The Trailblazers open the outdoor track and field season this Friday and Saturday at the Utah Tech Invitational. The meet will be the first-ever collegiate meet inside Greater Zion Stadium. Utah Tech did host a meet back in the COVID-shortened spring 2021 cross-country season, but it will be the first home track and field event in the program's history.

The meet will include entries from several teams in or near Utah including Southern Utah University, the University of Utah, Utah Valley University, and UNLV. While Utah Tech only sponsors women's track and field the meet will host both men's and women's events open to all entered teams as well as featuring entries from the Utah Tech men's cross country team. All races and field events will start with the women's heats/flights and will be followed by the men.

The meet is open to spectators and is free to attend. Spectators are invited to enter and sit on the west side of the stadium. There will be a spectator area on the west side of the lower field for throwing events. Concessions will be available for purchase on Saturday.

ACTION ON THE TRACK AND IN THE FIELD: The meet will open Friday, March 10th with field events starting at 4:00 PM to include discus, shot put, long jump, and high jump. The opening action for the Blazers will be in the women's high jump where three women will take to the air. The field will include all three of the jumpers who contested the event at the WAC Champions indoors two weeks ago led by sophomore Kylie Bishop who brought over the best jump from indoor season having cleared 1.60m (5' 3") in the indoor season.

The first night will conclude with a pair of distance events on the track, the 3,000m steeplechase and the 5,000-meter run. The Trailblazers do not have any entries in the steeplechase but do hold eight entries in the 5,000. Junior Shakayla Morgan comes in with the best track 5,000 PR at 18:19 among Utah Tech entries.

The meet will resume Saturday the 11th at 10 AM with the conclusion of field events including javelin and triple jump. There will be senior recognition at 10:40 AM before the events on the track get started at 11:00 AM. 

In the sprints, the Trailblazers will have a number of entries including three in the 100m, four athletes in the 200m, and five runners in the 400m. In the 100m sophomore, Ashlynn Gilula comes in with the quickest mark of the trio with a 12.31 from last season which also stands as the current team record. In the 200m freshman, Mary Fallon has the best time of the group coming in with a time of 26.38 run this past indoor season. The 400m group features a group with a mix of sprinters stepping up and middle-distance runners stepping down in distance. Sophomore Sadie Edwards has the best mark coming in at 59.48 run in the 2022 outdoor season. The group also features Addi Wyatt coming off a fifth-place finish in the 800m at the WAC Indoor Championships last month.

Jumping up to the two middle-distance events of the meet the Trailblazers have a trio of runners in the 800 and a pair in the 1500. In the 800 Sophomore Lexi Larsen brings the top mark of the three with a 2:23.80 from the indoor season. In the 1500 freshman Mariah Skinner, while never having run the 1500, has a mark of 5:23.35 in the full indoor mile. Sophomore Kinley Spaulding is the only one with a previous mark in the event at 5:29.86.

The final distance event of the meet will be the 3,000m run with a pair of Trailblazers in the field. Junior Shakayla Morgan comes in off her new personal best time from the WAC Indoor Championships back in February of 10:41.26 as the best entry mark for a Blazer in the event.

In the hurdle events, Utah Tech has seven total entries, four in the 100 hurdles and three in the 400 hurdles. In the 100 hurdles sophomore, Emma Lloyd is the only one that brings in a collegiate mark running 16.32 last season. Freshman Ashlyn Parish does come in having broken the team record in the 60 hurdles indoors running 8.80 at the Ron Mann Classic this season. None of the Trailblazers three entries in the 400 hurdles have previous collegiate experience with the event. 

The final group of Trailblazers competing are those on relay teams. The meet will hold the 4x100m relay to kick off the running Saturday and as is the tradition at track meets will close with the 4x400m relay. The 4x100m team of Ashlyn Parish, Alaynah Reed, Mary Fallon, and Abigail Yadon are all freshmen except Yadon who is a sophomore. They will look to get the ball rolling as the team chases last year's team record of 47.73. In the 4x400 the Trailblazers have entered four teams. The team designated "Utah Tech A" of Megan Jenkins, Addi Wyatt, Kelly Denninghoff, and Alaynah Reed is the same group that broke the team record two weeks ago at the WAC Indoor Championships running 3:53.81.

All told the Trailblazers have 43 entries across all events as they look to open the season on a high note at home!

EVENT SCHEDULE
Please note the schedule and times below are tentative and are likely to be adjusted in the days leading up to the meet or as circumstances dictate on meet day.
All events will start with the women's heats/flights and will be immediately followed by the men with the exception of shot put.

Friday
Running Events:                                    Field Events:
6:00 PM    3000m Steeplechase             4:00 PM    Discus
6:50 PM    5000m                                  4:00 PM    Shot Put (Men first)
                                                           4:00 PM    Long Jump
                                                           5:00 PM    High Jump

Saturday
10:30 AM    National Anthem
10:40 AM    Senior Recognition

Running Events:                                    Field Events:
11:00 AM    4x100m relay                        10:00 AM Javelin
11:10 AM     1500m                                  10:00 AM Triple Jump
11:30 AM    100m/110m hurdles
11:55 AM    400m
12:15 PM    100m
12:35 PM    800m
12:55 PM    400m hurdles
1:15 PM      200m
1:30 PM     3000m
1:50 PM     4x400m relay

UP NEXT: The Trailblazers will get a few weeks to prepare for their next competition following the home meet. Their next scheduled meet will be at UC Irvine at the Vince O'Boyle Track and Field Classic in Irvine California March 30 to April 1st.