Runner Justin Wickard Named Utah State Athlete of the Week

Utah State runner Justin Wickard was named Utah State's Athlete of the Week, it was announced on Monday. Wickard was unanimously selected for the honor by a local media panel.

Wickard, a sophomore from Scottsbluff, Neb., was the top Aggie finisher at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship last weekend. Wickard finished second in the 60-meter hurdles with a NCAA provisional qualifying time of 7.91. He was also a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that took third with a time of 3:14.59. This time also put the four runners into fourth on the USU indoor top 10.

This year, the USU men's team currently has 20 top-10 holders of the 2003 MPSF best marks. Wickard leads the way, with the top time in the 60-meter hurdles (7.90), as well as the third-best time in the 50-meter dash (6.53).

Utah State will compete in various last-chance meets March 7-8.

Nominees from other sports...

Women's Track -- Melanie Marek... Marek was the top female finisher for the Aggies' at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. She finished sixth in the 3000-meter run with a personal best time of 10:18.13.

Basketball -- Desmond Penigar... Penigar led Utah State in scoring both games this weekend as the Aggies went 1-1 on the road with a win at Cal State Fullerton and a loss at UC Riverside. Penigar shot 52.2 percent from the field and 75.0 percent from the free throw line as he averaged 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Women's Tennis -- Carolyn Larsen... Larsen led Utah State's women's tennis to a 5-2 victory against Weber State Thursday. She won both her singles and doubles matches against her Wildcat opponents. In singles play she defeated Maria Bublik in three sets 2-6, 6-1, 6-4. In doubles, teamed with Haley Hawkins, Larsen downed Beauchene and Smit 8-2. Larsen's record this season is 2-2 at No. 2 singles.

Gymnastics -- Nicole Kilpatrick... Kilpatrick scored 39.350, winning the all-around for the second time this season, as No. 22 USU edged BYU 195.925-195.625 in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Friday night. She took first on floor, tying her career high (9.925) for the second time this season, and finished second on vault. Kilpatrick's 39.350 ties the eighth-best all-around score in USU history and is the fifth time in seven meets this season she topped the 39.000 mark. Her all-around average is currently ranked 21st in the nation.

Softball -- Haven Vance... Vance, a junior, led Utah State as it dropped two games at Southern Utah Thursday. In the two-game span, Vance went 3-6 with a double, a triple, a RBI and a run scored.