WALNUT, Calif. - Apr. 21 - Southern Utah's women's squad
found great success in California this weekend, as distance runner Diana
Medina-Mitchell raced to a 10th-place finish in the 5,000-meters at the Mt. SAC
Relays. Medina-Mitchell's time of 16:15.24 places her 39th in the nation and
opens the door for a possible trip to the NCAA National Championship.
"It's really insane what's happening here," head coach Eric
Houle said. "This is one of our most anticipated meets and all the training
seems to be paying off for us."
Medina-Mitchell doubled in distance races at Mt. SAC,
setting personal records in both the 1,500-meter run (4:27.69) and 5,000-meter
run. Both times currently top the Summit League performance list and also
improve her previous school records.
Danielle West-Jewkes also raced in the 1,500-meters,
recording a 4:32.98 finish, while Jamie Smith and Sylvia Bedford raced in the
5,000-meters and rank second and third in the conference with personal record
times of 16:39.98 and 16:54.89 respectively.
Kayla Kovar also represented the T-Birds at Mt. SAC, finishing
sixth in the women's shot put with a 50-7.75 toss, and 28th in the hammer throw
with a mark of 181-5. Jasmine Paicely-Mullins sprinted to a 21st-place finish in
the 100-meter hurdles, recording a time of 14.08.
Southern Utah's women's squad also spent the weekend competing
at Azusa Pacific's Bryan Clay Invitational, where the distance team was led by
West-Jewkes with a second-place 5,000-meter time of 16:59.55. This finish
places her fourth in the conference, behind Medina-Mitchell, Smith and Bedford,
and ranks sixth in the school's record books.
Madalyn Jones also
raced in the 5,000-meters at Azusa Pacific, placing seventh with a 17:37.97 finish,
while Kaylee Coates led the T-Birds in the 800-meter run with a fifth-place personal
record time of 2:13.17.
The throwers were led at Azusa Pacific by Whitney Fairbanks
with an 11th-place finish in the javelin. Fairbanks' mark of 127-11 ranks sixth
in the Summit League and seventh in Southern Utah's top-ten records. She was
followed by Sarah Swalberg in 15th place, with a 122-11 throw that ranks eighth
in the conference.
Southern Utah Track & Field will now prepare to host
Utah Valley at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City on Apr. 28, set to begin around 5
p.m. Several athletes will also compete at Stanford's Payton Jordan
Invitational on Apr. 29 in Palo Alto, Calif.
