Cougars Make Strides at Snake River Open

POCATELLO -- The BYU track teams took another step forward with strong performances at the Snake River Open on the Idaho State Campus on Saturday.

Men

The men had a big impact on the field events with several athletes putting up solid days. Freshman Zachary Stetler threw a personal best 16.58m (54-04.75) in the shot put for second place.

BYU took the first four spots in the triple jump with junior Kyle Mills jumping 14.56m (47-09.25) for the win. Junior Anse Myller DeAraujo was second with 14.53m (47-08.00), senior Aaron Powell finished third, going for 14.30m (46-11.00) and freshman Drew Tingey was fourth with a jump of 13.27m (43-06.50).

“I was pleased with the results even though we didn’t have a whole lot of athletes come,” men’s head coach Mark Robison said. “With those that we brought I think they did very well.”

Powell also won the long jump with a distance of 7.03m (23-00.75) and Tingey was close behind in second with a jump of 7.01m (23-00.00).

The Cougars also showed well on the track with sophomore Sean Adams winning the 400 meters with a time 49.10 and sophomore James Derek McAllister finishing second in a time of 49.26. McAllister also nabbed the runner-up spot in the 200m with a time of 22.19.

Junior James Ghormley and freshman Jordan Magnusson took 2nd and 5th place in the 60-meter dash with times of 6.95 and 7.00 seconds, respectively.

Many of the distance runners stayed home for the Cougars, but sophomore Taylor Farnsworth, the lone miler for BYU finished second in a time of 4:16.95.

Women

Senior Porshe Giddings led the way for the women's team, winning the 60-meter dash in a personal record time of 7.54. Giddings also competed in the 200-meter dash, taking home first place in a time of 24.71.

“This meet went really well today,” women's head coach Patrick Shane said. “Porshe (Giddings) ran her races really well and looked good. Assistant coach Cory Murdock has done a great job with our sprinters this season and the performances today showed that.”

Also setting a personal record was senior Mindy Robins, who won the 60-meter hurdles in 8.53 seconds. Robins, a heptathlete, won the event by nearly two-tenths of second. Also placing in the event was senior Alyssa Christensen, who placed fourth in 9.00 seconds.

The 800-meter race was dominated by the Cougars as the team took home the top four spots. Senior Stacy Slight led the way in 2:14.17 and was followed closely by Ashlee Thomas in 2:16.30. Rounding out the top four were Lisa Olander (2:16.97) and Bethanie Krumen (2:17.04).

“The 800-meters was a really strong race for us,” Shane said. “Our athletes competed really well and I saw some really good things.”

Competing in the mile for the first time this season, senior Katie Palmer won the event in 4:52.86. Junior Nicole Clark also placed in the top five, finishing fifth in 5:01.13.

In the field events, Erica Shields led the way with a win in the long jump with a leap of 5.60m (18-04.50). Also winning in the field was Melissa Keltner in the triple jump, finishing with a jump of 11.92m (39-01.25).

Complete results can be found at isubengals.com. The BYU track and field season will continue next weekend as the teams travel to Albuquerque, N.M. to compete in the New Mexico Invitational.