CEDAR CITY — If the recent performances of Southern Utah University indoor track and field athletes are any indication, then the Western Athletic Conference championships should yield all kinds of success.

Southern Utah University runner Dylan Gibson at practice shortly after being named WAC men’s track athlete of the week, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 15, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The meet, which runs Monday-Tuesday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will be streamed live on ESPN+. And the Thunderbirds’ coach is expecting good things from his crew.

“We’ve had a great indoor season with outstanding performances across the board,” SUU head coach Eric Houle said in a recent news release. “Both our men’s and women’s teams are ready for these championships. We will see athletes named All-Conference, individual champion, possible national qualifiers and the top teams in the conference have their work cut out for them if they want to keep us from rising to the top of WAC Track & Field.”

In a recent WAC coaches’ poll that predicted Grand Canyon University to win the men’s and women’s conference titles, the SUU men were picked second and the SUU women fourth.

Cedar City News caught up with Houle and several athletes during team practice on Thursday. 

SUU senior Dylan Gibson recounted his performances at the Don Kirby Invitational in Albuquerque the previous weekend.

Southern Utah University track and field coach Eric Houle talks to distance runner Josii Johnson during practice, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 15, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

At that meet, Gibson placed second in the 200-meter dash and established a new school record of 21.07 seconds. In that same event, teammates Nelson Douglas and Jaedyn Carpenter also moved into fourth and fifth all-time in SUU’s books with respective times of 21.33 and 21.42.

In addition, Gibson won the 400-meter race, breaking another school record with a time of 46.28. Carpenter was close behind, finishing in 46.73, good enough for second place all-time in the SUU record books.

The T-Birds also set a new school record in the 4x400m relay, with Gibson, Douglas, Noah Bringhurst, and Carpenter combining for a time of 3:08.36, shattering the old school record by more than four seconds.

“It just felt good all around,” Gibson told Cedar City News. “It was our first time this year on a banked track of that quality and we got out to it as best we could. It turned out better than we could have hoped for.”

Gibson was named WAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week as a result.

“What an accomplishment for Dylan to be one of the all-time fastest 400-meter athletes in the WAC and the country,” coach Houle said in the news release. “This speaks to his dedication and love for the sport. He’s a great example of a student-athlete and a team leader.”

At practice on Thursday, Houle reiterated Gibson’s importance to the team, calling him “a great athlete and a crazy good team leader.”

“It’s because of his efforts and others’ that we are chasing a conference title,” Houle said, adding that Gibson is also just “a whisker away” from qualifying for the U.S. Olympic trials. 

“We have a few other guys just like that,” Houle added. “It’s just insane how strong this team is. We may not win that conference title, but they’re going to put up a good fight.”

A number of SUU athletes also took part in the Washington Indoor Husky Classic in Seattle on Feb. 9-10.

SUU distance runner Isaiah Labra talks about his recent sub-4-minute mile, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 15, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Among the top highlights from that meet was Isaiah Labra’s remarkable mile run of 3:58.50, which was a new personal best, landed him in fourth all-time in SUU’s record books and made him a member of the elite sub-4-minute-mile fraternity.

Labra, a graduate student who is in his final year of eligibility with SUU, said he didn’t get off to a good start in the race.

“I got out pretty bad,” he told Cedar City News. “I started out in the back. I knew, I was like, I just have to move up during this race … I basically just moved up each, like every 100 or 200 meters, I was kind of just passing people … I kind of related it to like a racehorse where you put your blinders on, just like you’re not looking at anybody else. And that was almost what I had to do to get myself to that front.”

Labra said he found himself in third place with about 300 meters to go.

“I knew once I hit that and the bell started ringing, I was like, I can break for it and I can win this race. I had that mentality. And so once the bell lap hit, I started making my move.”

Labra ended up crossing the finish line just two-tenths of a second behind winner Aaron Las Heras of Northern Arizona, who posted a time of 3:58.22. Third-place finisher Kang Nyoak, also of Northern Arizona, clocked in at 3:58.54.

“We crossed the line together and then all I remember is looking up at the board, and my name came up and said Labra 3:58 … And I was like, ‘Yes!’”

Southern Utah University triple jumper Astley Davis is shown during practice, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 15, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Added Labra: “All my teammates were going crazy for me. It was a pretty special moment. They were like telling me, ‘You did it! You deserved it!’ It was cool.”

Among the outstanding women’s team performances at the Husky Classic, SUU senior Josii Johnson posted a time of 2:09.59, SUU’s fourth-best mark ever.

“I’m ranked second right now for the conference championships, but I have the possibility to be in there for the win,” Johnson said. “I’m hoping for a good battle.”

Labra added that he’s also looking forward to the upcoming WAC indoor championships.

“With every race I’ve run this season, my motto has kind of been, find the limit,” he said. “Go all out and see what happens, and I guess go find out what you’re capable of. I think it’ll be really fun. I think we’ll run really well.”

For more information about the upcoming WAC Indoor Championships, click here. The links to the ESPN+ streams can be found here for Day 1 and Day 2.

This year’s national NCAA Indoor Championships are scheduled for Boston, Massachusetts, on March 8-9.

Photo Gallery

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.