Utah State University’s track and field team secured five event titles and achieved 17 podium finishes at the UVU Collegiate Invitational in Orem, Utah, on March 26.
The competition saw several athletes deliver standout performances that now rank among the top-10 in school history. Sophomore Ayodele Ojo, Jr. finished second in the men’s 100 meters with a time of 10.14 seconds, narrowly missing the school record by just one hundredth of a second. Freshman David Konan placed third with a time of 10.18 seconds; both times moved them into second and third place all-time for Utah State in that event.
In field events, senior Valerie Clark won the women’s javelin with her best throw since last year’s Mountain West Championships, reaching 48.05 meters. On the men’s side, junior Walker Deede recorded a personal best of 69.60 meters to finish third and move up to fourth all-time for Utah State.
Pole vault also brought success as freshman Karina Cooper set her lifetime best at 4.05 meters to win the women’s title and take third place in school history for that event. Senior Javin Richards claimed first place on the men’s side by clearing 5.15 meters.
Other notable results included sophomore Shay Jones taking second in the women’s 200 meters with a time of 23.56 seconds—good enough for third-best ever at Utah State—and leading her relay team to victory in the women’s 4×100-meter relay (45.87 seconds). The Aggies also swept all three podium spots in the women’s 400-meter hurdles led by junior Claire Petersen.
Looking ahead, Utah State will split its squad next weekend between two major meets: The Pepsi Florida Relays in Gainesville and Stanford Invitational on April 3-4.
