Athletes beat the weather at UVU Collegiate Invitational

Albert MacArthur moves to eighth in the nation

Athletes from over ten universities competed in erratic weather at the UVU Collegiate Invitational on Friday. The competitors dealt with snow, rain, and sleet in the final home meet for UVU until the WAC Outdoor Championship in May.

The conditions presented many obstacles for the participants and organizers alike, as it hampered the functions of the timing system for the track and delayed multiple field events.

“The weather definitely was a big impact on everything. It would get snowy, windy, sunny, rainy,” said Scott Houle, head coach of the UVU’s track and field team. “The weather was a buzzkill.”

Many events were delayed, causing several athletes to compete hours after their events had originally been scheduled. Said Houle, “Sometimes it’s nice to have these so the kids learn how to adjust.”

While the difficulties did hinder the efforts of numerous athletes, they did not slow down junior Albert MacArthur, whose performance in the triple jump today netted him the eighth overall spot in the nation for the event.

“Albert is a very consistent kid. We know we’re gonna’ get a good jump out of him,” said Houle. “Whether it’s cold or windy, he still hits a great mark. He always surprises us.”

“My coach taught us how to maintain our time, if we are having delays keep yourself moving, keep yourself loose,” said MacArthur. Rather than focusing on his new national rank, he is looking ahead to future meets and the Wolverines’ month-long road stint.

“We have to get ready for bigger meets than just this, we have Conference coming,” continued MacArthur. “We’ve got a lot bigger things than just this meet going.” UVU will travel for its next month of competition, as it heads to Salt Lake, Heber, and California before coming back in the beginning of May.

When asked about what aspects his athletes can work on in the back end of the season, Houle said, “Our biggest areas we need to improve is in every event, but our young kids are something that we’re counting on to hit some better marks.”

MacArthur’s results in the long jump and triple jump qualified him for regionals.

Photo courtesy of UVU Athletics