OREM, Utah — Sequim state champion Riley Pyeatt is continuing to make it to podiums at the college level, setting a personal best in the 800 to finish third last weekend in the Western Athletic Conference.
Pyeatt is now a sophomore for Abilene Christian, a member of the NCAA Div. I WAC, which includes the University of Seattle.
Pyeatt won state championships in her senior year at Sequim in the 800 and the 4×400 relay along with Kaitlyn Bloomenrader, Hi’ilei Robinson and Eve Mavy. The same quartet also won the 4×400 at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in summer 2022 in Eugene, Ore.
Pyeatt finished her high school career with a total of 34 first-place finishes her senior year in track and cross country. She won races that ranged from the 100-meter dash to the 1,600-meter run.
Pyeatt signed with Abilene Christian in Abilene, Texas, and had some success her freshman year with five top-10 finishes. She has improved in her sophomore year with three victories at 800 and 1,500 meters and eight top-three finishes in both indoor and outdoor track.
Pyeatt ran a personal-best 2 minutes, 9.27 seconds in the 800 preliminaries at the WAC championships held at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. In the finals, she finished third with a time of 2:12.63, but her time was adjusted to 2:08.62 because of Orem’s elevation of 4,774 feet (Abilene is at 1,700 feet above sea level).
Sequim’s Riley Pyeatt on the podium after finishing third in the 800 at the Western Athletic Conference track and field championships in Orem, Utah. (Tracie Pyeatt)
