CEDAR CITY, Utah - In their final weekend of regular-season competition this year, the Southern Utah University Track and Field team had an impressive showing as they competed at the Payton Jordan Invitational hosted by Stanford, as well as the Bengal Invitational at Idaho State.
Payton Jordan Invitational
Three Southern Utah track and field athletes traveled to California on Friday to compete in the Payton Jordan Invitational, amongst some of the country's top teams and individual athletes.
Jacob Francis kicked things off with an incredible showing in the men's steeplechase, finishing with a time of 8:49.49, breaking a program record set 27 years ago to move into first all-time in Southern Utah history. Francis's efforts propelled him to a sixth-place finish.
Haley Tanne followed by turning in a solid time of 10:20.53 in the women's steeplechase, just missing out on setting a new personal best and taking ninth place in the event.
Nate Osterstock finished off the competition for the T-Birds by setting a new personal best in the 5k, running a blazing time of 13:33.01, elevating him to second all-time in the SUU record books. Osterstock took 11th place in the event.
ISU Bengal Invitational
The rest of the Southern Utah track and field team traveled to Pocatello, Idaho, to compete in the Idaho State Bengal Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
Day One
Jentry Skidmore and Jade Garcia turned in an impressive performance on the first day of action in the javelin throw, finishing in second and third, respectively. Both athletes set new personal bests in the event, as Garcia recorded a throw of 143-4.5, and Skidmore moved into fourth all-time in SUU history by launching a throw of 143-9.5.
Madisan DeBos continued her strong season by taking first place in the 1500m, finishing with a time of 4:37.41 to secure the victory.
Elizabeth White also emerged victorious on Friday, taking home first place in the long jump by leaping to a mark of 6.05 meters. Emily Wilson finished in sixth place in the same event, recording a jump of 5.72 meters.
In the women's hammer throw, Emma Nwachukwu recorded a solid throw of 56.14 meters, taking third place in the event.
In the Men's 1500m run, Santiago Gaitan finished with a time of 3:52.89 to take third place, while Max Spence came in behind him with a time of 3:53.89, finishing fourth.
Day Two
The Thunderbirds followed up a solid first day by compiling a phenomenal day two that saw a handful of athletes move up in the SUU record books.
Ricardo White started off the second day of competition by setting a new personal best in the 100m final with a time of 10.58 to take fourth place in the event. Noah Bringhurst set a personal record of his own, finishing right behind White with a 10.61 to finish in fifth. Nelson Douglas also set a personal best in the event with a time of 10.72, as he took home sixth place.
The Thunderbirds saw more success in the women's 100m final, as Iana-Michovani Graham ran a blistering time of 11.82 to finish in second place. Graham's time would have been good for second-best in program history, but the wind was over the allowed 2.0 m/s while she was competing. In the same event, Ronnie Walker (12.20) and Maya Benjamin (12.42) finished 7th and 8th, respectively.
In the men's 200m final, Nelson Douglas turned in a phenomenal performance, winning the event with a new personal best of 21.09. Douglas' time moved him up to second in Southern Utah track and field history. Noah Bringhurst also had a strong showing, finishing third in the event with a time of 21.26 which placed him in eighth all-time for SUU.
Iana-Michovani Graham just missed out on a top-three finish in the women's 200m final, taking fourth place after finishing with a time of 24.77 in another windy event.
After a strong showing in the preliminary round of the 400m hurdles on Friday, Jace Rodgers set a new personal record in the finals, taking home third place with a time of 54.65.
In the women's 400m hurdles, Seadra Hamilton made her debut in the event in the preliminary round on Friday. After a strong run qualified her for the finals, she had another impressive performance, recording a 1:01.39 to take fourth place and move into fifth all-time in SUU history.
Southern Utah dominated the men's 4x100m, as a team comprised of Cameron Beans, Ricardo White, Nelson Douglas, and Noah Bringhurst combined to run a blazing time of 40.79 to win the event. The time was also good for third-best in program history, as they will now enter the Big Sky Conference Championships ranked second.
In the women's 4x100m, Ronnie Walker, Iana-Michovani Graham, Maya Benjamin, and Jordyn Nielson finished third in the event, recording a season-best time of 47.23.
Dylan Gibson, Noah Bringhurst, Max Morley, and Nelson Douglas combined to put together a season-best outing in the men's 4x400m with a time of 3:16.20. The performance earned them a third-place finish.
On the women's side, Seadra Hamilton, Jentry Skidmore, Savannah Nielson, and Maya Benjamin recorded a season-best of their own, recording a time of 3:54.20 to finish in third place.
Ariana Baker finished off an incredible day for the SUU track and field program by cracking the top in program history for the pole vault, clearing a height of 3.16 meters.
After a strong performance to finish off the regular season, the Southern Utah track and field team will have a break next weekend, before competing at the Big Sky Outdoor Conference Championships on May 11-14 in Pocatello, Idaho.
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