Track and Field fares well at separate meets

Utah State track & field team split up to compete at two seperate meets in two different states last weekend. Members of the team were sent to Albuquerque, N.M. for the Team Challenge, which was hosted by New Mexico, and other members of the squad were sent to the UW Invitational in Seattle Wash.

As a team, USU won five event titles and 34 top-10 finishing spots.

In Washington, the Aggies sent the top distance runners to compete with some of the top competitors in the nation. Senior Dillon Maggard surpassed the school’s record by over 10 seconds in the men’s 3,000-meter run with a first place time of 7:52.99, becoming the first Aggie in school history to clear the eight-minute mark.

In the women’s events, junior Cierra Simmons broke her own school record in the 3,000m with a time of 9:30.93, nearly eight seconds faster than her previous record. This placed Simmons finishing in 13th, and ranked her sixth among collegiate athletes.

Senior Kelsey Yamauchi-Richins now holds the second spot on Utah State’s all-time 3,000m list, after earning 17th overall in a time of 9:37.45.

Junior Clay Lambourne took the men’s 800m crown, finishing less than a second behind his personal best with a time of 1:49.94. In the same event, senior Jordan Beutler ran a 1:51.34 to place third and land 10th on the all-time USU list for the event.

With a time of 16:32.67, junior Kashley Carter posted the second-best 5,000m time in school history. Carter finished 12th, and sixth among other collegiate runners. Sophomore Luke Beattie ran the men’s 5,000m race in 14:31.47 and took second among collegiate runners and ninth overall.

At the Team Challenge in New Mexico, USU women’s thrower’s represented and prolonged their early-season dominance, as the team’s shot put competitors took the top three spots. Junior Brenn Flint earned her third-consecutive title, with a throw of 15.88m. Senior Olivia Moriconi and sophomore Maia Garren took second and third with throws of 15.45m and 15.13m. Garren set an indoor personal best for herself with her throw by over half a meter.

For the men, sophomore J.D. Thorne plucked the 3,000m title, with a finishing time of 8:39.91. Junior Leaugen Fray took the high jump title, with a clearing height of 2.07m.