Local, international talent mix at UVSC

"Recruiting (out-of-state kids) is not easy," Houle said. "We spend quite a bit of time finding athletes around the country and researching them, communicating a lot through the e-mail and the letters and just building a relationship on the phones. It's not the easiest, but the one thing we've found is that a lot of kids want to come here and so it's just a matter of us finding them or just paying attention to them and getting them here."

His facial hair aside, 6-foot-4 behemoth Gavin Shaw looks like he might be an offensive lineman for BYU's football team. The truth,

however, is that Shaw is one of the best hammer throwers in the state.

Although the junior and native South African scratched on all three of his hammer attempts at the Cougar Invitational, he remains one of Utah Valley State's premier track athletes. Following Barney's lead, Shaw netted a hammer throw earlier this year that would have qualified him for NCAA Regionals if not for the provisional Division I status of UVSC.

Arguably the biggest track recruit landed to date by Houle has been freshman Mary Nothum. Last year at Washington High in Missouri, Nothum was the sixth-best high school steeplechaser in the nation. At the Cougar Invitational two weeks ago, she placed second in the 1,500 meters, barely besting Barney by less than a second.