CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Southern Utah University Thunderbird track and field teams will be split between the Husky Classic and the Don Kirby Invite on Friday, February 8 through 9. The teams will be facing national competition in preparation for upcoming Big Sky Championships.

Last Time Out

The Thunderbirds most recently competed at the NAU Mountain T's Invitational where they swept the competition in several events.

In the women's 60-meter hurdle, Emma Aldred finished first with a time of 9.00 followed by Destiny Tolliver in second with a time of 9.02. Natalie Kalda followed Tolliver in third with a time of 9.25.

Alison Pray claimed two championship finishes in both the mile and the 3,000-meter.

On the men's side of the team, Kasey Knevelbaard also claimed two championship finishes. Knevelbaard claimed first place in the 800-meter with an altitude adjusted time of 1:50.51. He then finished first in the 3,000-meter with an adjusted time of 8:20.55.

Athletes To Watch This Week

Don Kirby Invitational

Justin Lewis will be returning to the track this weeked as he competes in the 400-meter. At the NAU Mountain T's Invitational, he finished first in the 200-meter with a time of 21.26. He also claimed third in the 60-meter with a time of 6.88.

Sinclair Watson will also be competing at the Don Kirby Invitational in the 60-meter and the 200-meter. The junior athlete last competed at the NAU Mountain T's Invitational where she claimed the victory in the 60-meter with a time of 7.56. She also secured a second place finish in the 200-meter with a time of 24.68.

Husky Classic

Knevelbaard will be competing in the mile at the Husky Classic. He most recently competed in the mile at the University of Washington. Knevelbaard finished second with a time of 3:58.54. This time ranks Knevelbaard third in the nation.

Angie Nickerson will be returning to the track for the Thunderbirds as she competes in the 3,000-meter and the 5,000-meter. The senior athlete most recently competed at the UW Invite where she finished with an SUU record breaking performance in the 5,000-meter. Nickerson finished with a time of 16:12.09 also securing her first Big Sky Athlete of the Week award this season.

Words From Coach Houle

"I am really proud of what our athletes accomplished at NAU," commented head coach Eric Houle. "We had a lot of young faces in the competition that proved to be tough competitors. They are looking to provide a bright future for this program."

"This weekend we really want to continue this competitive culture," added Houle. "It will be another weekend for us to see where we stand nationally and see what we need to capitalize on as we head towards Big Sky Championships."

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