Utah State Men’s Track & Field Remains Ranked Third in MW in Latest Rankings; Women Ranked Fourth

Track and Field 4/18/2022 12:34:00 PM

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State men's track & field teams retained a third-place ranking in the Mountain West in the latest USTFCCCA rankings, also ranking 13th in the Mountain region. The women were ranked fourth in the MW and 11th in the region.

In the men's MW rankings, the top three remained unchanged with Air Force, Colorado State and Utah State taking spots one through three. On the women's side, San Diego State and Colorado State retained the top two positions with New Mexico jumping three spots to take third.

In the regional rankings, Texas Tech and BYU, respectively, took the top two spots in both the men's and women's rankings. Northern Arizona, Air Force and Colorado State completed the top five on the men's side while Colorado, Colorado State and New Mexico filled out the women's top five.

The Aggies also rank in the top 25 nationally in eight different events. Utah State's highest event ranking comes via the women's steeplechase where USU ranks seventh in the nation with an average time of 10:43.09. Also on the women's side, the Aggies rank 13th in the javelin, 17th in the 400-meter hurdles, 20th in the discus and 24th in the 100-meter hurdles. The Aggie men also rank into the top 10 nationally in the steeplechase, ranking 10th with an average time of 9:08.76. USU also slots into the top 25 in the 5,000 meters (25th) and shot put (24th).

Utah State competed at a trio of California competitions last week in the Azusa Pacific Invitational, the Long Beach State Invitational and the Mt. SAC Relays. Senior Katie Haviland was responsible for USU's high mark of the week, winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Mt. SAC Relays with a time of 10:12.29 to set a personal best, which is also the fastest time in the Mountain West this season by more than eight seconds. Junior Abby Jensen followed close behind Haviland in the steeplechase with a 12th-place finish out of 77 total runners in the event. Jensen's time of 10:25.69 moves her to sixth all-time in school history.

At the Azusa Pacific Invitational, senior Mica Rivera led the way with a third-place finish in the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:19.61. Rivera's time, which ranks sixth in the MW this season, moves her to third all-time in the event in USU history. In the men's invitational finals of the 1,500 meters, sophomore Brennan Benson set the sixth-fastest time in school history at 3:44.96 to finish 84th out of 149 participants.

The Aggies' efforts at the Long Beach State Invitational were highlighted by seniors Maia Garren and Anna Parkinson. In the shot put, Garren improved upon her personal best with a throw of 16.48 meters (54-1.00), placing second in the event. That mark ranks third all-time in school history. In the women's pole vault, Parkinson vaulted herself into the top 10 all-time at USU, clearing a height of 3.76 meters (12-4.00) to place second.

Utah State track & field is set to continue the outdoor season next weekend at the BYU-hosted Robison Invitational. Competition is slated for Friday through Saturday, April 22-23, in Provo, Utah.

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.

Men's Week 3 Mountain West Rankings: