Taylor edges teammate Bruce to lead a HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite sweep of the top three spots in the women’s race, with former Utah State talent Maggard relying on impressive closing speed to hold off BYU graduate Linkletter in men’s battle at Desert Hills High

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

ST. GEORGE, Utah – Dillon Maggard outkicked Rory Linkletter in a battle of recent NCAA Division 1 All-Americans, with training partners Kellyn Taylor and Stephanie Bruce demonstrating that two marathon talents can also produce thrilling battles on the track, highlighting a pair of exciting finishes in the 5,000-meter races Saturday at the KT Tape St. George Showdown at Desert Hills High.

RESULTS | PHOTOS | MEN'S RACE | WOMEN'S RACE | INTERVIEWS

Maggard, representing HOKA ONE ONE following a stellar career at Utah State, produced a 59-second final lap to hold off former BYU standout and HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite athlete Linkletter by a 13:50.38 to 13:50.72 margin in the men’s competition.

Maggard had run a 4:04 mile the week before on the Utah State track at 4,534 feet elevation, which converts to a 3:59 effort at sea level. Saturday’s race was at 2,700 feet elevation and Maggard relied on his middle distance speed to take the lead with 1,000 meters remaining and never relinquished control, despite the impressive final lap from Linkletter, the second-fastest all-time Canadian performer at the half-marathon distance.

BYU junior Conner Mantz, who led at 3,000 meters, was third in 13:51.22, followed by Mammoth Track Club talent Reid Buchanan in 13:51.52 and HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite standout Matt Baxter finished fifth in 13:51.87. Baxter’s last 5,000 was March 6 at the New Zealand Championships, where he took second in 14:14.65.

Eric Avila, an adidas professional, clocked 13:54.48 and HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite member Scott Fauble, who grabbed the temporary lead at the 2-mile mark following early pacing assistance from training partners Ben Bruce and Scott Smith, also ran under 14 minutes by placing seventh in 13:57.39.

Following steady pacing from HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite athlete Alice Wright through 2,400 meters in the women’s competition, Bruce and Taylor took turns producing surges and leading over the final five laps.

Taylor secured the advantage for good with 700 meters remaining and covered the final lap in 65 seconds to prevail against Bruce by a 15:29.44 to 15:29.95 margin. Bruce got the better of her training partner in their most recent marathon showdown Feb. 29 in Atlanta, placing sixth at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2:29.11, with Taylor taking eighth in 2:29.55.

Lauren Paquette, who joined HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite in December, moved well over the final lap to complete the sweep of the top three spots with her training partners in 15:38.14.

Maggie Montoya, a former Baylor standout competing for Roots Running Project, also closed strong to place fourth in 15:38.53, just off her sea-level personal best of 15:38.21 achieved in May 2019 at the USATF Distance Classic.

Dominique Scott Efurd, an adidas professional representing South Africa and Team Boss, was among the leaders at the 2-mile mark, but finished fifth in 15:41.75.

KT Tape and Polar provided $5,500 in total prize money for the elite athletes, with Maggard and Taylor each collecting $1,000.

Meet organizers Artie Gulden of Utah State and HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite head coach Ben Rosario made sure that all participating athletes and support personnel had a negative test for COVID-19 within eight days of the event. All competitors and support personnel also had to participate Friday in a Rapid COVID-19 test, which involved a finger prick to draw blood, requiring a negative result as well.

Temperature checks were also taken Saturday for anyone entering Thunder Stadium at Desert Hills High.