Skip To Main Content

Utah Valley University Athletics

Home of the Utah Valley University Wolverines
Ella Hopper runs the 400mH at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in College Station, Texas
Brendan Maloney

Hopper breaks 400mH school record as week at regionals ends

5/31/2025 9:55:00 PM

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Utah Valley University wrapped up the week at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds on Saturday with three more women competing on the track.

Ella Hopper ran in the 400-meter hurdle national quarterfinal after qualifying in Thursday's opening round. Hopper was 17th overall, five spots out of a qualifying position, but did set a new personal record and school record with a time of 57.73 seconds.

Oakley Olson was the first Wolverine to race on Saturday, doing so in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, the event in which she won gold at the WAC Championships two weeks ago. Olson ran it in 10:51.14 on the hot and muggy Texas afternoon to see her impressive season come to a close. Caila Odekirk closed out the meet for UVU in the 5,000-meter national semifinal and finished in 17:16.02. Those two distance runners were part of a special season that included the first women's triple crown in the WAC since 1999.

The Wolverines will send five student-athletes to Eugene, Oregon for the NCAA Championships in two weeks. The men's 4x100 squad punched its ticket to Eugene on Friday, breaking a school record while posting the eighth-best time at the regional. Gavin Stafford, Cameron Franklin, Kade Thompson, and Gabe Remy ran a 39.13 to become the first relay group from Utah Valley to advance to the National Semifinals.

Kelsi Oldroyd also secured her spot at Hayward Field on Thursday's opening day for the women, when she finished second among all competitors in the javelin after breaking her own school record to hit 57.72 meters. She's the first Wolverine to qualify for Nationals in the javelin.

The men's 4x100 will lead off the day on Wednesday, June 11, in Eugene, and is slated to begin at 4:05 p.m. PT. The quartet will be seeking a top 12 spot and a berth in the finals on Friday. The javelin begins at 5:15 p.m. PT on Thursday, June 12, with Oldroyd competing in the 24-person national finals.



 



 
Print Friendly Version

Facilities