OREM, Utah – The Grand Canyon Lopes claim their fourth straight WAC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship and the Utah Valley Wolverines win their first Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship on their home territory at the Hal Wing Track & Field.
 
Grand Canyon used their strength of the track events to their advantage to leap to the top of the men’s standings on the final day of competition to win the men’s outdoor championship once again. The Lopes end the week with 153 points, 28 more points than the runner-up and 2024 WAC Indoor Champion Southern Utah, who finished with 125 points. Utah Valley keeps both squads in the top three as their men’s team ends up with 124 points in third place. UT Arlington finishes the week in fourth place with 106.50 points and Stephen F. Austin rounds out the top five with 87.50 points.
 
Utah Valley’s women’s team took the points lead on day one and never looked back. The Wolverines finished off the week with 177 points and with their first ever Women’s Outdoor Championship. Grand Canyon was able to hold off UT Arlington for second place as the Lopes totaled 118 points, 0.5 more points than the Maverick’s 117.50. Strong performances from Symoria Adkins and Hannah Hilding paved the way to a fourth-place finish for UTRGV with 105 points. Abilene Christian closes out the top-five on the women’s side with 83 points.
 
Southern Utah’s Travis Feeny was awarded the Men’s Most Outstanding Track Performer after gathering 23 points on the weekend. Feeny won the 10k run, grabbed second in the 5000-meters, and fourth in the 1500-meter run.
 
Grand Canyon’s Jorden Okyere claimed the Men’s Most Outstanding Field Performer for capturing two top-two finishes: first place in the shot put and runner-up in the hammer throw.
 
UTRGV swept the Women’s Most Outstanding Track and Field Performer awards as Symoria Adkins won the track honor and Hannah Hilding claimed the field honor. Adkins won all four events she took part in including the 100-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and the 4x100 relay. Hilding secured four top-four finishes and won three medals throughout the weekend. Hilding placed second in the hammer throw, third in both the shot put and discus throw, and fourth in the javelin event.
 
Southern Utah’s Morgan Blackburn started off the trophy day with a women’s discus gold medal, throwing her best mark of 50.59m (165-11.75) on her final attempt to win the event. GCU’s Onome Ogbeni backed up her shot put win from yesterday with a runner-up finish in the discus event, throwing a mark of 50.02m (164-1.25). UTRGV’s Hilding rounded out the podium with a 49.26m mark (161-7.25).
 
Abilene Christian’s Athan Huelskamp won the discus event on the men’s side with a throw of 51.49m (168-11.25). GCU’s Karsten Santaella and Southern Utah’s Kaden Banks both were able to reach the 50-meter mark, as Santaella threw 51.09m (167-7.5) and Banks hit the 50.84m (166-9.5) mark.
 
Kaliah Jones of UT Arlington won the Maverick’s first gold medal of the weekend by being the only competitor to jump the 1.76m (5-9.25) mark in the women’s high jump. Abilene Christian’s Ja’Dasia Sims and Tarleton State’s Rylee Hennig both jumped the 1.73m (5-8.0) mark en route to a second and third place finish, respectively.
 
Calen Jones completed the UTA high jump sweep after winning the men’s competition with a mark of 2.07 (6-9.5). Stephen F. Austin’s Nicholas Grullon also hit the 2.07 mark to secure his silver medal. Tarleton State’s Davi Torres completed the podium after hitting the 2.02 (6-7.5) mark.
 
Gabriele Tosti of Tarleton State sweeps both the indoor and outdoor men’s triple jump championship events of the 2024 season, winning the outdoor event with a jump of 15.72m (51-7.0). UTRGV’s Aaron Cooper improved on his final jump to 15.51m (50-10.75) to remain in second-place. SFA’s Jarvis Anderson just beat the 15-meter mark with a jump of 15.09m (49-6.0).
 
Abilene Christian and Grand Canyon took the top four spots in the women’s triple jump with ACU’s Ella Anttila coming out on top with a jump of 12.70m (41-8.0). Taryn Burkett represented the Lopes by pulling away with a second-place finish with a mark of 12.47m (40-11.0). Luize Velmere secured the bronze for the Wildcats by jumping 12.36m (40-6.5) in the event.
 
Noah Peterson of Utah Valley took home the gold in the men’s pole vault, being the only competitor to accomplish the mark of 5.18m (17-0.0). UT Arlington’s Randon Gray and Grand Canyon’s Jack Hodge tied for the runner-up spot as they both tamed the 5.13m (16-10.0) mark.
 
Grand Canyon’s Walter Moffett won the men’s javelin event, recording a mark of 68.63m (225-2.0). Cole Szedga of Stephen F. Austin placed second behind Moffett with a best throw of 66.68m (218-9.25). Utah Valley’s Nick Forsyth finished off the podium with a mark of 65.91m (216-3.0). 
 
It was an all-Texas podium in the women’s 4x100 relay race as UTRGV outran the competition with a 44.42 time. Tarleton State placed second at 44.70 with Stephen F. Austin rounding out the podium with a 44.84 time.
 
Utah Valley gave the home crowd some energy as they won the men’s 4x100 relay race with a 39.21 time. Grand Canyon takes second recording a time of 39.35 and Tarleton State nabs podium finishes for both 4x100’s placing third with a 39.43 time.
 
UT Arlington’s Winnie Kipsang left the competition in the dust as she outran the pack in the women’s 1500-meter with a time of 4:28.22, finishing four seconds ahead of runner-up Oakley Olson of Utah Valley who ran a 4:32.93 time. Abilene Christian’s Isabella Evans claimed the bronze by a tenth of a second over fourth place with a time of 4:35.43.
 
California Baptist pulled off the 1-2 finish in the men’s 1500-meter run with Matias Reynaga coming out on top at 3:43.67 and Valentin Soca right in his tracks at 3:44.34. Nathan Kapel of Stephen F. Austin rounds out the podium with a time of 3:45.24.
 
Symoria Adkins prevailed in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, clocking in a time of 13.32. Utah Valley’s Quincy Bondsclocked in right behind Adkins at 13.48 while Zaire Moore from UT Arlington got the tiebreaker for third with a 13.62 time.
 
Adkins kept gold medal hunting as she also won the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.57. Finishing closely behind Adkins was Tarleton State’s Brya Davis as she finished .02 seconds behind the race winner. UT Arlington added another bronze medal to their collection, this time claimed by Adeyemi Talabi who ran a time of 11.71.
 
The women’s sprints all belonged to Adkins as she collected her third first-place finish on the day with the 200-meter dash, checking in at 23.58. Kennedy Swann of Stephen F. Austin took home the silver with a time of 23.65 and UTA’s Madison Pippins was able to claim the third-place finish at 23.75.
 
Daviciea McCartney of Grand Canyon won the 110-meter hurdles race with a time of 13.69. Tarleton State’s Caterrin Cox and UT Arlington’s Lucas Van Klaveren also received medals in the event, laying down times of 13.82 and 14.03, respectively.
 
McCartney didn’t stop there as he also won the men’s 400-meter hurdles in a photo finish with Tarleton State’s Hugo Menin as both recorded a time of 49.99 and were separated by .004 seconds. SFA’s Jarvis Anderson had a front row seat to the photo finish as he picked up a third-place finish with a time of 50.10
 
The podium finishes kept coming in for the Mavericks as Alexis Cain claimed the 400-meter dash win with a 53.65 time. Cain was able to beat out ACU’s Shiean Walters who was side-by-side with Cain at the line but clocked in at 53.89. Zoe Adams from UTRGV brought home the bronze with a time of 54.36.
 
Southern Utah took three of the top five spots, including two podium finishes in the men’s 400-meter dash. Jaedyn Carpenter represented the Thunderbirds on the top of the podium, clocking in a time of 45.95. Cameron Franklin set a new Utah Valley school record in the event, running a time of 46.30, which awarded him the silver medal. The Thunderbirds also had Dylan Gibson receive a medal in the event, as he placed third with a time of 46.38.
 
GCU’s Erin Brown won the men’s 100-meter dash with a quick time of 10.38. Justin Raines of Tarleton State finished runner-up with a 10.43 time and Utah Valley’s Caleb Furnell claimed the last podium spot with a time of 10.49.
 
Brown and Raines repeated as 1-2 finishers in the men’s 200-meter dash as the pair matched their results from the 100-meter dash. Brown’s time checked in at 20.55 and Raines at 20.85. Southern Utah’s Nelson Douglas took the bronze with a time of 20.97.
 
The Lopes collected another gold medal in the women’s 800-meter run as Joanna Archer took off from the field and ran the event in 2:06.34. UTA’s Winnie Kipsang got her second medal of the day after finishing second in the event with a time of 2:08.01. ACU’s Riley Pyeatt was able to hold off the rest of the field and finished third in 2:12.63.
 
Abilene Christian’s Cooper Goggans nabbed the top prize on the men’s side of the 800-meter run, clocking in at 1:50.53. SFA’s Jackson Parrish grabbed second-place by .05 seconds over Kadan Allen of Southern Utah as Parrish recorded a time of 1:51.03.
 
Utah Valley took four of the top seven spots in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, highlighted by Paige Young who finished ahead of the field with a time of 58.67. UTA’s Zaire Moore collected her second medal of the day, this time getting a silver by laying down a time of 58.79. Right behind Moore was Utah Tech’s Megan Jenkins who secured the school’s first podium with a time of 58.85.
 
Utah Valley’s Caila Odekirk proved her long-distance strength by winning the women’s 5000-meter run in 16:50.02 after winning the 10k run earlier in the weekend. Odekirk led another strong showing for Utah Valley as the Wolverines had five runners receive points in the event. CBU’s Yasna Petrova led majority of the race and ended up with a second-place finish with a time of 16:54.74. UVU’s Morgan Nokes also had a strong weekend, getting podium finishes in both long-distance events, checking in at third at 16:56.57.
 
Nathan Kapel of Stephen F. Austin took the men’s 5000-meter run title after making a strong push to take the lead on the final lap, clocking in a time of 14:31.21. Travis Feeny made it a battle to the line and took second place with a time of 14:31.53. Utah Valley’s Austin Hone earned his second long-distance bronze medal of the week after finishing third with a time of 14:33.00.
 
Abilene Christian wrapped up the women’s portion of events with a win in the 4x400 relays with a time of 3:38.57. Utah Valley and Tarleton State took the bottom two steps of the podium as the Wolverines clocked in at 3:40.54 and the Texans at 3:41.35.
 
The 2024 WAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship concluded with the men’s 4x400 relays which was won by the UT Arlington Mavericks, clocking in a time of 3:07.90. Southern Utah came in second at 3:09.22 and Grand Canyon capped off their fourth-straight men’s title with a podium finish, checking in at 3:10.65.
 
2024 WAC MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
 

Grand Canyon	153.00
Southern Utah	125.00
Utah Valley	124.00
UT Arlington	106.50
Stephen F. Austin	87.50
Tarleton State	76.00
Abilene Christian	71.00
UTRGV	48.00
California Baptist	18.00
Seattle U	10.00

 
2024 WAC WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
 

Utah Valley	177.00
Grand Canyon	118.00
UT Arlington	117.50
UTRGV	105.00
Abilene Christian	83.00
Tarleton State	61.00
Southern Utah	60.50
Stephen F. Austin	41.00
California Baptist	23.00
Utah Tech	20.00
Seattle U	13.00