By Mary Hart & Jeff Hunter ’96

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In eastern Utah, the landscape doesn’t just sit quietly in the background. It invites participation.

Shale cliffs and sandstone ridges stretch toward the horizon. Winding desert trails carve through sagebrush and sandstone. And for generations, residents have leaned into the rhythm of the outdoors, where archery and mountain biking aren’t just hobbies, but part of the culture itself.

So, when Utah State University Eastern introduced mountain biking and archery as new programs prior to the 2025-26 academic year, it wasn’t a departure from tradition, it was a natural next step. 

These programs belong in Price, and their inaugural coaches, Cheyanne Slaughter and Mark Jespersen, are doing their best to make sure they thrive there, as well.

Accurate Eagles

Cheyanne Slaughter — one of Carbon County’s most accomplished archers — completed an associate degree at USU Eastern in 2025 without having the opportunity to compete on the collegiate level.

“Very, very badly,” Slaughter responds when asked if she wishes the Eagles had an archery program prior to the fall of 2025. “And not only because I can offer athletic scholarships that would have helped out financially, but I would have that extra opportunity to be a part of the team and further my shooting career.”

Although she’s only 21 years old, Slaughter, who was crowned a national champion as a junior in high school after notching a surreal score of 296 out of 300, has been coaching and mentoring other archers since was competing for Carbon High. Currently the head coach at both of her alma maters, Slaughter has seven student-athletes on this year’s roster — a few more than the Eagles had at the end of last season — including returnees Kaden Bowler and Ellanore McDonald. 

Slaughter, who does most of her recruiting via email and by attending competitions around the country, says it’s becoming more well known that USU Eastern has an archery team, and that this year’s squad includes three archers from out of state. 

“It was most definitely a learning experience,” Slaughter says of the archery team’s inaugural season. “There were some good parts and some bad parts. One thing about building a team from the ground up and being the only collegiate team in the state of Utah, is that there’s not really anyone to piggyback off of. 

“But my experience and background in archery definitely helps, and I think things are going pretty good. We learned a lot last year — both as athletes and me as the coach — and we’re really growing as a team.”

Along for the Rides

Long before he took over the challenge of getting USU Eastern’s other new program off the ground last fall, Mark Jespersen was already helping to build miles of singletrack courses and the culture of mountain biking in and around the unique topography of Price. So, it made the veteran rider the best choice to be tasked with developing the Eagle’s co-ed team. 

The owner of the local shop Altitude Cycle, Jespersen got his first taste of coaching when he founded the Carbon Composite Mountain Bike Team in 2016 — a squad that has grown from three riders to more than 50 competitors over the past decade.

“With the explosion of the NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association) among Utah’s teenagers, it only makes sense for our universities to create an extension of competitive cycling,” Jespersen says. “Utah State Eastern is leading the universities in the state with the only varsity-level program. Through the program, student-athletes are learning life skills, gaining an education, and continuing to progress in cycling.”

Training on a NICA-approved course right on the USU Eastern campus — a course that Jespersen helped develop a few years ago — the Eagles competed at five events in Utah and Colorado last fall and have a similar schedule this season. The program, comprised of 12 student-athletes — including returnees Boyd Bradford, Greyson Halverson, James Lewis, Tyler Smith, and Bridger Whitaker — hosted the Carbon Crankdown this September in Price.