Holt And Lewis Highlight Utah State’s First Day Of NCAA West Regionals By Advancing To The Next Round

EUGENE, Ore. – Utah State men’s track and field seniors Jason Holt and Armahd Lewis finished among some of the nation’s best on Thursday, qualifying them for the next round of the NCAA West Regionals in Eugene, Ore. Holt, a middle distance runner from Fort Collins, Colo., was the highest finishing Aggie on the day as he crossed the finish line in the 800m with the fourth fastest time on the day (1:48.92). It is only the second time this season that he has run a time under 1:49.00, and both have come in his last two races, as he won the Western Athletic Conference individual title on May 13 with a time of 1:48.78. Lewis, a sprinter from Stockton, Calif., finished 23rd in the 100m with a time of 10.6, advancing him to Friday’s action along with Holt. Sophomore Silas Pimentel (Orem, Utah) also ran in the 100m as he narrowly missed qualifying when he finished in 29th-place with a time of 10.67. Senior Eric Larson (Missoula, Mont.) also finished 29th in the 1500m with a time of 3:49.39, just missing the next round by three spots.”I watched both of Armahd’s and Jason’s races and they are just gutsy people,” said Utah State veteran head coach Gregg Gensel. “Armahd amazes me every time because he works so hard and competes really well. For Jason, he backed up his time from the conference championship with a great run. He watched the race and sprinted really well the last half of the race. All I can say about him is he is a tough kid and he proved that being the highest finishing non-automatic qualifier.” Freshman Kylie Hirschi (Sandy, Utah) was the lone USU woman to compete Thursday, and she finished 41st in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:01.62.”For Eric, he works very hard and is dedicated,” said Gensel. “He came to this team as a walk on and has improved to be a great asset to our team. He worked really hard and deserved to be here. Kylie and Silas are young and they will continue to get better, but they did great today are both really great competitors.”Action continues Friday with nine Utah State athletes competing including Holt (800m), Lewis (100m and 200m) and Pimentel (200m). Joining them will be seniors Clint Silcock (high jump), Ashlee Cannon (100m hurdles) and Steven Atkinson (3000m steeplechase) along with juniors Ruth Hilton (3000m steeplechase) and Daniel Howell (3000m steeplechase).Live results for the 2011 NCAA West Regionals are available by clicking on the “Live Results” link at www.utahstateaggies.com.Fans can follow Utah State Athletics, including USU track and field, at http://twitter.com/USUAthletics.com or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.UTAH STATE RESULTSNCAA WEST REGIONALSEUGENE, ORE.MAY 26, 2011 WOMEN400h – 41. Kylie Hirschi, 1:01.62MEN100m – 23. Armahd Lewis, 10.61Q; 29. Silas Pimentel, 10.67 800m – 4. Jason Holt, 1:48.92q1500m – 29. Eric Larson, 3:49.39-USU-

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