FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Junior Landon Bott clinched a place at the national championships in the 800 meters as the Utah State men's track & field team advanced one of their six competing athletes and relay teams on the third day of the 2026 NCAA West First Rounds in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Friday.
 
Bott claimed his spot at the national championships in the third heat of the 800-meter quarterfinals, finishing third with a time of 1:46.96 to earn the race's last automatic bid. The 2026 indoor All-American sat in fifth place after the first lap before making a move up the pack on the third turn. Bott withstood late challenges down the home stretch to secure third place by 0.11 seconds. The three-time Mountain West champion at the distance became the third Aggie to ever qualify for the outdoor national championships in a middle-distance event, joining U.S. Olympian Mark Enyeart (1975, 1977) and Clay Lambourne (2016-18).
 
"He fought really hard," said Artie Gulden, USU's director of track & field and cross country. "My heart rate was a little high on that last 100 meters but he fought really hard and was able to get to the line before those other guys. All that matters at this meet is that you have a 'Q' after your name, and he's got a 'Q' after his name."
 
Graduate Logan Garnica finished with the 12th-best time in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase quarterfinals but failed to qualify for the national championships. Garnica finished in 8:36.96, which placed sixth in the second heat where the top-five runners each posted season- or personal-best times. Garnica finished his career as one of Utah State's best student-athletes, claiming the Utah State record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on the track while earning the NCAA Elite 90 Award and the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for his successes in competition and in the classroom.
 
"He ran a really good race," said Gulden. "I hope that in the coming days and weeks that Logan will be super proud of himself and what he has done. Normally, if you run under 8:40 at this meet you get into the NCAAs, and that didn't happen today."
 
Junior Garrett Woodhouse took eighth in the third heat and 28th overall with a time of 8:53.97. Woodhouse made a move up to third place on the fifth lap but couldn't maintain the position down the stretch. Junior Michael Amitava Maiorano suffered an injury in the second heat and did not finish. Woodhouse claimed the third-best time in USU history in the 3,000-meter steeplechase during his junior campaign, while Maiorano made his first career appearance at the NCAA West First Rounds in his first season in an Aggie uniform.
 
Sophomore Taite Priestley matched his outdoor personal best in the men's high jump on Friday afternoon, clearing 2.12 meters (6-11.5) to place 19th in the field. Priestley started his afternoon strong, successfully executing two of his first three jumps to secure his best career finish at the NCAA prelims. He nearly cleared the bar at 2.17 meters (7-1.5) on his second attempt but clipped the bar with his heel on his way down. The Preston, Idaho, native wrapped up his second season in an Aggie uniform with a third MW bronze medal in the indoor high jump, the seventh-best indoor high jump in USU history and seven event titles in 12 competitions across the indoor and outdoor seasons.
 
The 4x100-meter relay team of sophomore Daniel Chase, sophomore Mathew Hall, freshman David Konan and sophomore Diego Aguirre-Stewart clocked in at 39.87, finishing seventh in their heat and 20th in the quarterfinals. The quartet matched the Aggies' gold-medal time from two weeks ago at the Mountain West Outdoor Track & Field Championships, moving them into a tie for sixth in USU history with that combination, which featured sophomore Ayodele Ojo, Jr. in place of Aguirre-Stewart on the anchor leg. Utah State's various 4x100-meter relay teams finished the 2026 campaign with four of the ten-best performances in school history, headlined by the second-ranked time of 39.48 which was set by senior Javin Richards, Hall, Konan and Ojo.
 
The Aggies will conclude their stay at the NCAA West First Rounds on Saturday, with junior Shelby Jensen seeking a second-straight trip to the national championships in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase and senior Sarah Ellis making her second consecutive appearance in the women's 5,000 meters. Live coverage will continue from Fayetteville on ESPN+.
 
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2026 NCAA West First Rounds – Day 3
John McDonnell Field | Fayetteville, Arkansas | May 29, 2026
 
USU Men's Results:
 

Event (Heat)	USU Finishers (qualifiers for next round in bold)
800 Meters (3)	3. Landon Bott, 1:46.96.
3,000-Meter Steeplechase (2)	6. Logan Garnica, 8:36.96; Michael Amitava Maiorano, DNF.
3,000-Meter Steeplechase (3)	8. Garrett Woodhouse, 8:53.97.
4x100-Meter Relay (2)	7. Utah State (Daniel Chase, Mathew Hall, David Konan, Diego Aguirre-Stewart), 39.87.
High Jump	19. Taite Priestley, 2.12 meters (6-11.5).

 
 
-USU-