Sophomore Ayodele Ojo Jr. shattered a 12-year-old Utah State record in the men's 60 meters during the Snake River Open in Pocatello, Idaho. The Aggies claimed nine event titles and 21 podium finishes across the two-day indoor track and field meet on January 15-16, 2026. Several athletes set personal bests and improved their standings in school and national rankings.
The Snake River Open, hosted by Idaho State at the ICCU Dome in Pocatello, Idaho, showcased strong performances from the Utah State track and field team. Sophomore Ayodele Ojo Jr., from Waxahachie, Texas, won the men's 60 meters final in 6.55 seconds, breaking All-American Nic Bowen's 2014 school record of 6.61. Ojo's preliminary time was 6.62, improving on his previous best of 6.70 from the BYU December Invitational, and now ranks him third nationally.
Other highlights included sophomore Taite Priestley's high jump victory at 2.12 meters (6-11.5), tying for ninth in Utah State history and ranking second in the Mountain West. Junior Sam Beckwith placed second in the long jump with a personal best of 7.36 meters (24-1.75), moving to seventh all-time for the Aggies. In the women's 60-meter hurdles, senior Krysthina Vlahovic took second in 8.51 seconds, while junior Claire Petersen finished third in 8.59, elevating her to seventh in school records.
Junior Shelby Jensen dominated the women's mile, winning in 4:49.58 (altitude-adjusted to 4:44.06), ranking 11th nationally. Juniors Ernest and Samuel Green swept the top two spots in the men's 800 meters with times of 1:53.70 and 1:53.96, respectively. Freshman Sally Roos earned third in the women's 800 meters at 2:13.75.
Senior Marshall Rasmussen cleared 5.10 meters to win the men's pole vault, with freshman Ethan Hammer third at 4.95 meters. In the women's pentathlon, senior Sophie Chandler scored 3,491 points for first, and freshman Gracynn Smith took third with 3,187. Junior Landon Bott won the men's 400 meters in a personal-best 48.81 seconds.
Sophomore Presley Gray cleared 1.73 meters for the women's high jump title. Senior LJ Floyd won the men's 3,000 meters in 8:14.53. Sophomores Shay Jones and Heidi Harper placed second and third in the women's 400 meters at 56.27 and 56.48, with Jones fourth in the Mountain West this season.
Freshman Adia Ross was second in the women's 60 meters at 7.51 seconds. Freshman Karina Cooper jumped 3.85 meters for second in the women's pole vault. Sophomore Jayden Holdsworth finished third in the men's mile at 4:11.84.
Relay teams excelled: the men's 4x400-meter squad of Diego Aguirre-Stewart, Matt Hall, Landon Bott, and Brock White won in 3:19.74, while the women's team of Jones, Alison Richter, Annie Ivins, and Emmanuella Njenje took second in 3:50.35.
At the concurrent National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nevada, senior Logan Hammer cleared 5.60 meters, topping collegians and finishing eighth overall.
Ojo Jr. and Roos later earned Mountain West weekly honors for their performances. Utah State next competes at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational and Ted Nelson Invitational on January 23-24.
