Women's Track & Field | 4/29/2023 8:30:00 PM

The Trailblazers performed well at the Adidas/Steve Scott Invitational held on campus at UC Irvine. The trip produced PRs across nearly every event and four new team records. Record performances came in the 100, the 800, the 400 hurdles, and the 200 where two athletes dipped under the previous record.

The whole season is building towards the WAC championships and head coach Derrick Atkins said this meet can help them be ready for it in two weeks: "The ladies had something like 14 or 15 personal records along with four new school records. First, this meet is about confidence. Having all those PRs and four school records inspires confidence going into the championship in two weeks. The ladies are really starting to believe in themselves, starting to show it, and starting to produce the times."

Friday Racing: The first night of competition was a trio of distance events for the Trailblazers. Sophomore Kinley Spaulding opened the night smashing her PR with a 12:04.29 3000-meter steeplechase and now sits as the third fastest steepler all-time at Utah Tech. The women's mile had one Blazer as well. Sophomore Lexi Larsen ran 5:16.61 as the lone Trailblazer to cross the line. Utah Techs 5000-meter group also had a great night. Junior Shakayla Morgan ran a massive personal best breaking 18 minutes for the first time with a 17:51.46 and is now the third fastest Trailblazer of all time. Sophomore Rylee Jacobson was a strong second finisher at 18:22.66 and Mariah Skinner also ran a 25-second PR with a 18:34.93 to round out a great night of racing.

Saturday Competition: Opening the day was the Trailblazers high jump squad. Senior Morgan Callens led the way with a first attempt clearance of 1.51m (4' 11.5") along with Freshman Lainee Leavitt at the same height. Following them was a seventh-place finish by the Blazers 4X100 team of freshman Alaynah Reed, sophomore Rashawnna Gibson, freshman Mary Fallon, and sophomore Ashlynn Gilhula coming across in a team number three all-time 47.85.

The first team record of the day came in the 800 where sophomore Addi Wyatt continued her tear of team record-setting in 2:12.60 becoming the first Utah Tech woman to go under 2:13. The 100 hurdles had just one Trailblazer competitor. Freshman Megan Jenkins ran her PR of 14.83 in the event improving her standing in the sixth performance of all-time. The Trailblazers duo in the 400 included another PR as freshman Kelly Denninghoff ran her first sub-one-minute performance, 59.43.

Sophomore Rashawnna Gibson provided an electric performance becoming the first Trailblazer to ever go under 12 in the 100-meter dash. She ran to an eighth-place finish in an 11.92 wind-legal performance. She was quickly followed by a very strong showing by four Trailblazers in the 400-hurdles. Freshman Megan Jenkins broke her own team record at 1:02.67 in fourth. Sophomore Emma Lloyd finished in dead heat sixth place tie and freshman Brittany Kuhn took eighth place just behind.

The final event of the day was one of the most exciting. In heat three of the 200-meter dash sophomore Rashawnna Gibson ran a team record of 25.34. But the record would be short-lived. In the very next heat Blazer sophomore Ashlynna Gilhula ran two hundredths faster, 25.32, and leaves the meet with the team record under her name.

Up Next: Utah Tech will make the long trek down to Nacogdoches Texas May 11th to the 13th for the 2023 WAC outdoor track and field championships.