Utah State Women Conclude Season on Final Day of NCAA West First Rounds

Track and Field 5/30/2026 8:07:00 PM

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Utah State women's track & field team concluded their 2025-26 season with two athletes competing on the fourth and final day of the 2026 NCAA West First Rounds in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Saturday.

In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, junior Shelby Jensen finished fifth in the second heat and 13th overall with a time of 10:14.77. Jensen, who was seeded 21st in the field, moved into the lead group early and stayed in the fifth position for most of the race, sticking with the leaders through five laps before eventually finishing six seconds behind the lead group of four runners. Jensen's time was the second-fastest of non-automatic qualifiers after her heat before being surpassed by runners from the meet-fastest third heat. In her junior campaign, the Saratoga Springs, Utah, native broke the USU record in the indoor 3,000 meters and qualified for her third career NCAA prelims.

Senior Sarah Ellis finished in 22nd place in the second heat of the women's 5,000 meters, crossing the line in 16:53.15. Ellis finished her Aggie career with the school record in the outdoor 5,000 meters, all-time top-10 times in the indoor 3,000 meters, indoor 5,000 meters and outdoor 10,000 meters and scoring performances at three-straight NCAA Cross Country Mountain Regionals from 2023-25.

Junior Landon Bott, junior Walker Deede and senior Logan Hammer will prepare to compete at the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by Oregon at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, from Wednesday-Saturday, June 10-13. On Wednesday, June 10, Hammer will compete in the pole vault final at 6:35 p.m., Deede will throw in the javelin final at 7:15 p.m. and Bott will race in the 800-meter semifinals at 7:58 p.m. (MT). Live coverage of Wednesday's championships will be broadcast on ESPN.

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.

2026 NCAA West First Rounds – Day 4
John McDonnell Field | Fayetteville, Arkansas | May 30, 2026

USU Men's Results:

Event (Heat)	USU Finishers (qualifiers for next round in bold)
5,000 Meters (2)	22. Sarah Ellis, 16:53.15.
3,000-Meter Steeplechase (2)	5. Shelby Jensen, 10:14.77.