Utah State University announced on March 31 that freshman Karina Cooper has been named Mountain West Women’s Freshman of the Week by the league.
The recognition comes after Cooper won the pole vault title at her first collegiate outdoor meet, achieving a personal-best clearance of 4.05 meters (13-3.5) during the UVU Collegiate Invitational. The event took place last Thursday, where Cooper competed in challenging crosswinds and posted a mark that ranks third in Utah State history.
Cooper is currently ranked second among Mountain West freshmen and fourth overall in the conference for pole vault. Nationally, she stands fourth among Division I freshmen and is ranked 29th among all vaulters, as well as 19th in the West Region. This award marks her second career weekly honor from the Mountain West, having previously received it on February 3.
Her achievement also represents Utah State’s second outdoor campaign accolade this season, following Henry Tait’s selection as MW Men’s Freshman of the Week on March 24. During the recent indoor season, Utah State student-athletes earned a record total of twelve weekly awards from Mountain West—marking their highest tally ever and continuing a streak of at least ten awards for two consecutive seasons.
Looking ahead, Utah State will travel out-of-state for their next competitions as they divide their squad between two meets: the Pepsi Florida Relays in Gainesville, Florida, and the Stanford Invitational in Stanford, California on April 3-4.
