Sportsbriefs

UVU Men and Women Place Second at GWC Championships

Utah Valley University’s men’s and women’s track and field teams both finished in second place at the Great West Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships during the two day event which ended on Monday at the University of South Dakota.

UVU men’s team ended up finishing with 146.50, not to far behind the winning Coyotes of South Dakota who had 178 points to lead the way. On the women’s side, South Dakota ran away with the team victory, winning with 271 points while the women’s Wolverines finished in second with 135 points.

“Overall we were very pleased with both our men’s and women’s efforts this weekend,” UVU head track and field coach Scott Houle said. “We finished right where we projected we were going to in both the men’s and women’s. South Dakota has a good men’s and especially a good women’s team but I was proud with how our kids came out and competed here at the GWC Championships.”

Wolverines Sweep Baseball GWC Awards

Jace Brinkerhoff had six hits in three games and played a flawless third base, earning the title of Great West Player of the Week, while hurler Justin Smith threw 8.1 innings of six-hit ball, earning a Utah Valley victory and being named the Great West Pitcher of the Week.

Brinkerhoff had six hits in 11 at-bats (.545 average) with a double, an RBI and three runs scored, helping Utah Valley to win one of three games against Southern Utah over the weekend. For the season, the junior from Spanish Fork, Utah., is hitting a robust .417.

Smith, a junior from Pleasant Grove, Utah, helped Utah Valley get off to a good start in the three-game series with state rival Southern Utah, pitching 8.1 innings, giving up six hits, three runs (2 earned), striking out five and walking just one in the 4-3 Wolverine victory. In his two starts this season, Smith has a 1-0 record and a 2.70 ERA with 12 strikeouts.