The Wolverine women had the top seven finishers, with Olson again leading the squad with a 4k time of 13:56.26. Anna Martin (13:58.35) was second, followed by Ari Trimble (14:01.71), Caila Odekirk (14:03.06), Liz Zwahlen (14:10.03), Allie Warner (14:11.16), and Julie Sumsion (14:12.09). Utah Valley’s perfect score of 15 points was followed by host Southern Utah in second with 57 points.

“The girls did a good job running as a group and finished really strong. They’re running confident and Oakley is really competing at a great level,” said UVU head coach Scott Houle. “We’re excited with how they’re looking as we get ready for Pre-Nationals in two weeks. That’s a big week for us to go there and show who we are.”

Guled won the men’s 6k in 18:05.89, nearly 20 seconds clear of the second place finisher. It’s his third meet championship of the season and second in a row. His win at the Roy Griak earned him the USTFCCCA National DI Athlete of the Week.

“Mo looked great. He coasted the first two laps and really started putting things together on the last lap. The guys are really starting to develop into a solid team. Once we have everyone ready to go I think there’s a chance to do some things we’ve never done,” Houle said. “I’m excited where we’re going and looking forward to the next couple of races.”

Gilbert Olivas (18:31.80) was Utah Valley’s next finisher, followed by Wyatt Mortenson (18:35.93) in fifth. Tate James (18:50.93), Andrew Blackham (19:03.49), and Cayden Tupper (19:03.50) rounded out the five scorers. The men finished with 24 points with the host T-Birds in second with 47 points.

The 2024 Wisconsin Pre-Nationals will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison.

Women’s soccer shuts out Southern Utah, 3-0

Utah Valley scored three goals in the space of less than four minutes in the first half and Nixan Jackson had three assists, helping the Wolverines earn a sixth straight victory with a 3-0 decision against Southern Utah in Cedar City on Sunday.

Manthy Brady started the scoring in the 23rd minute, getting an assist from Jackson for a 1-0 UVU lead. In the 25th minute, Jackson and Taylor Nelson tallied assists in getting the ball to Cortney Cobabe for a goal and a 2-0 advantage.

In the 27th minute, Ruby Hladek joined the scoring party with a goal, assisted again by Jackson as well as Haley Funn.

CJ Graham and Leah Wolf combined for the shutout in goal, each taking a half of play.

Utah Valley (9-4-1 overall, 3-0-0 WAC) will host Abilene Christian at Clyde Field next Saturday at 6 p.m. MT.

Women’s volleyball swept by Grand Canyon

Utah Valley fell on Saturday afternoon to Grand Canyon, 3-0 (26-28, 14-25,21-25). GCU (9-5, 2-1) used a 16-8 advantage in blocks to top UVU (10-6, 1-3). Maranda Woolf had a career-high six blocks in the match for the Wolverines, with four coming to help lead a third-set comeback that fell short.

The match’s opening set was a back-and-forth battle. The Wolverines got out to a 6-1 lead early in the set taking advantage of a pair of GCU errors and a block assist by Eliza Hakes and Woolf. Avery Shewell recorded seven kills in the set to help Utah Valley take a 17-13 lead before the Lopes took advantage of some UVU errors and tied the set up at 18-18. They took their first lead of the set at 20-19 after a kill from Preseason WAC Player of the Year, Tatum Parrott, before she and Shewell would trade kills to keep the set tied. The set favored Grand Canyon, a kill by Parrott, and a block assist.

Grand Canyon got out to an 11-2 lead in the second set and went on to win the set 25-14. The Lopes held a 7-1 advantage in total blocks during the set. Madi Standifird came off the bench to lead UVU with three kills. Freshman Alyssa Anderson made her UVU debut during the second set and recorded her first career assist on a kill by Standifird before later recording two digs.

The Lopes looked to be in control early in the third set and built a 14-7 lead before a 6-0 run by the Wolverines to cut the deficit down to 14-13. During the stretch, Lani Matavao had a pair of service aces, and Steliyana Chakarova, Blackett, and Woolf helped with blocks. Utah Valley kept the pressure on GCU with kills by Hakes, and a setter dump from Natalie Palmer kept UVU within one at 18-17. GCU outscored the Wolverines 7-4 the rest of the way to secure the win.

The Wolverines will have some time off before playing against Tarleton State on Saturday, Oct. 12, in Stephenville, Texas. The first serve is slated for Noon MT. Utah Valley will then have a busy week with three matches at home, as Seattle, Abilene Christian, and California Baptist will visit Lockhart Arena.

Spartans rally past Wolverines in men’s soccer

Omar Yehya netted a first half brace to move his season total to nine, but three unanswered goals by the San Jose State Spartans proved insurmountable as Utah Valley fell 3-2 at Clyde Field on Saturday.

Yehya’s first goal came just 14 seconds into the game — the quickest goal in program history — and his second came in the 18th minute, but the Spartans were able to erase that deficit and more with three goals in the final 27 minutes of the first half.

With his two goals, Yehya is now tied for the second-most goals in a single season in program history, alongside Skyler Milne (2015) and Paul Hoffmeister (2016). Yehya needs five more goals to usurp Blake Frischknecht, who scored 13 in 2019. Yehya is also now in the top five nationally in goals scored.

Utah Valley capitalized on an SJSU turnover just seconds into the game to take an early 1-0 lead. Gilles Aurelien stole the ball and centered it for Yehya, who curled it past the keeper.

The Wolverines kept the pressure on and doubled the lead in the 18th minute. Nik Kizerian’s initial shot was saved and karomed out to Yehya, who also had his initial shot saved, but was able to tap in the second effort.

Two quick goals in the 30th and 34th minutes by reigning WAC Offensive Player of the Year Angel Iniguez got the Spartans on level terms. Diogo Baptista narrowly escaped being offside in the 44th to net what proved to be the game-winner on a breakaway.

Utah Valley had the lion’s share of possession in the second half, but were unable to produce an equalizer. Tom Dobek-Pietrowski had the closest chance on a free header in the 86th minute, but his shot went just outside the left post.

The Wolverines will look to get back in the win column on Thursday as the team heads to Edinburg, Texas for the first road game at UTRGV since 2019. Kickoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. MT, and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.