Aggies litter leaderboards during lone home track meet
Utah State’s track team and its dedicated fans spent much of the morning and early afternoon enduring cold rains unsupportive of the Aggie athletes, and were rewarded later with both stellar weather and stellar performances. The Aggies took charge at Ralph Maughn Stadium and took home commanding victories in 16 events in front of a rare cheering crowd of fans.
Athletes representing Boise State, Idaho State, University of Utah, BYU, Weber State, Utah Valley and Westminster were present at the lone Utah State-hosted meet of the year, but Utah State hogged a good percentage of the top spots, winning 16 event titles and placing 43 athletes in the top 3. A few athletes landed conference-leading marks. Jason Holt ran a personal best 1:49.89 in the 800-meter and Joe Canavan threw a 58′ 10″ in the shot put, each snaggin the leading spot in the WAC.
Several of Utah State’s freshmen stepped up to the added pressure of performing in front of the home crowd. Kylie Hirschi (400-meter hurdles, 1:00.80) and Tanner Hunt (400-meter, 48.01), who have made their presence known all season long, were joined by fellow freshmen CJ O’Neil (long jump, 21’10.75) and Reagan Ward (triple jump, 46′ 11.5″). Each won their event and had season and personal best performances. Senior Alexis Meyer also had a personal best in the 800-meter, winning the event in 2:12.89
“You get more nervous in front of a home crowd, especially for me because I’m from here,” Hunt said. “When I (compete out of state) I’m more calm and collected, and I can just do my thing.”
Aggies that won multiple events included Silas Pimentel (100-meter, 10.79 and 200-meter, 21.47) and Lyndsey Spencer (hammer, 184′ 1″ and discus, 168′ 7″).
Regardless of the expectation to perform for friends and family, the results showed more of a positive influence on the marks.
“It depends on the athlete,” USU head coach Gregg Gensel said. “The advantage is comfort with your surroundings. You can focus on your performance. When you’re away from Logan you have to worry about where you’re gonna eat, where you’re gonna sleep, what the track will be like. If you look at it overall, it’s always better to have great performances at home. I like home because we’re pretty tough here. Even in bad weather we have a good meet. If you can win in bad weather, think what will happen in good weather.”
Although the weather postponed some events and made others more difficult, as evidenced by the throwing rings filled with standing water, many of the athletes soldiered through and got work done. The Aggies swept the top three spots in the women’s 1500-meter (Alex Litzsinger, 4:45.41; Kim Quinn, 4:46.18; Hannah Williams 4:46.50) and men’s 1500-meter (Eric Larson, 3:54.79; Aaron Clements, 3:57.60; Devin Lang, 3:59.79). The men went beyond just the top three, grabbing each of the top seven spots in the 1500-meter, with Daniel Howell, Kyle McKenna, Steven Atkinson and Nick Bolinder rounding out the next four spots. Clint Silcock and Eric Follet finished one-two in the high jump with jumps of 6′ 9.75″ and 6′ 6″, respectively.
“It was a good meet, over all,” Gensel said. “We had a rough go in the beginning because of the rain. Yes, the weather did have an impact on some of the events, but our kids made the most of it, and when the weather turned nice they took advantage of that. Joe (Canavan) threw the conference-leading mark (in the shotput) in the worst of the pouring rain.”
Gensel noted that everybody was subject to the same sour conditions and the same good conditions. “You only get so many opportunities to perform, and whether it’s good or bad, everybody gets the same opportunity.”
With the home meet past them, the Aggies will gear up this week for the Cal Brutus Hamilton in Oakland, Calif., on April 21-23.
– michael.d.rees@aggiemail.usu.edu