CLOVIS, Calif. — Utah State track & field earned 24 team points and posted four performances that rank in the top-10 in school history on the first day of the 2025 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Clovis, California, on Thursday.
Sophomore
Walker Deede claimed his second-straight silver medal in the men's javelin, launching a throw of 68.72 meters (225-5) to set a personal best and improve on his fifth-place mark in Utah State history. Sophomore
Kace Jones set a personal best with his fourth-place throw of 61.62 meters (202-2) and graduate
Caden Dupee took fifth with a mark of 58.95 meters (193-5). Air Force's Joe Nizich claimed his second consecutive gold medal in the event with a throw of 69.91 meters (229-4) on his final attempt.
Senior
Valerie Clark and junior
Symphony Fike scored the Aggies' first points of the championships as they finished seventh and eighth, respectively in the women's javelin. Clark, the 2023 silver medalist in the event, posted a mark of 43.15 meters (141-7) while Fike uncorked a throw of 42.85 meters (140-7). Nevada's Lilly Urban won the competition with a throw of 56.89 meters (186-7), the second-longest in conference history.
In the only women's track final of the opening day, junior
Sarah Ellis placed fifth in the 10,000 meters in her first career race in the event. Her finishing time of 34:41.57 bested the top two qualifiers in the field entering the race and moved her to seventh in Utah State history in the event. The Issaquah, Washington, native now ranks in the school top-10 in five different events across the indoor and outdoor lists. New Mexico's Jasmine Wood won the title in 34:27.49, edging out Air Force's Ella Johnson by one hundredth of a second.
Four Aggies advanced through the men's 800-meter prelims. Graduate
Brennan Benson pulled away to win the second heat in 1:50.35, finishing second overall in the field. Sophomore
Landon Bott, who won the 800-meter title at the MW Indoor Championships, finished strong to win the third heat with a time of 1:51.10. Juniors
Ernest Green and
Sam Green qualified on time with their preliminary performances of 1:50.82 and 1:51.33, respectively.
In the men's 200 meters, freshmen
Ayodele Ojo and
Diego Aguirre-Stewart each placed second in their respective heats to advance to Saturday's event final. Ojo clocked in at 20.89, a time that moved him from ninth to fourth in USU history and ranked third overall in the prelims. Aguirre-Stewart finished in 21.08 to continue his effort to build on his 200-meter silver medal from the MW Indoor Championships.
Senior
Emma Reeves added a strong performance in the women's 200-meter prelims, posting a time of 23.82 to claim the final qualifying spot in the final. Her time also moved her from 10th to fifth in Utah State history in the 200 meters.
Senior
Adi Nielson qualified for the finals of the 400-meter hurdles with her time of 1:00.61, ranking as the top qualifier on time. The Delta HS product advanced to the event final for the second consecutive year.
Thursday's action began with the first events of the decathlon and heptathlon competitions. In the men's event, Dupee posted personal bests in the shot put and long jump to move into sixth place with 3,511 points in the competition after the first five events. Junior
Sophie Chandler positioned herself in ninth place with 2,923 points after the first four events of the women's heptathlon.
After the first day, the Aggie men sit in fourth place with 17 points while the USU women sit in seventh place, having earned seven points after three of the 21 events. Air Force leads the men's competition with 31 points, while Fresno State sits atop the women's standings with 34 points.
Friday's competition will include the finales of the heptathlon and decathlon and the 3,000-meter steeplechase races. In the field, the men's slate will include the shot put, high jump and long jump, while the women's schedule includes the long jump, pole vault and shot put. Track action will also include prelims of the 100 meters, women's 100-meter and men's 110-meter hurdles, 400 meters and 1,500 meters. Live coverage will continue from Clovis on the
Mountain West Network.
Fans can follow the Utah State track and field programs on X at
USUTF_XC, on Facebook at
USUTrack and on Instagram at
USUTF_XC. Aggies fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on X at
USUAthletics or on Facebook at
Utah State University Athletics.
2025 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships – Day 1
Veterans Memorial Stadium | Clovis, California | May 17, 2025
USU Men's Results:
| Event (Round) |
USU Finishers (finalists and scorers in bold) |
| 200 Meters (P) |
3. Ayodele Ojo, 20.89; 7. Diego Aguirre-Stewart, 21.08. |
| 800 Meters (P) |
2. Brennan Benson, 1:50.35; 3. Landon Bott, 1:51.10; 7. Ernest Green, 1:50.82; 9. Sam Green, 1:51.33. |
| 10,000 Meters |
9. LJ Floyd, 30:04.83; 13. Eric Nelson, 30:27.88; 14. Joshua McKee, 30:57.44. |
| Javelin |
2. Walker Deede, 68.72 meters (225-5); 4. Kace Jones, 61.62 meters (202-2); 5. Caden Dupee, 58.95 meters (193-5). |
USU Women's Results:
| Event (Round) |
USU Finishers (finalists and scorers in bold) |
| 200 Meters (P) |
9. Emma Reeves, 23.82; 18. Camryn Ere, 24.41. |
| 800 Meters (P) |
13. Alison Richter, 2:10.94. |
| 10,000 Meters |
5. Sarah Ellis, 34:41.57; 12. Ana Weaver, 35:30.74; 13. Brianne Smith, 35:36.59. |
| 400-Meter Hurdles (P) |
7. Adi Nielson, 1:00.61; 11. Ava Smith, 1:02.61. |
| Hammer |
10. Ruby Jordan, 50.27 meters (164-11); 11. Milly Garren, 49.17 meters (161-4). |
| Javelin |
7. Valerie Clark, 43.15 meters (141-7); 8. Symphony Fike, 42.85 meters (140-7);
9. Melissa Navarro, 42.40 meters (139-1); 10. Sophie Chandler, 38.05 meters (124-10). |
-USU-
