Utah State track and field announced on Apr. 15 that the team will compete in three upcoming meets in Southern California: the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa from April 16-18, the Pacific Coast Invitational in Long Beach on April 16, and the Beach Invitational, also in Long Beach, from April 17-18.
These competitions are important as they provide opportunities for Utah State athletes to improve their standings ahead of postseason qualification. The top-48 individuals and top-24 relay teams from each region will qualify for the NCAA First Rounds.
The Aggies return nine all-Mountain West performers from last year’s outdoor season. Senior Logan Hammer secured his third consecutive conference title in men’s pole vault with a meet-record clearance of 5.65 meters. Junior Landon Bott won gold in the men’s 800 meters, while seniors Marshall Rasmussen and Javin Richards completed a sweep of the pole vault podium. In throwing events, junior Walker Deede earned silver in javelin for a second straight year, and junior Joseph Turner took bronze in discus. Freshmen Ayodele Ojo Jr. and Taite Priestley contributed with medals as well; Ojo Jr. took silver in the men’s 100 meters while Priestley claimed bronze in high jump. On the women’s side, junior Shelby Jensen earned silver in the steeplechase.
Currently, ten Utah State athletes rank among the top-25 competitors within their events across the NCAA West Region this season—including standout performances by Ojo Jr., David Konan (men’s sprints), Shay Jones (women’s sprints), Deede (javelin), Hammer and Richards (pole vault/decathlon), Logan Garnica and Garrett Woodhouse (steeplechase), Bott (middle distance), and Ernest Green.
The program has also seen individual recognition during awards season: freshmen Henry Tait and Karina Cooper have received Mountain West Freshman of the Week honors this spring, contributing to a record-setting total of twelve weekly awards during indoor competition—the most ever for Utah State track & field.
During this past indoor season, Aggie athletes set or tied eight school records across various events while posting sixty-four performances ranking among school history’s best marks. Three men qualified for nationals—matching a program record—with Bott (800m), Hammer (pole vault) and Ojo Jr. (60m) earning Second-Team All-American honors.
Utah State recently claimed seven titles at meets held at Azusa’s Bryan Clay Multis as well as local competitions at Weber State Spring Classic and Utah Spring Classic.
