LOGAN, Utah – Dillon Maggard, who just completed his second season as a volunteer assistant coach with Utah State’s track & field and cross country programs, will be competing at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Ore., on Friday, June 18.
Maggard is arguably the best distance runner in Utah State history as he ended his illustrious career (2014-18) as a nine-time All-American, matching the school record previously set by James Parker, who represented the United States in the hammer at the 2004 Olympic Summer Games and 2005 World Championships.
The native of Kirkland, Wash., will be one of 25 competitors competing in the 10,000-meter run on Friday at approximately 8:20 p.m. (MT). The event will be broadcast live on NBCSN. The top three finishers in each event at the U.S. Olympic Trials will advance to the Olympic Games, if they have met the Olympic qualifying standard in that event during the qualifying period. If there are places unfilled in an event following the Olympic Trials, an athlete could still qualify based on their position in the World Athletics Rankings.
Maggard earned five first-team All-American honors alone during his senior season with Utah State – two each during the indoor and outdoor seasons, and one during cross country. Maggard guided the cross country program to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Cross Country Championships, where he placed sixth overall and the team finished 27th.
Utah State then tied for 28th, along with five other schools, by scoring eight points at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas. Overall, it was the best team finish since 1977, when the Aggies tied for 21st.
The Aggies earned four points from the senior-laden, fifth-place distance medley relay team made up of Maggard, Jordan Beutler, Brady Martin and Clay Lambourne. That quartet set a school record with a time of 9:32.31. The following day, Maggard earned four more points after his fifth-place finish in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:06.69.
Utah State concluded the season at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. USU scored 15 points and tied for 18th, along with Penn State. Maggard accounted for nine of those points as he placed third in the 10,000 meters with a school-record time of 28:38.36. Just two days later, he finished sixth in the finals of the 5,000 meters with a time of 13:57.40.
Maggard still holds seven school records. He ranks first all-time in USU indoor history in the mile (4:01.25), first in the 3,000 meters (7:52.99); first in the 5,000 meters (13:40.59) and first in the DMR (9:32.31). Outdoor-wise, Maggard is first all-time in the 1,500 meters (3:42.15), the 5,000 meters (13:30.02) and the 10,000 meters (28:38.36).
After graduating from Utah State with a degree in natural resources, Maggard turned pro. He currently runs professionally for HOKA ONE ONE.