LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Mar. 3 - SUU Track & Field opened the
outdoor season in Las Vegas, Nev., as a portion of the team competed in the
UNLV Invitational.
Kayla Kovar and Chris Johnson led the Thunderbirds with
first-place finishes in the men's and women's shot put. Kovar recorded a toss
of 49-8.25 while Johnson threw to a mark of 53-1.75. Rylee Mulitalo placed next
in the shot put, finishing third with a 43-5.25 toss.
Freshman Hunter Naisbitt led the pack in the discus throw,
finishing first with a mark of 143-10 while Phillipe Renaud finished second in
the hammer throw with 158-08. Kovar led the women in the discus with a second-place
toss of 154-03 while Janelle Beukers placed third in the hammer throw with
155-0.
Competition in the javelin also began for the T-Birds at
UNLV, and Cody Olsen improved his third-place SUU record with a second-place
throw of 215-05. Whitney Fairbanks and Sarah Swalberg led on the women's side,
finishing third and fourth with respective marks of 122-04 and 121-10.
Many of the distance team members took a break from
competition this weekend to recover from the indoor conference championship that
took place last weekend. Dallas Eborn led the men's team in Las Vegas with a
third-place finish in the 800-meter run, recording a personal best of 1:54.63.
He was followed closely by Devan Antczak in fourth-place with 1:55.58, also a
personal record.
Erik Peterson led the T-Birds in the 400-meter dash with a
third-place time of 50.58 while many of the sprinters also rested this weekend.
Jamie Smith and Sylvia Bedford returned from a redshirt
season to lead the women in the 1,500-meter run. Smith finished second with a
personal best time of 4:40.24 while Bedford followed in third with 4:40.73,
also a personal best.
SUU pole vaulter Zane Hunzeker finished second at UNLV,
clearing a height of 14-11 while Chelsea Morley-Atkinson led the women with a
first-place height of 10-6. Lesli Kinkade followed in second with a mark of
10-6. Kyle Kopp led the team in the long jump, finishing second with a mark of
22-7.
The team will take a two-week break from outdoor competition
before traveling to San Diego, Calif., for the Aztec Invitational on Mar.
16-17.
Cameron Levins will wrap up the indoor season next weekend
as he represents SUU at the NCAA National Championship on Mar. 9-10 in Boise,
Idaho. Levins will compete in the mile, 3,000-meters and 5,000-meters.
