Cheree Hicks will compete in shot put and discus in NCAA tourney. W ith the Big Sky conference a week away, the defending Matador women's track and field champions are heading to the event like a run away bull. With strong showings in this weekend's Irvine Invitational, the women are in strong shape to repeat at champs. The women had the top two finishers in both the shot put and hammer throw. The trio of Beth Burton, Christina Tolson and Cheree Hicks are all nationally ranked and have all qualified for conference and national meets.
Few schools can say that.
Burton finished second in the hammer throw with a distance of 193 feet behind teammate Tolson who hit a mark of 195. Tolson improved on her school record in the hammer throw while Burton threw her personal best, NCAA qualifying mark. The next closest to the pair was Kirran Moss from Cal State L.A. with a toss of 159 feet six inches. She will be competing in the Modesto Invitational Saturday to improve on her qualifying mark. Burton said she started the year wanting to hit qualifying marks, which she got, and end the year with school records in the events.