Women place first at Utah State Open, men second
In her first collegiate race, Utah State freshman Jessie Chugg finished third to lead the women’s cross country team to a first-place finish Saturday at the Utah State Open.
Weber State and Utah placed second and third in the meet, which took place at the American West Heritage Center.
Chugg finished the 5K race in 17 minutes, 58.6 seconds, right behind University of Utah senior Chelsea Digrazia and Natalie Haws of Weber State.
USU senior Caroline Berry finished behind Chugg with a time of 17:58.8. USU freshman Ruth Hilton sprinted the final stretch of the race, passing Weber State’s Cassie Olson to finish sixth with a time of 18:11.8.
“As I came in the straight-away, I wasn’t sure if I could get her,” Hilton said. “I was so tired that last half-mile. As I got closer, I was like, ‘Just try at least,’ so I gave it all my guts and barely got her. I’m glad I went for it.”
On the men’s side, USU senior Ben Kessen placed third to lead the men’s team to a second-place finish.
Kessen finished the four-mile race in third-place with a time of 19:47.3. He finished behind Weber State runners Bryant Jensen and Bob Lambert. USU freshman Brian McKenna finished sixth with a time of 20:00.2, and junior Steve Strickland followed closely with a time of 20:08.7.
The USU men’s team placed second behind Weber State.
“This meet is mainly so I can see where everybody is at,” said USU head coach Gregg Gensel. “The women ran tough, the men ran tough. I’m excited, it should be a good season again.”
“We’ve been practicing sticking together as a pack,” Hilton said. “We went out as a pack and tried to keep together and run strong as a team. We’ve been focusing on all coming together and being one as a team.”
Gensel said the freshmen on the women’s side ran well. He also had accolades for Berry.
“She’s the senior on the team, so I was excited to see her running well,” Gensel said.
He said the team will continue to improve as they get into racing shape, and will be able to compete in the Western Athletic Conference.
“The WAC has some good teams, but as long as we can compete every time we go out, I think we have a chance to do well,” he said.
Last season, the men’s team finished first at the WAC championships, while the women’s team took third place. Gensel said any additional pressure on the team this season based on last year’s finish is self-imposed. He said this year’s team is a different team running in a different conference.
“I’m pretty sure that we’ll all put on our spikes and run as best we can when it’s time for the WAC championships,” Gensel said. “The thing I try to tell my athletes is that we take it one meet at a time. We’re not worried about the WAC Championships right now. We’re worried about the next race, which is in Provo next weekend.
“They always like to run at home, that’s why we host this meet,” Gensel said. “It’s a low-key, fun place to compete. I like it because it’s a great place to run. The kids enjoy it. They get to sleep in their own beds at night and come run in a race that they’re familiar with, so all they’ve got to do is worry about running. That’s always nice.
—joseph.w@aggiemail.usu.edu
Making sure the Utah State stays in the lead, USU junior Steve Strictland, left, senior Ben Kessen, center, junior Jason Holt and freshman Daniel Howell stay neck and neck with Weber State. The men placed second at Saturday’s Utah State Open while the women took first. (Kristy Jordan)