Track team has record-setting weekend
Utah State track and field had a record-breaking weekend at the Cal Brutus Hamilton Invitational track meet in Berkeley, Calif. The two-day track meet, which started last Friday, had many quality teams from California, Washington, Arizona and Nevada.
The Aggie women had a great weekend that included 10 top five finishes. On Friday, senior Elaine Connolly finished third in the 800m with a time of 2:10.65. Junior Lindsey Spencer also did well with a second-place finish in the hammer throw, with a distance of 180-00 feet.
Freshman Bailee Whitworth started the Aggies off on the right foot Saturday morning, with a fifth-place finish in the open 100m, with a time of 12.30. She also ran the final leg of the fifth place 4x100m relay team, which also included fellow freshmen Mercedes Blackwood and Aubrie Haymore and senior Jen Day. The relay team had a time of 47.09. The women’s 4x400m relay team, which included Haymore and Day and freshman Hollie Bosworth and senior Elaine Connolly, also had a fifth-place finish, with a time of 3:46.71.
Junior Erin Stratton had a second-place finish in the open 3000m steeplechase, with a time of 10:24.08. Junior teammate Alicia Holt had a time of 10:48.50 and placed fifth.
In the field events for the lady Aggies, senior Shannon Prince had a solid performance in the discus throw, with a distance of 47.41m. Sophomore Sonia Grabowska finished fourth in the pole vault event, clearing a height of 3.87m.
Utah State’s men’s team had many great performances over the two-day period and tabbed 17 top-five finishes. In the 400m hurdles on Friday, senior Nick Karren finished first, with a time of 50.70. Freshman Briton Page finished fifth in the open 800m with a time of 1:52.10.
Senior Clint Silcock jumped for a height of 7-01.75, which placed him in second. He jumped the same height as both the first- and third-place jumpers, but he had one more miss than first place and was given second by criteria. Junior pole vaulter Max Hansen cleared a height of 16-01.25 and placed fourth in that event. Sophomore Jaymin Vickers placed fourth in the javelin throw, with a distance of 57.81m.
Rounding out the Friday night’s events was an impressive performance by senior Steve Strickland in the 3000m steeplechase. Strickland tabbed first place and crossed the finish with a time of 8:42.97, which is just over .2 seconds off of USU’s school record, which was posted by Strickland last season. His time is currently the fastest in the WAC and also the second fastest time in the country to date. Freshman teammate Daniel Howell also competed in the event, finishing fourth with a time of 8:59.84.
Saturday’s action was kicked off by a couple of blazing fast times posted by Utah State’s sprinters. Junior Armahd Lewis set a personal record and placed second in the 100m open, with a time of 10.71. Lewis also finished fourth in the 200m, with a time of 22.07. Junior teammate Mike Pyrtle finished in third place in the 100m invite, with a time of 10.47. Senior Dylan Nielson finished with a time of 14.58 and finished fifth in the 110m hurdles.
Both Nielson and Lewis participated on the men’s 4x100m relay team, which was the climax of the weekend’s completion. Running the other two legs of the race were freshman Matt Maughan and sophomore Jeff Alley. The relay team tabbed first in the event, clocking in with a time of 40.38. The time is not only the fastest in the WAC this season, but also broke a USU school record, which was 40.40 seconds and set in 2002.
The 4x400m relay team, which included Jeff Alley, senior Jason Holt, freshman Tyler Killpack and senior Nick Karren, finished second with a time of 3:14.17.
The Aggie’s field team rounded out the great performances on Saturday. Sophomore Joe Canavan placed second in the shot put, with a distance of 55-02.75. Freshman Spencer Hall placed second in the discus, throwing for a distance of 165-01. Sophomore teammate Daniel Cruz also competed in the discus, throwing for a distance of 158-11 and placing fifth.
Utah State will conclude its regular season action this weekend when it travels to Idaho to compete in the Boise State Border Clash on Saturday, May 1.
– t.g.s@aggiemail.usu.edu