Shelby Jensen Clinches Nationals Berth as Utah State Women Conclude NCAA West First Rounds | Sports
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Sophomore Shelby Jensen punched her ticket to the 2025 National Championships as three women representing Utah State women’s track & field team raced at the 2025 NCAA West First Rounds in College Station, Texas, on Saturday. “We are super proud of how everyone competed,” said Artie Gulden, USU’s director of track & field and cross country. “We’re very grateful that Logan (Hammer) and Shelby will be representing our teams at the NCAA Championships in a couple of weeks. They both did a great job managing the pressure of this meet and getting through.” Jensen’s memorable run came in the second heat of the 3,000-meter steeplechase quarterfinals, where she finished second with a time of 10:00.46. The native of Saratoga Springs, Utah, became the first Utah State woman to qualify for nationals since Cierra Simmons-Mecham qualified in the same event in 2019. Jensen sat in fourth place in the heat with one lap remaining but finished the race with a final lap time of 1:09.79, the fastest of any of the 96 women competing in the event at either the West or East prelims. In the evening, senior Emma Thornley and junior Sarah Ellis raced in the second