Buffs Seniors Torres, Rutt Gear For Pac-12 Championships

BOULDER — No doubt, every conference meet is important to the athletes competing.

But to the seniors, the athletes who will be competing at their last conference meet, it comes with just a little more significance.

“You definitely want to make it a special one,” said CU senior track and field standout Abrianna Torres, who began her final Pac-12 championship appearance last week with the multi-event portion and will conclude it this weekend by competing in the high jump and long jump. “It goes by so fast. I feel like I just showed up on campus and now it's almost over. Last weekend, I was packing all my stuff up to go out and compete and I got a little teary eyed. That was it … my last one. I won't ever get to do that again.”

Torres made her final Pac-12 championships heptathlon count by finishing fourth, an effort that included a career-best 5-foot, 10-inch effort in the high jump.

She'll be back this weekend when the individual events resume in Seattle, and she'll be aiming to replicate — or improve upon — that 5-10 effort.

“It was exciting,” Torres said of establishing a personal best that surpassed her previous mark by almost four inches. “Coach (Lindsey Malone) has been telling me all year that I'm a 5-9 jumper — at least a 5-9 jumper.

“Last weekend, it just all came together, and it was kind of weird. It felt easy, like I should be able to do it all the time. That's actually nice because it makes me think there's more. I can jump higher.”

Buffs senior thrower Brady Rutt will also be entering his final Pac-12 championships on a high note. Rutt recorded a personal best in the discus last weekend at the Air Force Twilight meet, throwing 179-4.25. That vaulted him into ninth on the list of conference bests, and puts him well within striking range of the next four on the list.

Rutt, originally from Hastings, Neb., is also having a standout season in the hammer throw. He currently has the fourth-best throw in the conference (197-11) and has also consistently been improving in that event all season.

“This can definitely be my best Pac-12 since I've been here,” Rutt said. “I've been throwing my best marks and I've been improving in every meet. The last couple of years, I didn't do very well in the Pac-12s and I want to make this one my best. I want to make sure I PR in the both hammer and disc —- that would be the goal.”

Both Rutt and Torres already have marks that will likely qualify them for the first round of the NCAA meet. In that regard, it eases the pressure somewhat this weekend.

“This weekend, I want to go out and compete and cut my head off,” Torres said with a laugh. “No thinking. I tend to overthink too much, and I don't have to do that this weekend. This isn't a multi; I don't have to worry about scores and all that. I just want to go out there, do what I've been practicing for the last five years and have fun with it.”

Torres currently has the fifth-best high jump in the conference and is tied for the 10th-best long jump. If she can hit 5-10 again in the high jump and do what she believes she's capable of doing in the long jump, she could score points for the Buffs in both events.

“I'm excited to have a great weekend,” Torres said. “I can focus on just two events instead of everything in a multi. Long jump is definitely one of those things I know I can do better in than I've been doing up to this point.

Rutt had never thrown the hammer before enrolling at Colorado. In his five years in Boulder, he's steadily improved as he has continued to work on his technique.

“There's so much that goes into throwing that the average person doesn't think about,” Rutt said. “Technical-wise, throwing is one of the hardest events. To going from picking up the hammer for the first time as a freshman to where I am now, it's been really fun.”

To improve his technique, Rutt and Buffs throws coach Casey Malone (the 1998 NCAA discus champ and two-time Olympian) spend time reviewing film of his performances.

“If you watch film consistently, it's going to be in your brain and it's going to stick with you more,” Rutt said. “The more reps you get of that, it's going to make you a better thrower. I watch what I did right and what I did wrong, and go from there.”

If Rutt can continue his recent string of improving on almost a weekly basis, he could put some points on the board for the Buffs in both of his events this weekend.

“I know there's more in the tank,” Rutt said. “I've had bigger throws in practice; I just have to put it together in a meet. If I stay focused and relaxed, I could have a big meet in the hammer and the disc.”

No matter what happens this weekend, both Rutt and Torres will be competing in the first round of the NCAAs in Lawrence, Kan., in late May (there are two preliminary meets that serve as qualifiers for the NCAA Championship finals). And, no matter what happens there, they say they will both have nothing but the fondest of memories of their time at Colorado as Buffs.

“Competing here at the University of Colorado has surpassed everything I thought it could be,” Torres said. “My experience has been amazing. One of the things I'll treasure most and always remember is the relationship I've been able to form with Coach Lindsey (Malone). I had a really good relationship with my high school coach and I didn't think I'd be able to have something like that again. But my relationship with coach — I'm going to miss that the most.”

Rutt, meanwhile, may even continue to compete if time allows. He'll begin work as a physical therapy technician this summer in Boulder, and might continue to work with Malone if possible.

"I don't think I'm hitting my peak yet," Rutt said. "It could be fun to stick around with an Olympian coach and see what I could do.

Pac-12 Championships Information

When: Friday and Saturday

Where: Husky Track, University of Washington, Seattle

Television: A three-hour program recapping the event will debut Sunday, May 22, at 10 a.m. on the Pac-12 Network.

Schedule/results: Both a schedule and live results will be available on Pac-12.com.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu