Six USU athletes earn All-American honors at Track and Field Championships
Utah State track and field had six athletes take home All-American honors in the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. over the weekend.
The Aggies had six members of the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams — Brenn Flint, Cierra Simmons, Clay Lambourne, Dillon Maggard, Sindri Gudmundsson and Spencer Fehlberg — who competed in the championships, which were hosted by the University of Oregon.
The men’s team had its best overall finish, T-18th, since 2001 (which also tied for 18th) and it was the best finish among Utah schools (BYU finished T-40th) and the Mountain West (New Mexico and Colorado State were both T-43rd).
The women’s team, which finished tied for 63rd, had two participants at the championships for the first time in program history.
Maggard placed third in the 10,000-meter with a school-record time of 28:38.36, a time which shattered the previous USU record of 29:00.76, set by Brian McKenna in 2010.
With about 600 meters left in the race, the senior made his final push, going from sixth place to first and holding that lead until there were around 300 meters left, according to USU head cross country coach Artie Gulden. He finished behind Michigan’s Ben Flanagan (28:34.53) and Alabama’s Vincent Kiprop (28:34.99).
“It was probably one of the harder races I’ve ever competed in,” Maggard said. “The Alabama guys went out in 2:05 for the first 800 meters, so I was pretty blown away by that. Overall, I’m happy with my finish. It’s the highest finish I’ve had at a national meet. Before the race, coach Gulden told me to believe, so I tried to think about that when the going got rough. I ran out of gas the last 200 or 250, but I can’t complain.”
That run, along with a sixth-place finish in the 5,000-meter run (13:57.4), helped the decorated senior earn First-Team All-American honors for the first time in his career. Maggard will leave Utah State holding seven combined indoor and outdoor school records and nine All-American selections.
Gudmundsson, who made his final throw in the javelin about the same time as Maggard finished his final run, earned USU’s other top-three finish with his third-place throw of 76.37 meters. The native of Iceland received his second straight First-Team All-American honor after placing sixth in the 2017 outdoor finals.
“It was an overall improvement from last year, so that’s good,” Gudmundsson said. “I have just got to come back next year and work hard over the fall and indoor season and come back and throw farther.”
First-year track and field coach Matt Ingebritsen said the sophomore thrower would likely be “disappointed in how he threw” with five of his six throws ending up as fouls, but said having him and Maggard walk away with a pair of third-place finishes was “pretty special.”
Simmons became the first female in USU history to earn All-American honors in the outdoor season, taking home a First-Team selection after finishing eighth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She broke her own school record of 10:12.52 with a 9:49.33 time on Saturday.
“She ran another fantastic race to cap off the season,” said USU assistant distance coach Sarah Griggs. “Setting a PR and a school record and earning first-team all-American status is an incredible accomplishment. She ran really tough and fought hard those last few laps. Cierra is a great competitor and she went out today and competed.”
The junior crossed the finish line 10 second behind Boise State sophomore Allie Ostrander — who claimed the national title for a second straight year — in what was a loaded field of runners. Six runners (including Simmons) set personal records and 10 finished in under 10 minutes.
Fehlberg, who competed in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, finished 15th with a time of 8:51.14. The senior said he had to run through pain in his final collegiate race.
“I felt pretty good before the race started, and then a couple hundred meters in I started to get a side ache and I kind of wanted to just jog it in,” Fehlberg said. “But I knew this was my last race, so I had to run with pride; run for myself and for all those cheering for me and supporting me along the way.”
Utah State’s third senior participant, Lambourne, finished 16th in the 800-meter, falling short of his goal of reaching the final race. Both he and Fehlberg earned second-team All-American honors.
Brenn Flint was an honorable mention for All-American, placing 23rd for the second consecutive year in shot put with a throw of 13.72.