College Sports
Logan Hammer Qualifies for Nationals as Utah State Men Excel at NCAA West First Rounds
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Junior Logan Hammer secured a berth to the national championships in the pole vault as the Utah State men’s track & field team advanced two of their six competing athletes at the 2025 NCAA West First Rounds on Wednesday. Hammer booked his trip to Oregon for the second straight year […]
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Junior Logan Hammer secured a berth to the national championships in the pole vault as the Utah State men’s track & field team advanced two of their six competing athletes at the 2025 NCAA West First Rounds on Wednesday.
Hammer booked his trip to Oregon for the second straight year by clearing 5.42 meters (17-9.25). The two-time All-American wasn’t perfect, as his three misses in six attempts dropped him into a tie for sixth in the competition, but he persevered to clinch his spot at the national championships. Hammer will enter the national final as the second-ranked pole vaulter in the country based on his personal-best clearance of 5.70 meters (18-8.25).
The other Aggie qualifier of the day was sophomore Landon Bott, who advanced through the first round of the 800 meters. He clocked in at 1:48.71 to take fourth place in his heat and claim the fourth-best time among the non-automatic qualifiers. Bott started off the race near the back of the pack but ran his second lap in 54.98 seconds, third-fastest in the heat, to cross the line in fourth. The reigning MW champion in the event will now race in Friday’s quarterfinals, which are scheduled to begin at 6:05 p.m. (MT).
The Aggies’ afternoon began with sophomore Walker Deede competing in the javelin, where he launched a throw of 65.70 meters (215-7) to finish eighth in the third flight of throwers and 21st overall. Deede’s top mark, coming on the first of his three attempts, is the ninth-straight performance, going back to the 2024 Mountain West championships, in which he passed the 65-meter mark.
Juniors Marshall Rasmussen and Javin Richards competed alongside Hammer in the pole vault competition, each clearing 5.02 meters (16-5.5) in their first career appearances at the NCAA West First Rounds to place 26th and 33rd, respectively. Rasmussen finished his season with silver medals at both the MW Indoor and Outdoor Championships and two Utah State top-10 marks, while Richards claimed a bronze medal at the MW Outdoor Championships and set four top-10 marks across the pole vault, heptathlon, and decathlon.
Graduate Camren Todd competed in the final race of his storied Utah State career, running the 10,000 meters in 29:09.45 to place 26th. The cross country All-American ended his Aggie tenure with four all-conference honors, a cross country all-region honor, the USU record in the 10,000 meters and a MW-record two NCAA Elite 90 Awards, given to the top scholar-athlete competing at a national championships.
Thursday’s competition will include the first round of the women’s 100-meter hurdles, featuring junior Krysthina Vlahovic, and the semifinal of the women’s 10,000 meters, in which senior Emma Thornley and sophomore Brianne Smith will race. Live coverage will continue from College Station on ESPN+.
Fans can follow the Utah State track and field programs on X at USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at USUTF_XC. Aggies fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on X at USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.
2025 NCAA West First Rounds – Day 1
E.B. Cushing Stadium | College Station, Texas | May 28, 2025
USU Men’s Results:
Hammer booked his trip to Oregon for the second straight year by clearing 5.42 meters (17-9.25). The two-time All-American wasn’t perfect, as his three misses in six attempts dropped him into a tie for sixth in the competition, but he persevered to clinch his spot at the national championships. Hammer will enter the national final as the second-ranked pole vaulter in the country based on his personal-best clearance of 5.70 meters (18-8.25).
The other Aggie qualifier of the day was sophomore Landon Bott, who advanced through the first round of the 800 meters. He clocked in at 1:48.71 to take fourth place in his heat and claim the fourth-best time among the non-automatic qualifiers. Bott started off the race near the back of the pack but ran his second lap in 54.98 seconds, third-fastest in the heat, to cross the line in fourth. The reigning MW champion in the event will now race in Friday’s quarterfinals, which are scheduled to begin at 6:05 p.m. (MT).
The Aggies’ afternoon began with sophomore Walker Deede competing in the javelin, where he launched a throw of 65.70 meters (215-7) to finish eighth in the third flight of throwers and 21st overall. Deede’s top mark, coming on the first of his three attempts, is the ninth-straight performance, going back to the 2024 Mountain West championships, in which he passed the 65-meter mark.
Juniors Marshall Rasmussen and Javin Richards competed alongside Hammer in the pole vault competition, each clearing 5.02 meters (16-5.5) in their first career appearances at the NCAA West First Rounds to place 26th and 33rd, respectively. Rasmussen finished his season with silver medals at both the MW Indoor and Outdoor Championships and two Utah State top-10 marks, while Richards claimed a bronze medal at the MW Outdoor Championships and set four top-10 marks across the pole vault, heptathlon, and decathlon.
Graduate Camren Todd competed in the final race of his storied Utah State career, running the 10,000 meters in 29:09.45 to place 26th. The cross country All-American ended his Aggie tenure with four all-conference honors, a cross country all-region honor, the USU record in the 10,000 meters and a MW-record two NCAA Elite 90 Awards, given to the top scholar-athlete competing at a national championships.
Thursday’s competition will include the first round of the women’s 100-meter hurdles, featuring junior Krysthina Vlahovic, and the semifinal of the women’s 10,000 meters, in which senior Emma Thornley and sophomore Brianne Smith will race. Live coverage will continue from College Station on ESPN+.
Fans can follow the Utah State track and field programs on X at USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at USUTF_XC. Aggies fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on X at USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.
2025 NCAA West First Rounds – Day 1
E.B. Cushing Stadium | College Station, Texas | May 28, 2025
USU Men’s Results:
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