|
2008 Wolverine Track Season Review
May 20, 2008
OREM, Utah - The Utah Valley men's and women's track and field teams finished an impressive 2008 season as each were crowned the National Athletic Conference 2008 Outdoor Track and Field Champions. Combined, the two teams won 22 of the 46 total events held at the five-team NAC Championships and set eight new school records on the year. Wolverine head coach Scott Houle won National Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors for both the men's and women's teams. Senior sprinter Mariama Salifu was awarded the NAC Female Athlete of the Year, and freshman runner Chelsea Baker earned the NAC Female Newcomer of the Year. "It was a good year for us," Houle said. "We met our goal to win the National Athletic Conference Championships and we were also able to continue to set multiple individual records throughout the season. It was good to see our young talent step up and produce when needed as well as have consistent contributions from our mature athletes." Salifu, a four-year starter from Nobisco, Ghana, may have completed her college career at Utah Valley, but her legacy will long live on. She has shattered a number of Wolverine records as she now holds the fastest times in the Outdoor 100- and 200-meter dashes, and was member of the school-record setting 4x400-meter relay team. On the Indoor track, Salifu holds the record times in the 55-, 60-, 200- and 300-meter dashes. Salifu was also able to break two NAC meet records at the season-ending championships held at BYU's Clarence F. Robison Track. Baker, a freshman from South Jordan, Utah, broke the seven-year-old record in the 400-meter run with a time of 56.60 this season in late April. The record previous mark was 57.39 set in 2001 by Alexandra Jo. Baker was also named the Perry Homes Utah Valley Scholar co-Athlete of the Month for February as she maintained a 3.53 grade point average while doubling as one of the Wolverines top women's sprinters on the track. Junior distance runner from Provo, Utah, Danny Moody was named February's co-Scholar Athlete of the Month with an impressive 3.93 GPA in community health education.
Junior distance star Chase Englestead of Panguitch, Utah, shattered the school record in the 3000-meter steeplechase this season at UCLA. He not only was the first runner in school history to post a sub-nine minute time, he also landed himself in 10th place nationally this year with his 8:56.53 time. The time was also an NCAA Regional-qualifying mark by better than 11 seconds. The run topped the previous school record by 13 seconds. Englestead also set the Wolverine Indoor record in the mile-run with an impressive time of 4:10.62. In total, the Wolverines were able to set eight new school records. Other records broken include freshman Chris Dorton in the outdoor mile-run with a time of 4:18.25, and Chelsea Baker, Tiera Zaugg, Amy Poll, Jessica Wortley in the 1600-meter relay with a time of 3:50.81. Junior Rachelle St. Jeor cleared 10-feet-6.75 inches in the pole vault. Freshman Whitney Aste tied the outdoor high jump record 5-feet-6-inches while sophomore Ashley Timo set the Indoor high jump mark of 5-feet-7-inches. Rounding out the new record holders are Chelsea Loss, Chelsea Baker, Alise Lindsey, and Karinne Bentley in the indoor distance-medley relay with a time of 12:03.09. The majority of the Wolverines roster will return next season, as only three seniors will depart from the 2008 season. |
 |
