Utah Valley returns from a week off from competition and heads to Logan for the Roman Ruiz Speed & Power Invitational, hosted by Utah State at the George Nelson Fieldhouse on January 30-31.
The meet will begin on Friday at 1 p.m. MT with the high jump, weight throw, and pentathlon. The remainder of the events will take place on Saturday starting at 9:30 a.m. MT. Live results will be posted at DirectAthletics.com.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wolverines posted some impressive numbers at the Snake River Open in Pocatello, Idaho back on Jan. 15-16. 17 new top-10 marks were set, a dozen of which rank in the top five all-time in UVU history.
Kade Thompson finished second overall in the 60m dash, improving on his PR with a time of 6.66 that enters the week ranking 43rd in the nation this season, leads the WAC, and is second-best in program history. Thompson also put up a season-best 21.41 in the 200m.
Sila Kiplagat put up an impressive 4:01.82 in the mile, strengthening his position at No. 2 all-time in that event and ranking 64th nationally entering the week. Utah Valley is currently one of four non-Power 4 schools with multiple athletes in the top 65 of the NCAA qualification rankings, and the only one from the WAC. Alex Hartshorn is the other Wolverine in the top 65, with his mile time of 3:59.72 checking in at 43rd. Utah Valley also owns six of the top eight mile times in the WAC.
On the women's side, Utah Valley had a day in the 3000m with three new times in the top four. Morgan Nokes led the way with a converted time of 9:18.63, followed by January additions Caren Kipsirat and Reagan Doman at 9:26.09 and 9:28.95 respectively. All three of these times also rank in the top 80 nationally this season at 43rd, 69th, and 80th. The Wolverines are one of just two non-P4 teams to have three athletes in the top 80 in the 3k, alongside Villanova. Utah Valley also owns the top eight 3k times in the WAC, and 13 of the top 16.
Maddie Passmore made her season debut in the triple jump and immediately leapt her way to No. 2 all-time at 12.08m. The mark was just .02 short of her personal best set last season at BYU, and was .04 off the record set by Lauren Hicks in 2015. Her jump is also the third-best in the WAC so far this season.
In the shot put, Trevor Hill improved on his personal best with a throw of 16.70m that leads the WAC this season by almost half a meter, and is second-best in UVU history. Karsten Deakin posted a new PR of 16.62m in the weight throw to move into a tie for fifth all-time. Deakin ranks third in the league so far this season, with Grace Degarimore holding the top spot of 16.86m, which was set at Weber State.
UP NEXT
As the calendar flips to February, the Wolverines will head into the home stretch of the indoor seasons with two more meets before the WAC Championships at the end of the month. Utah Valley will head to Reno for the first of those final two meets, the Wolf Pack Classic hosted by Nevada on Feb. 6-7.
