Weekly Aggie Update
WEEKLY AGGIE UPDATE - APRIL 24, 2023
OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Contact: Daniel Hansen - (435) 797-8584
This Week
Fri.-Sat., April 28-29 --- at Idaho State Invite, All Day
Sat., April 29 --- at Fresno State Invite, All Day
• Utah State track & field continues its outdoor season this weekend at the Idaho State Invitational on Friday and Saturday, April 28-29, and at the Fresno State Invitational on Saturday, April 29.
Last Week
NTS --- at BYU Invite
NTS --- at Stanford Invite
• Utah State competed at the Stanford-hosted Payton Jordan Invitational and the BYU-hosted Robison Invitational last weekend. At the Stanford Invite, junior Max Wehrli and graduate senior Mica Rivera continued USU's record-breaking season, recording the third and fourth school-record marks this year. Wehrli placed fourth in the section one finals of the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:38.94, breaking the previous school record of 8:40.73 set by Colby Wilson in 2016. Wehrli's time also ranks first in the Mountain West and 10th nationally this season. Graduate senior Mark Crandall also placed seventh in the event with a time of 8:44.86, improving upon his own personal-best time, which ranks fifth all-time at USU. Rivera finished 12th in the section one finals of the women's 5,000 meters with a time of 16:10.90, breaking the school record of 16:14.46 set by Kashley Karter in 2017. Rivera's time also ranks seventh in the MW this season. Sophomore Ana Weaver finished 16th in the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:28.17, moving to fifth all-time in the event in school history. In the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, senior Abby Jensen placed fourth with a time of 10:17.36, while senior Bailey Brinkerhoff finished sixth with a time of 10:42.01. Senior Spencer Nelson finished 17th in the section one finals of the men's 5,000 meters with a time of 13:49.43, less than two seconds off his personal-best time, which ranks third all-time in school history. Junior Yonas Mogos placed eighth in the section two finals of the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:13.81. Lastly, in the men's 10,000 meters, graduate senior Caleb Garnic placed 11th with a time of 29:27.50 and senior Bridger Altice finished 16th with a time of 30:29.94. At the BYU Invite, the Aggies registered three titles and 10 top-three finishes. Junior Sidnee Naerebout won the women's triple jump with a mark of 11.79 meters (38-8.25), which places her ninth all-time at USU. Junior Brennan Benson won the men's mile with a time of 4:05.33. Senior Tori Bailey won the women's discus with a mark of 51.68 meters (169-6.75) and took third in the hammer with a mark of 55.36 meters (181-7.50). Junior Olivia Smith placed second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:00.22, while junior Maddie Edwards took third with a time of 1:01.70. Senior Erin McQuillen finished second in the women's long jump with a mark of 5.12 meters (16-9.50). On the men's side, junior Kelton Chenworth took second in the high jump with a mark of 2.11 meters (6-11.00). And, sophomore Joshua Hartvigsen and senior Skyler Andam placed second and third, respectively, in the men's long jump with marks of 6.98 meters (22-10.75) and 6.93 meters (22-8.75).
MEN'S TENNIS
Contact: Adalee Randall - (435) 797-8584
This Week
2023 Mountain West Championships, Las Vegas, Nevada
Wed., April 26 --- vs. #4 UNLV, 6 p.m. (MT) (MWN)
Thur., April 27 --- vs. #1 New Mexico, 6 p.m. (MT) (MWN)
Fri., April 28 --- Championship vs. TBA, 6 p.m. (MT) (MWN)
• Utah State men's tennis (10-12, 3-3 MW) is the No. 5 seed in the upcoming Mountain West Championships, which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada. USU will begin the tournament against No. 4 seed UNLV (12-10, 3-3 MW) in a quarterfinal match on Wednesday, April 26, at 6 p.m. If USU advances to the semifinals it will play top-seeded New Mexico (15-5, 6-0 MW) on Thursday, April 27, at 6 p.m., and the championship match will be on Friday, April 28, at 6 p.m. Fans can watch every match via the MW Network, streaming online at www.utahstateaggies.com/watch.
Last Week
W, 4-3 --- at #67 Boise State
• Utah State concluded its regular season last weekend with a 4-3 Mountain West win at No. 67 Boise State. Against the Broncos, USU claimed the doubles point as junior Stijn Paardekooper and freshman Nuno Pinheiro posted a 6-4 win at the second position, while senior Javier Ruiz and junior Jack Ninteman notched a 6-4 win at the third position. In singles play, senior Bodin Zarkovic recorded a three-sets win at the No. 2 spot (6-4, 3-6, 7-5), sophomore Sergi Mico Fenollar posted a straight-sets win at the No. 5 spot (6-4, 6-1), and Pinheiro recorded a straight-sets win at the No. 6 spot (6-4, 6-2).
SOFTBALL
Contact: Ashley Springer - (435) 797-5547
This Week
Tues., April 25 --- at BYU, 6 p.m. (BYUtv)
Fri., April 28 --- UNLV, 4 p.m. (MWN)
Sat., April 29 --- UNLV, Noon (MWN)
Sun., April 30 --- UNLV, Noon (MWN)
• Utah State softball (15-22, 6-10 MW) will play four games this week, including a non-conference game at BYU (23-13) on Tuesday, April 25, at 6 p.m. USU will then host UNLV (20-25, 6-11) in a three-game Mountain West series on Friday, April 28, at 4 p.m., Saturday, April 29, at noon, and Sunday, April 30, at noon. USU's game at BYU will be televised live on BYUtv, while its series against the Rebels will be streamed live on the MW Network and available at www.utahstateaggies.com/watch.
Last Week
Cancelled --- UTAH VALLEY
W, 10-2 (5)--- IDAHO STATE
L, 2-11 (5) --- at Boise State
L, 1-9 (5) --- at Boise State
L, 3-11 (5) --- at Boise State
• Utah State softball went 1-3 last week after defeating Idaho State at home 10-2, before losing its series against Boise State (2-11, 1-9, 3-11). Five Aggies saw time in the circle, combining for a 16.94 ERA. The USU pitching staff allowed 26 hits and 32 earned runs, while striking out 18 batters and walking 27. Freshman Jaden Colunga led the Aggies at the plate after batting .545 (6-of-11). Senior Makenzie Macfarlane led USU defensively with 17 putouts and three assists. As a team, USU hit .277 (23-of-83), including two doubles and five home runs.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Contact: Adalee Randall - (435) 797-8584
This Week
2023 Mountain West Championships, Las Vegas, Nevada
Wed., April 26 --- vs. #6 Boise State, 11 a.m. (MT) (MWN)
Thur., April 27 --- vs. #3 San Diego State, 3 p.m. (MT) (MWN)
Fri., April 28 --- Semifinals vs. TBA, Noon (MT) (MWN)
Sat., April 29 --- Championship vs. TBA, Noon (MT) (MWN)
• Utah State women's tennis (7-13, 2-8 MW) is the No. 11 seed in the upcoming Mountain West Championships, which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada. USU will begin the tournament against No. 6 seed Boise State (11-10, 4-6 MW) in a first round match on Wednesday, April 26, at 11 a.m. (MT). If USU advances to the quarterfinals, it will face No. 3 seed San Diego State (14-7, 7-3 MW) on Thursday, April 28, at 3 p.m. (MT). If USU advances to the semifinals it will play on Friday, April 28, at noon (MT), and the championship match will be on Saturday, April 30, at noon (MT). Fans can watch every match via the MW Network, streaming online at www.utahstateaggies.com/watch.
Last Week
L, 2-4 --- BOISE STATE
W, 4-3 --- #72 FRESNO STATE
• Utah State posted a 1-1 Mountain West home record last week with a 4-2 loss to Boise State and a 4-3 win against No. 72 Fresno State. Against the Broncos, USU won the doubles point as graduate Monique Burton and junior Lisa Küng posted a 6-4 win at the first position, while seniors Sidnee Lavatai and Zeynep Naz Ozturk notched a 7-5 win at the second position. In singles play, Küng was the only Aggie to record a victory as she posted a three-sets win (6-3, 3-6, 6-2) at the No. 2 spot. Against the Bulldogs, Burton and Küng posted a 6-3 win at the first doubles position, but the Aggies lost the point. In singles play, Küng posted a straight-sets win at the No. 2 spot (6-4, 6-0). Burton notched a straight-sets win at the No. 3 spot (6-4, 6-0). Freshman Magdalena Nunez Pureco posted a straight-sets win at the No. 5 spot (7-5, 6-3). And, graduate Annaliese County notched a three-sets win at the No. 6 spot (6-4, 2-6, 6-2).
GOLF
Contact: Wade Denniston - (435) 797-1361
This Week
Fri.-Sun., April 28-30 --- at MW Champ., Tucson, Arizona, All Day
• Utah State's golf team returns to action on Friday through Sunday, April 28-30, for the Mountain West Championships at Omni Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Arizona.
Last Competition
4th/12 --- at Wyoming Classic, Scottsdale, Arizona
• Utah State finished in fourth place at the UC Santa Barbara Intercollegiate, held two weeks ago at Sandpiper Golf Club in Santa Barbara, California. Due to fog, play was suspended midway through the second round on the opening day. The teams completed that round the following day and the third round was not played due to pre-scheduled travel by competing teams. The Aggies shot an 11-over 299 in the second round to finish with a two-day total of 17-over 593 on the par-72, 7,071-yard Seaside Course. Utah Valley won the team title at 6-over 582 – four shots clear of second-place CSUN (586, +10), while UC San Diego took third place (589, +13). A trio of Aggies finished in the top 20, led by sophomore Esteban Jaramillo, who tied for ninth at 3-over 147. He led the team and tied for seventh overall with six birdies. Fellow sophomores Julio Arronte Sanchez and Luis Gerardo Cantu tied for 12th (4-over 148) and tied for 19th (6-over 150), respectively. Junior Javier Vazquez ended the tournament tied for 23rd at 8-over 152, while fellow junior John Cook tied for 34th at 11-over 155. Utah State led the field of 12 teams with three eagles as Vazquez, Gerardo Cantu and Arronte Sanchez had one apiece.
