NAMPA, Idaho – Behind a gold medal finish from
Isaac Manning in the men's pole vault and strong showings in both the 5000m run and the triple jump, the Utah Valley University men's track & field is leading the way with 61.5 team points after the first day of action at the 2020 WAC Indoor Championships at Jackson's Indoor Track at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, Idaho.
The sophomore Manning won the men's pole vault by clearing 4.76m (15-07.25) on his way to earning 10 big team points. His teammate
Alex Lawrence too recorded a height of 4.76m (15-07.25) to post a bronze finish and pick up six more team points, while
Jacob Deming placed seventh and
Josh Rudder eighth in the event with respective vaults of 4.61m (15-01.50) and 4.31m (14-01.75).
In the men's 5000m run, UVU posted second, third, sixth and seventh-place finishes for 19 team points. The 2018 and 2019 WAC Cross Country Men's Athlete of the Year
Kevin Lynch led the way by placing second with a time of 14:50.52.
Jared Gonzalez-Perez finished right behind him to place third with a time of 14:54.29, while Talon Rodriguez and
Britain Reynolds posted respective times of 15:04.43 and 15:05.98 to finish sixth and seventh respectively.
In the men's triple jump,
Albert MacArthur set a new school record in the event but was edged out by Grand Canyon's Christopher Bryan to post a silver medal finish and record eight team points. MacArthur tallied an impressive leap of 15.91m (52-02.50) to set the new UVU indoor record and place second in the event.
Dakarai Barnett too performed well in the men's triple jump by posting a fifth-place finish on his way to earning second team All-WAC honors in event with a mark of 14.66m (48-01.25).
The UVU men also got a second-place finish from the tandem of
Andrew Lingwall,
Kellis Johnson, Daniel Baush and
Lamek Keditukei in the men's distance medley relay on the day with a time of 10:16.21.
Kyle Routsong also posted a sixth-place finish in the men's weight throw with a toss of 15.52m (50-11.00).
On the women's side,
Hannah Branch claimed gold medal honors in the women's 5000m run to lead the way for the Wolverine women's squad. Branch won a WAC individual title in the women's 5000m run with a blazing time of 17:38.47.
Emily Jones too scored a handful of team points for the women's squad in the event by placing fourth with a time of 17:58.29.
As a whole, the UVU women sit in fourth place with 22 points.
The Utah Valley women also earned a fourth-place finish in the women's distance medley relay, as the team group of
Kelsey Creese,
Abby Garlock,
Suzy Robertson and
Kate Richardson crossed the finish line in 12:42.12 in the event.
Maddy Beyeler and
Piney Peay Whittaker too scored points for the women's squad by respectively placing fifth and sixth in the women's weight throw with marks of 13.64m (44-09.00) and 13.41m (44-00.00).
The UVU men currently lead the conference championship meet with 61.5 points. UT Rio Grande Valley is in second with 45 points, while Grand Canyon is in third with 44, Kansas City fourth with 31, Seattle U fifth with four and Chicago State is in sixth with three.
GCU leads the women's standings with 55 points, while New Mexico State is in second with 43, UTRGV third with 36, UVU fourth with 22, UMKC fifth with 19, SU sixth with six, CSU seventh with five and CSU Bakersfield eighth with three.
The WAC Indoor Championships will conclude on Saturday. The final day of the 2020 WAC Indoor Championships will get underway at 9 a.m. MT and will be streamed on both the Western Athletic Conference Facebook page as well as the WAC Digital Network.
2020 UTAH VALLEY WAC INDOOR INDIVDUAL CHAMPIONS
Men
Isaac Manning - Pole Vault
Women
Hannah Branch - 5000m
