UVSC's 2007 track season mirrors previous year

OREM — In 2007, only its third year of Division 1 competition, the Utah Valley State track and field team turned in a season that closely mirrored its 2006 campaign.

While last year's UVSC men's and women's teams finished fourth and third, respectively, at the 2006 Independent Championships, both contingents of Wolverines placed fourth at the same event this time around.

The modus operandi for UVSC head coach Scott Houle and his Wolverines remained unchanged in 2007: the strong showings of a handful of individual athletes did a very nice job of taking attention away from the lack of overall depth that is essentially endemic to track programs as young as Utah Valley State's.

Two of the top performers for UVSC in 2007 were sprinters Mariama Salifu and Chris Fogt. Each athlete won multiple sprinting events throughout the outdoor season, but both battled hamstring problems earlier this month at the Independent Championships. At the season-ending meet, Salifu placed second and third in the women's 100 and 200, respectively, and Fogt finished second in the same two sprints on the men's side.

"Both Mariama and Chris had great meets for having pulled hamstrings," Houle said. "If they were healthy, they would have each had a great shot in winning both the 100 and 200."

Two male newcomers who helped ameliorate the loss to graduation of six members from the 2006 men's team were Zach Cook and Gavin Shaw.

Cook, a freshman, specialized in the long jump, an event in which he repeatedly broke the school record.

Shaw, a junior who redshirted last year, was often an enigma in the hammer throw. At the BYU Invitational in February, he faulted on all of his throws and finished in last place; conversely, Shaw not only won his signature event at the Independent Championships but set a meet record with his throw of 196 feet 5 inches.

The UVSC women's track team did not lose any of its athletes from last year because of graduation. Next year's squad, however, will not be able to say the same thing.

Two of the top Wolverine women who have run their last race for Utah Valley are seniors Kari Snow-Tupou and Kirsten Barney, each of whom won an event at the Division 1 Independent Championships. Snow-Tupou broke her own 2-year-old meet record in the women's 100-meter hurdles; Barney clocked a 10:56:46 to win the women's 3,000 steeplechase.

Meanwhile, despite its success in other areas, UVSC failed to field a competitive presence this year in events such as the javelin, high jump, middle-distance running events, women's hammer throw and men's and women's shot put.