POCATELLO, Idaho — Utah Valley University wrapped up a successful weekend at the Mountain States Games on Saturday with a total of nine gold finishes, one school record, and 23 Top-10 marks. The meet was the final tune-up before the WAC Indoor Championships on Feb. 19-20 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Kelsi Oldroyd, who saw
Olivia Pixton match her indoor long jump program record last week, took back sole possession of the record with a first-place finish on Friday. She hit 5.86 meters, besting the old mark of 5.75 meters.
Kali McEuen had a big weekend. On Friday she reached No. 5 in the 60-meter hurdles after finishing the prelims in 8.79 seconds. She also improved on her 8th-best time in the 400, finishing in 57.55 seconds before improving on that time in Saturday's final. McEuen moved up to No. 6 in the 400 on Saturday with a time of 56.71 seconds. She finished second in the finals to teammate
Larissa Dabb, who holds the school record and won the race on Saturday in 56.54 seconds.
McEuen was also part of the winning 4x400 squad on Friday. The quartet of Dabb,
Sarah Ballard,
Ella Hopper, and McEuen set the 5th-best time, finishing in 3:48.83. Ballard continued her weekly ascension in multiple top 10 categories. Like McEuen, Ballard had PRs on consecutive days in the same event. After finishing the 200 prelims in 24.88 seconds, good for a tie for seventh, she bested that with a time of 24.78 seconds on Saturday, which puts her fifth in the record book. Ballard also ran 7.64 in the 60-meter prelims on Friday, which is No. 6 in the top 10.
Cameron Franklin won the men's 400-meter final and improved on his own No. 2 time in the record book. He finished in 48.54 seconds, just in front of
Isaiah Archer's time of 48.99, which was third place in the finals and good enough for the sixth spot in the top 10.
Archer was also part of the No. 3 time in the men's 4x400 that was set on Friday. He was joined by
Thomas Pickford,
Pierce Vittone, and
Caleb Ream in the distance medley relay with a time of 10:04.66. Utah Valley's men also had the 7th-best DMR time from the quartet of
Landon Hart,
Gilbert Olivas,
Jacob Egan, and
Gio Ramirez (10:12.59). The women won the DMR on Friday, finishing with the No. 7 time (12:07.99) behind
Elizabeth Zwahlen,
Sophia Biesinger,
Emma Baugh, and
Oakley Olson.
Olson also entered the No. 10 spot in the mile, finishing with a time of 4:56.00.
Ari Trimble had a pair of Top 10 marks on the weekend. Her mile time (4:53.77) is No. 7 all-time and on Friday she set the sixth-best 5,000-meter time (16:37.70).
Morgan Nokes won the 5,000-meter race on Friday and also set the No. 3 mark in the record book (16:18.57).
Caila Odekirk also moved into No. 9 in the 5,000, completing the event in 17:40.40 on Friday.
Gabriel Remy won the 200-meter final on Saturday and set personal records in the event on both days. He ran it in 21.47 seconds on Friday for the 5th-best time and then won the finals on Saturday in 21.47 seconds to improve on the No. 5 time. Remy also won the 60-meter finals on Saturday with a time of 6.78 seconds.
Kade Thompson had multiple personal records as well in Pocatello. On Friday he hit the seventh spot in the 200 (21.69) and matched his No. 8 PR in the 60. On Saturday, Thompson edged his previous time in the 200, finishing in 21.68 seconds to put him in a tie for sixth while also finishing second in the final to Remy.
Other top 10 marks this week included:
Austin Kleinman's mark of 17.42 meters in the weight throw is third all-time;
Neal Berkey hitting 7.15 meters in the long jump for No. 5 all-time; and
Austin Hone running the indoor 5,000 for the first time and establishing the fourth-best mark in the record book by winning the race in 14:22.73.
