SPOKANE, Wash. – Southern Utah entered the WAC Indoor Championships determined to build on its strong performances throughout the season. Ashton Miller won the 400 meters in commanding fashion, and Jared Sharp captured the men's heptathlon 1,000 meters title.
Entering the championship with one of the youngest rosters in the conference, head coach Eric Houle said the meet provided valuable experience while producing outstanding results. The Thunderbirds delivered one of their strongest conference showings in recent years and currently sit ahead of where they were at this point last outdoor season.
Head Coach Eric Houle Said
"Entering this competition with a very young team, I knew it would be tough, but it would also offer valuable experiences for our young athletes. It ended up being an excellent championship for us. We delivered outstanding performances, and both teams are ahead of where we were last year at this point in the outdoor season."
WAC Indoor Championships
Results of the WAC Indoor Championships can be found here.
WAC Indoor Championships Recap and Results
Men's Track & Field
The men's 400 meters proved to be the highlight of the meet, with the Thunderbirds finishing 1-2-4. Ashton Miller captured the conference title in 48.33 seconds, while Jaedyn Carpenter placed second in 48.72. Freshman Tyler Myrup delivered a major personal best of 48.80 to finish fourth. The momentum carried into the 4x400-meter relay, where Miller, Myrup, Tanner Crosland, and Carpenter combined for a runner-up finish in 3:13.72, the third-fastest time in school history.
In the mile, Ezra Nelson and Tyler Saunders finished fourth and fifth, respectively, both posting significant personal bests with times of 4:07.83 and 4:08.21.
In the field events, freshman Ace Brown placed sixth in a stacked long jump field with a leap of 22 feet, 8.5 inches (6.92 meters).
The throwers also delivered a strong performance. Freshman Mason Gooder placed sixth in the shot put with a throw of 51-7 (15.72m). Freshman Colton Sam Fong finished ninth at 48-2.75 (14.70m). Sophomore Zsombor Takacs recorded a personal best of 47-5 (14.45m) in the weight throw to place 10th and added a personal best of 47-9 (14.55m) in the shot put for 11th. Freshman Dallan Demille posted a personal best of 46-7.25 (14.20m) in the shot put to finish 14th.
Women's Track & Field
Kimberly "Kimmie" Winward led the way on the track with a third-place finish in the 800 meters, running a personal-best 2:11.11, which ranks sixth all-time at Southern Utah. Aspen Hacker followed in fifth with a personal-best 2:12.51, moving to seventh all-time in program history as the duo finished third and fifth overall.
In the mile, Isabella Evans and Hacker placed fourth and seventh, respectively. Evans clocked a personal-best 4:52.50, which ranks ninth all-time at Southern Utah.
In the high jump, Chloe Bingham cleared 5-5.75 (1.67m) to finish third and earn a podium spot at the WAC Championships.
The women's throwers produced multiple all-time marks. Chayanne Gordon recorded a personal best of 54-10.75 (16.73m) to place fifth in the weight throw and move to fifth all-time in program history. Brooke Lynch followed with a personal-best 53-7.5 (16.34m) for sixth, now ranking seventh all-time at Southern Utah.
Kiara Hansen posted a personal best of 41-7.75 (12.69m) in the shot put to place 10th and threw 52-4.5 (15.96m) in the weight throw for eighth. Freshman Carly Trujillo (50-0.25, 15.29m) and junior Quincy Esplin (50-2, 15.26m) both surpassed the 50-foot barrier in the weight throw to finish 11th and 12th, respectively.
Up Next
Southern Utah will now turn its focus to the outdoor season as it continues to build on this momentum. Stay tuned for more updates.
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