Manti boys place third, girls relay wins title at SUU Invitational in Cedar City

CEDAR CITY—Manti’s track team competed against a 42-team field at the SUU Invitational on Friday and Saturday, May 1 and 2, with the boys team placing third overall with 65 points and the girls finishing 11th with 29.

Paul Gardner led the boys with a win in the 1,600 meters, clocking 4 minutes, 33.65 seconds, and added a second-place finish in the 2,000-meter steeplechase at 6:22.39. Benson May followed with a runner-up finish in the 1,600 at 4:34.15, third in the steeplechase at 6:41.04 and sixth in the 800 at 2:05.85. Mason Carlile contributed a fifth-place finish in the 1,600 at 4:44.56.

Coby Rasmussen led the field events, placing second in the javelin at 166 feet, third in the long jump at 20 feet, 7 inches, and seventh in the high jump at 6 feet.

Manti’s sprint medley relay team of Grant Cox, Wesley Peterson, Porter Gray and Carlile took second in 3:53.02, while the 4×400-meter relay team of Porter Rasmussen, Gardner, Gray and Peterson finished seventh in 3:39.93.

For the girls, the sprint medley relay team of Adelie Douglas, Nellie VanOrman, Grace Gardner and Kylie Hart won in 4:37.46 and added a second-place finish in the 4×100-meter relay at 51.50.

Keely Hansen placed third in the shot put at 34 feet, 4.25 inches, while Grace Gardner took fourth in the 400 at 1:00.25.