FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Feb. 25 – Southern Utah Track & Field
closed the regular indoor season with a third-place finish for the women at the
Summit League Indoor Championship, hosted by IPFW in Fort Wayne, Ind. The women's
squad finished with a total of 80 points, behind North Dakota State (206) and
South Dakota (115).
“The women really picked it up on Day Two,” head coach Eric Houle
said. “Everyone was vying for second and third place behind North Dakota State,
and the women did well in overcoming the setbacks of the first day.”
Diana Medina-Mitchell led the women's distance squad, also
earning the Championship MVP award. Medina-Mitchell finished first in the mile run and
5,000-meters on Saturday, having dominated the 3,000-meters on Friday. Her
5,000-meters time of 16:41.60 set a new all-time record for the Summit League,
while her mile time of 4:57.14 and 3,000-meter time of 9:44.69 set new facility
records at IPFW.
Danielle West finished next for the T-Birds in the mile, coming
in at sixth place with a time of 5:01.87 while Ashley Gray finished seventh
with a time of 5:02.23. The middle distance women were represented by Kaylee
Coates in the 800-meter finals. Coates finished in 2:16.15, placing sixth
overall.
The throws team tallied points for the T-Birds in the shot
put on Saturday, as Kayla Kovar recorded a first-place mark of 51-0.75. Kovar
also competed in the weight throw, which took place on Friday, and finished
fourth with a 58-6.75 toss. Freshman Rylee Mulitalo followed in fifth place in
the shot put with a mark of 46-6. Mulitalo's mark ranks third in Southern Utah's
all-time records.
Jasmine Paicely-Mullins represented SUU in the final round
of the 60-meter hurdles, placing second with a time of 8.58. Paicely-Mullins'
time ranks second in the SUU records. The sprinters were also represented in
the finals by Lindsay Terry and Jamila Pullum. Terry's 60-meter dash time of
7.97 placed her seventh in the conference, while Pullum's 58.43 in the
200-meter dash also placed seventh.
Paicely-Mullins, Terry and Pullum also represented Southern
Utah in the women's 4x400-meter relay, along with Kaylee Coates. The team
finished sixth overall with a time of 3:58.06.
Chelsea Morley-Atkinson led the T-Birds in jumps at the championship,
tying for sixth place in the high jump with a mark of 5-1.75. She placed
seventh in the pole vault, clearing a height of 10-10.
Most of the Thunderbirds will now open the outdoor season
with the UNLV Invitational on Mar. 3 in Las Vegas, Nev. Several members of the
team will continue the indoor season in Seattle, Wash., at the UW Last Chance
Qualifier on Mar. 3, in preparation for the NCAA Nationals. The national
championship is set to take place on Mar. 9-10 in Boise, Idaho.
