Four Aggies Head To NCAA Outdoor Track Championships

Four Aggies Head To NCAA Outdoor Track Championships

Ryan Bruhn, Joel Johnson, Neil Warr and Kelli Burton all qualified for USU

Utah State's Ryan Bruhn, Joel Johnson, Neil Warr and Kelli Burton will represent the Aggies at the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will take place in Sacramento, Calif., June 11-14.

Bruhn, a junior from Vancouver, Wash., finished fourth in the hammer throw at the NCAA Regional meet last weekend with a mark of 59.83 meters (196-03). He claimed the 2003 Big West Championship in the hammer with a toss of 60.76 meters (199-04), and his personal best on the season is 62.37 meters (204-07.50), which ranks him 21st in the country.

Joel Johnson, a senior from Brigham City, Utah, will be competing in his third straight NCAA Championships in the decathlon. Johnson finished 16th in the decathlon at the 2001 NCAA meet as a sophomore, and did not finish the 2002 NCAA Championships after suffering an injury. His personal best this season of 7,337 points ranks 19th in the country.

Neil Warr, a senior from Mesa, Wash., placed third in the javelin at the NCAA Regional meet last weekend with a throw of 70.87 meters (232-06). He won the 2003 Big West Championship in the javelin with a toss of 68.42 meters (224-06) and set the USU school record this season with a throw of 72.03 meters (236.05), which is the 11th best mark in the country.

Kelli Burton, a freshman from Kaysville, Utah, qualified for the NCAA Championships after finishing sixth in the shot put at the regional meet with a throw of 15.23 meters (49-11.75). As a freshman, she set a new school record in the shot put with a throw of 16.00 meters (52-06), and will enter the NCAA meet ranked 17th.

Utah State's men's team is coming off its seventh Big West Conference Championship in the last 10 seasons and in 2001 posted its best NCAA Outdoor finish in 24 years. The Aggies, with two individual runner-up finishes, tied for 18th at the national meet in 2001, while placing 41st last year and 44th in 2000.