LOGAN — The Weber State cross country teams started the season off strong on Saturday at the Utah State Invitational.
The WSU women’s team won the race and the Wildcat men’s team finished second to BYU. ’Cats Amber Henry and John Coyle each claimed individual honors for the Wildcats.
“I was pleased with both teams for our season opening meet,” said WSU coach Paul Pilkington. “Both teams ran well as a group for the first meet of the year. Amber and John both raced well and beat some good competition.”
The Weber State women’s team entered the week ranked 19th in the nation and first in the Mountain region. The Wildcat team claimed first place with 24 points, with Utah Valley finished second with 76 points.
The Wildcats claimed five of the top eight runners in the event. Henry, a junior from Mountain View, Wyo., took first place with a time of 18:00.70 on the 5K course. Taylor Thornley was second in 18:04.56. Jenna Deelstra was sixth, Laken Hintze came in seventh and Kayla Blackford was eighth to round out the top five for WSU.
Jamie Stokes, a true freshman, competed unattached in the meet but finished third in 18:07.17. Sarah Callister, one of WSU’s top runners, did not compete due to injury.
On the men’s side, the Wildcats finished second to BYU. The Cougars came in ranked third in the nation and finished with 30 points. Weber State was next with 65, followed by Utah Valley and Utah State.
Coyle claimed first place, finishing in 18:53.50 on the 8K course. Junior Mike Hardy was next for WSU, finishing sixth in 19:13.21. Trevor Ricks was eighth with sophomore Tip Worob coming in 23rd and Tyler Robinson taking 42nd.
Weber State will be back in action on Sept. 15 at the Montana State Invitational.
Women’s golf
• CHUGG, ’CATS CLAIM HOME WIN: At Fruit Heights,
the Weber State women’s golf team produced solid scores across its lineup on Friday, and in the process earned the team title in its own Wildcat Invitational at Davis Park Golf Course.
“We’re looking to be one of the deepest teams we have had in many years,” said WSU director of golf Jeff Smith. “We threw out a 77 today from the scoring team and our highest score overall was a 78. Each of the girls played some impressive golf today, and it was a great team effort.”
The Wildcats took the 18-hole event with a total of 293, finishing six strokes ahead of second-place Southern Utah. Utah Valley finished third at 305, while Idaho State was fourth at 319.
Kelsey Chugg, who highlighted a great summer with the Utah State Women’s Amateur title, continued her form into the Wildcats’ fall opener, earning individual medalist honors with a one-over-par 71.
WSU placed four others in the top-10 Amanda Snyder tied for third with a 73, and Sara Federico tied for sixth at 74. Alli Cluff joined a three-way tie for eighth at 75, which also included WSU freshman Carly Oldroyd, who played as an individual.
Kristie Jensen shot 77 on the day, tying for 13th, alongside WSU individual Courtney Smith-Saffell. Mary Bischoff, who also played as an individual, shot 78 to tie for 16th.
Southern Utah’s Sadie Palmer shot 72 to lead the Thunderbirds with a runner-up finish in the individual standings. .
Volleyball
• WSU SWEEPS WSU IN FINAL: At Pullman, Wash., the Wildcats put up a good fight against the Cougars on Saturday, but couldn’t convert it into a win against their Pacific-12 Conference opponent.
Redshirt freshman Mariah Katoa had 11 kills to lead the Weber State volleyball team against Washington State, with the Cougars claiming the 25-21, 25-14, 25-16 win to sweep the Cougar Challenge at Bohler Gym.
Sophomore Audrey Biggs added seven kills, while junior Briana Wilms added six kills and a pair of blocks.
Senior setter Caitlin Penrod had 22 assists for the Wildcats.
Weber State battled Washington State fiercely in the first set, taking a 20-19 lead before the hosts rallied to take a 22-20 advantage.
The Wildcats cut it to 22-21, but the Cougars scored the final three points to claim the set.
Weber State, which fell to 2-4 with the loss, will return to Utah to face in-state rival Utah Valley on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Orem. On Friday, the Wildcats will head to Louisiana to take part in the Southeastern Lion Classic.
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