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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Four Aggies wrapped up the first day of competition at the NCAA West Preliminary Track & Field Championships on Thursday at Hornet Stadium.

Utah State's best finish came from senior Jennifer Christensen in the high jump, where she tied for 16th with a leap of 1.75 meters (5-8.75).

"I'm happy with how today went," Christensen said. "It would have been a dream to qualify for nationals, but I'm proud I qualified for the preliminaries. I competed my hardest and put up a good fight. It was a good way to end my senior year.

"A few minutes before my clearance, I took a second to appreciate everything and everyone in my life who has supported me and ultimately brought me to that moment. I'm very blessed and thankful to be competing with great athletes at such a competitive level."

Added multi-events/jumps coach Erik Rasmussen: "I'm so happy for Jennifer. She has always been a great competitor and one of our most consistent jumpers. She made some important changes this year that really turned her into a better athlete. Those two qualities combined again today, and she put herself in a legitimate position to make it to the next round. Although she finished just outside the top-12, I couldn't be more happy with her and how she competed. I look forward to seeing what she does in the future."

Redshirt junior Michala Zilkey was the other Aggie to compete in the field events, as she placed 38th in the hammer with a toss of 55.69 meters (182-8.00).

"I felt good about my performance and getting the experience under my belt for this year sets me up well to do even better next year," Zilkey said. "The highlight of the day was getting the opportunity to compete in the hammer, especially against the caliber of athletes that were at this meet."

In the women's 10,000-meter run, senior Alyssa Snyder ran a time of 35:13.98, finishing 39th overall. 

Junior Luke Beattie closed out day one in the men's 10,000-meter run, as he finished in 24th place with a time of 29:35.47.

Day two will see five Aggies compete in the field as seniors Brenn Flint and Zilkey will compete in the discus at 1 p.m. (MT).

Flint is 23rd in the west (39th nationally) with a personal-best mark of 53.47 meters (175-05.00), which she set at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships. The mark ranks second all-time in school history.

Zilkey is seeded 41st in the west (73rd nationally) with a personal-best mark of 51.09 meters (167-07.00), which she set at the Beach Invitational. The mark ranks sixth all-time in USU history.

"I'm expecting the discus to go well," Zilkey said. "I'm hoping and well prepared to record a personal best in the discus tomorrow."

Juniors Sindri Gudmunsson and Kyle Morris both compete in the javelin at 1 p.m. (MT). Gudmundsson ranks sixth in the west (ninth nationally) in the event with a throw of 73.69 meters (241-09), while Morris is ranked 36th in the west (63rd nationally) with a personal-best mark of 18.11 meters (59-05), which he set at the UC Irvine Classic. The mark ranks ninth all-time in school history.

Sophomore Christian Sonnenberg will close out the field events with the discus, as he is seeded 47th in the west (T-84th nationally) with a personal-best time of 53.92 meters (176-11).

In the first round of the women's 100-meter hurdles, sophomore Talie Bonds is set to race at 5:30 p.m. (MT). The sophomore from Las Vegas, Nev., is making her debut at the West Prelims and is seeded 36th with a personal-best time of 13.51 (altitude converted to 13.47), which ranks third all-time in school history.

Senior Cierra Simmons-Mecham will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase for the third time in her career, as the event is slated for a 9:20 p.m. (MT) start. The native of Soda Springs, Idaho, ranks seventh in the west (10th nationally) in the event with a time of 9:56.58, which she set at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships to claim silver.

The quarterfinals of the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase will feature sophomore Stokton Smith and senior Adam Hendrickson. Smith is seeded 32nd in the west with a personal-best time of 8:54.99, which ranks 10th all-time in USU history set at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships. Hendrickson is making his second appearance at the NCAA West Prelims and is seeded 43rd with a time of 8:59.40.

Day three will see eight Aggies compete in field events.

Sophomore Josh Barclay and junior Kyle Morris, who went 1-2 in the shot put at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships, will open things up at 3:45 p.m. (MT) in the event. Barclay is seeded 35th in the west (62nd nationally) with a personal-best mark of 18.16 meters (59-07.00), while Morris is ranked 36th in the west (63rd nationally) with a career-best throw of 18.11 meters (59-05). The mark ranks ninth all-time in school history.

The trio of sophomore Hunter Simonsen (18th in the west), senior Leaugen Fray (20th in the west) and freshman Chandler Obray (33rd in the west) will all compete in the high jump at 5 p.m. (MT). Both Simonsen and Fray are tied for sixth on the all-time outdoor program list in the event.

In the first round of the women's shot put, Flint will compete at 6:15 p.m. (MT), as the native of Syracuse, Utah, is 12th in the west (T-23rd nationally) in the event with a mark of 16.55 meters (54-3.75).

Junior Kyle Brost is making his debut at the West Prelims and is seeded 22nd in the triple jump with a school-record leap of 15.47 meters (50-9.25), which he set at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships.

The 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held June 5-8 at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas. Competitors who finish in the top-12 from the West Prelims will meet qualifiers from the East Prelims.

Fans can follow the Utah State track & field programs at twitter.com/USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at instagram.com/USUTF_XC. Aggies fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.

NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY CHAMPIONSHIPS
HORNET STADIUM
SACRAMENTO, CALIF.
MAY 23, 2019

USU WOMEN'S RESULTS
High Jump (First Round): T16. Jennifer Christensen, 1.75m (5-8.75)
Hammer (First Round): 38. Michala Zilkey, 55.69m (182-08.00)
10,000m (Semifinals): 39. Alyssa Snyder, 35:13.98

USU MEN'S RESULTS
10,000m (Semifinals): 24. Luke Beattie, 29:35.47

COMPETITION SCHEDULE FOR UTAH STATE ATHLETES (ALL TIMES MT)
Friday, May 24
Track Events
5:30 p.m. - Women's 100-Meter Hurdles - First Round (Talie Bonds)
9:20 p.m. - Women's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase - Quarterfinals (Cierra Simmons-Mecham)
10 p.m. - Men's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase - Quarterfinals (Adam Hendrickson, Stokton Smith)

Field Events
1 p.m. - Women's Discus - First Round (Brenn Flint, Michala Zilkey)
1 p.m. - Men's Javelin - First Round (Sindri Gudmundsson, Kyle Morris)
5 p.m. - Men's Discus - First Round (Christian Sonnenberg)

Saturday, May 25
Field Events
3:45 p.m. - Men's Shot Put - First Round (Josh Barclay, Kyle Morris)
5 p.m. - Men's High Jump - First Round (Leaugen Fray, Hunter Simonsen, Chandler Obray)
6:15 p.m. - Women's Shot Put - First Round (Brenn Flint)
7:30 p.m. - Men's Triple Jump - First Round (Kyle Brost)

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