics.

Because when this story is told years from now, there's a very real argument that Helen Braybrook is the greatest athlete to ever come through CSU Pueblo.

And that statement isn't made lightly.

This university has seen some unbelievable female athletes over the years. Names like Jessie Banks. Alisha Little. Katherine Higgins. Athletes that built championship cultures here in the Steel City.

Now you have to put Helen Braybrook in that same category of all-time greats.

Actually, you might have to put her at the very top.

Four-time national champion.

Five-time national runner-up.

13-time All-American.

Back-to-back CSU Pueblo Female Athlete of the Year.

Three-time NCAA Division II record holder.

Six-time school record holder.

And honestly, I don't even have enough fingers to count all the incredible moments she's produced over the last five years.

What made Braybrook special wasn't just the championships.

It was her willingness to do absolutely anything for the program.

You ask her to run an event? She'll do it.

Need her in the DMR? Done.

Need her in the 800? She'll dominate.

Need her in the mile? She'll break records.

Cross country? Of course.

Whether it was shattering the indoor mile record in Boston earlier this season, rewriting 600-meter records during indoor season, setting cross-country marks, or even continuing to break records back in her native United Kingdom, Braybrook simply became a record-breaking machine.

And somehow, she always wanted more.

Last outdoor season in Pueblo, she finished runner-up in the 800 meters and looked devastated despite standing on the podium. This season in Emporia, she closed her career with another national runner-up finish in the 1500 meters, and somehow, there was still disappointment written across her face.

That's the level she competed at.

That's the standard she created.

Five years ago, Braybrook arrived in Pueblo from the United Kingdom not fully knowing what to expect. She was already an incredible athlete back across the pond, but she trusted her teammates, trusted Coach Morris, and trusted the process.

And over those five years, she became the face of CSU Pueblo track and field.

Not just because of the records.

Not just because of the championships.

Because of the way she carried herself.

She became a mentor to younger athletes. A leader to people her own age. A standard setter for what it means to compete in Pueblo.

Her legacy will stretch far beyond medals and trophies.

Helen Braybrook raised the standard for every female athlete that will ever come through CSU Pueblo track and field and cross country moving forward.

And honestly, that may end up being her greatest accomplishment.

When you look at this program as a whole, it's hard to even put it into words anymore.

The talent is obviously there.

The coaching staff is obviously there.

The leadership is obviously there.