ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Utah State track & field scored seven team points and qualified 10 Aggies for Championship Saturday finals during preliminaries of the Mountain West Indoor Championships on Friday at the Albuquerque Convention Center. After day two, the Aggie men sit in fourth place with 22 points and the Aggie women are in 10th with seven points.
Sophomore Javin Richards' fifth-place finish in the men's heptathlon was the high-water mark in finals competitions for Utah State on the day, earning the Aggie men four points. Richards totaled 4,980 points, tied for the eighth-best performance in school history, including a tie for first in the heptathlon pole vault, where he and two athletes from Air Force cleared 4.70 meters (15-5).
The other two scorers for the Aggie men were senior Caden Dupee and freshman Samuel Beckwith. Dupee placed seventh in the men's heptathlon with 4,821 points, netting the Aggies two points. Beckwith took eighth in the men's long jump with a mark of 6.91 meters, (22-8), securing one point for USU.
Freshman Landon Bott won his heat and posted a preliminary-round best time of 1:51.25 in the men's 800 meters. He will compete in the event's finals tomorrow at 12:40 p.m.
Senior Mattie Geddes qualified for the women's 800 meters finals with a time of 2:10.35. She will race at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow.
In the women's mile, senior Abby Jensen, freshman Shelby Jensen and senior Hannah Davidson all secured their spots in the event's finals tomorrow at 11:10 a.m. Shelby Jensen was the fastest Aggie finisher with a time of 4:56.45, while Abby Jensen took third in her heat with a time of 4:57.01 and Davidson logged a time of 4:58.69.
In the men's mile preliminary heats, senior Spencer Nelson ran a time of 4:11.33, junior Brennan Benson crossed the line after 4:11.59 and sophomore Drew Hogan finished with a time of 4:11.91. All three qualified for the event's finals at 11:20 a.m. tomorrow.
Senior Abbey Bryant and junior Maddie Edwards both qualified for the women's 60-meter hurdles finals tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. Bryant's preliminary time was 8.43 seconds, while Edwards' time was 8.61 seconds. Edwards now holds the seventh-best time in the event in school history.
Junior Adi Nielson now holds the seventh-best performance in the women's 400 meters in school history with her preliminary time of 55.37. Nielson did not qualify for the finals.
Aggies will also compete in the men's and women's triple jump, men's and women's 3,000 meters, men's and women's shot put, men's and women's 4x400-meter relay, men's pole vault, and men's high jump on Saturday.
Utah State continues in the Mountain West Indoor Championships tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. with all events streamed on the Mountain West Network. The competition runs through Saturday evening.
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.
Mountain West Indoor Championships
Albuquerque Convention Center | Albuquerque, New Mexico | February 23, 2024
Women's Team Scores:
1. Colorado State, 77
2. Fresno State, 46
3. New Mexico, 33.5
4. San Jose State, 29
5. San Diego State, 28
6. Air Force, 18.5
7. UNLV, 11
8. Boise State, 10
9. Wyoming, 8
10. UTAH STATE, 7
11. Nevada, 5
USU Women's Results:
Long Jump - T-23. Breanna Raven, 5.52 meters (18-1.5).
Mile (prelims) - 6. Abby Jensen, 4:57.01; 8. Shelby Jensen, 4:56.45; 9. Hannah Davidson, 4:58.69.
60-Meter Hurdles (prelims) - 5. Abbey Bryant, 8.43; 7. Maddie Edwards, 8.61; 9. Krysthina Vlahovic, 8.65; 14. Alisabeth Apedaile, 8.83.
400 Meters (prelims) - 11. Adi Nielson, 55.37; 18. Emma Reeves, 56.25; 19. Olivia Smith, 56.56; 25. Autumn Kidd, 57.58.
Pole Vault - 13. Sabrina Fairbanks, 3.70 meters (12-1.5); 15. Paige Hansen, 3.70 meters (12-1.5).
60 Meters (prelims) - 23. Claire Petersen, 7.89.
Weight Throw - 11. Milly Garren, 16.95 meters (55-7); 13. Alyssa McNutt, 15.98 meters (52-5); 16. Ruby Jordan, 14.83 meters (48-8).
800 Meters (prelims) - 7. Mattie Geddes, 2:10.35; 13. Marion Packer, 2:14.79.
200 Meters (prelims) - 33. Claire Petersen, 25.79.
High Jump - T-13. Inka Mehtola, 1.60 meters (5-3); Hannah Lybbert, NH.
Men's Team Scores:
1. Air Force, 60
2. Colorado State, 39
3. Wyoming, 35
4. UTAH STATE, 22
5. New Mexico, 19
6. San Jose State, 11
7. Boise State, 6
USU Men's Results:
Weight Throws - 10. Nate Franz, 15.56 meters (51-0); 11. Joseph Turner, 14.29 meters (46-10).
Long Jump - 8. Samuel Beckwith, 6.91 meters (22-8); 11. Joshua Hartvigsen, 6.09 meters (19-11.75).
Mile (prelims) - 3. Spencer Nelson, 4:11.33; 4. Drew Hogan, 4:11.91; 5. Brennan Benson, 4:11.59.
400 Meters (prelims) - 12. Rylan Anderson, 48.48; 18. Carter Guiness, 49.87.
60 Meters (prelims) - 15. Joseph Douglas, 7.13.
800 Meters (prelims) - 1. Landon Bott, 1:51.25; 10. Wyatt Evans, 1:54.14; 11. Bradford Woodhouse, 1:54.95.
60-meter Hurdles (heptathlon) - 5. Javin Richards, 8.52; 9. Caden Dupee, 8.95.
Pole Vault (heptathlon) - T-1. Javin Richards, 4.70 meters (15-5); T-5. Caden Dupee, 4.20 meters (13-9.25).
1,000 Meters (heptathlon) - 5. Javin Richards, 2:55.60; 6. Caden Dupee, 2:56.42.
Heptathlon (final standings) - 5. Javin Richards, 4,980; 7. Caden Dupee, 4,821.
-USU-