Women's Track & Field | 5/13/2023 9:20:00 PM

The Trailblazers closed the season out in Nacogdoches Texas competing at the 2023 WAC outdoor track and field championships. The meet battled inclement weather with flooding delaying some of the early field events Thursday and a two-hour lightning delay in the middle of the meet on Saturday. Despite the challenges, the Blazer came away with personal records across most events and six new team records.
 
The team finished 12th in the team scoring. The Blazers' individual performances were highlighted by Sophomore Addi Wyatt who came away with all-conference honors for her performance in the 800-meter taking fourth place and breaking the team record in the prelims and then again in the finals. Wyatt was also part of the team record performance in the 4x400 meter relay.

"The program is improving and we are getting better each year," said head coach Derrick Atkins. "The meet really was a good showing of that. We had six new school records and had 11 girls run new PRs. If I had to sum up this season in one word I'd say it was about growth."
 
Thursday on the track: The Blazers sent two runners to the line in the 1500 prelims to open the competition. Sophomore Lexi Larsen and Freshman Mariah Skinner both took part in heat one. Larsen came away with the quicker time of the two running a time of 4:52.46, it was her second-fastest time of the year and the third-fastest in team history. Skinner ran a big PR going under five minutes for the first time. Her 4:58.08 is a time only four other Trailblazer women have ever eclipsed.
 
Next up was the first team record of the meet. Sophomore Rashawnna Gibson became the first Blazer to go under 25 in the 200-meter heats clocking 24.96. Four other Trailblazes came away with PR as well. Sophomore Sadie Edwards cut over a second off her lifetime best running 25.98 in her 200-meter season debut. Freshman Alaynah Reed ran 26.24, sophomore Abigail Yadon clocked 26.25 and freshman Kelly Denninghoff came across in 26.43, all personal bests. Ashlynn Gilhula also took part in the event running 26.29.
 
The 400-meter preliminary round featured one Trailblazer, freshman Megan Jenkins. She ran a team record in the event for the second straight meet clearing the hurdles and finishing the race at 1:02.65.
 
The only final on the track was the grueling 25-lap 10'000-meter run. The team's 5'000 meter season leader, Junior Shakayla Morgan, stepped up in distance as the lone Trailblazer to tackle the over-six-mile race. Morgan ran her way to a lifetime best effort at 39:30.11.
 
Friday running: The first of five events on the day, and the first of four prelims, was the 100 hurdles. The Blazers' top finisher was Freshman Ashlyn Parish. Her 14.25 performance is quicker than the team record but was run with a non-wind legal reading of +3.0. Freshman Megan Jenkins ran under the same wind conditions and clocked 14.72 which is under her lifetime best.
 
Sophomore Addi Wyatt continued her tear in the 800-meter run. Wyatt ran a PR and team record time of 2:11.57 with the second-fastest closing lap of any woman at the meet. But most importantly her performance made her one of the eight qualifiers into Saturday's final guaranteeing her a scoring position and an all-conference spot in the event. The team's second finisher was sophomore Lexi Larsen who ran 2:17.02, the team's all-time seventh-fastest performance. Junior Camilla Hamilton was just behind at 2:17.47, a mark that only Larsen and Wyatt have ever run under in team history.
 
It was sophomore Sadie Edwards that ran the best 400 time for the Trailblazers laying down a 58.32 good for the ninth-best running of the event in team history.  Freshman Kelly Denninghoff also came through under the one-minute mark running 59.80.
 
All four of the Trailblazers ran PR or near-PR performances in the 100-meter dash prelims. The group was highlighted by sophomore Rashawnna Gibson. Her 11.85 locking in not just a PR, but for the second straight meet, a team record. At 12.14 sophomore Ashlynn Gilhula was just a hundredth off her lifetime best clocking the fourth-best individual performance in team history. Freshman Alaynah Reed ran 12.49 and sophomore Abigail Yadon ran 12.61, both lifetime bests.
 
The day once again ended with a distance final. One of the most unique events in track and field, the 3000-meter steeplechase. With a huge last lap kick (1:25.78) sophomore Kinley Spaulding cleared all the barriers and completed the race in a lifetime best 11:52.17. She became just the third Trailblazer woman to ever break the 12-minute barrier and now sits as the second fastest steepler in team history.
 
Saturday's action: Two Trailblazers got the day rolling at the high jump pit. Senior Morgan Callens cleared a team's season-leading height of 1.53m (5' 0.25"). Freshman Lainee Leavitt was the second Trailblazer to compete clearing 1.48m (4' 10.25").
 
The first running event of the day was the 4x100-meter relay. Freshman Ashlyn Parish, sophomore Rashawnna Gibson, freshman Alaynah Reed, and sophomore Ashlynn Gilhula were the team around the track. They ran a time of 46.53 cutting over a full second off the previous team record run at the WAC championships last season.
 
A team record performance on Friday earned sophomore Addi Wyatt a spot in the 800 finals, and she was next up on the track. Unlike in the prelims the race opened out hot with Wyatt splitting an opening lap of 62.56. The whole field paid the price for the quick opening lap, Wyatts' second lap clocked in at 68.21 giving her a total time of 2:10.76. The time was yet another PR and team record for Wyatt this season. In the closing lap, Wyatt was able to hold off most of the field behind her taking fourth place locking in her all-conference title and earning the team five points.
The last individual event of the meet was the 5,000-meter run. Junior Shakayla Morgan ran an evenly paced race kicking it in with her fastest lap and finishing at 18:24.32. Not far behind was Freshman Mariah Skinner who also had a big kick that pushed her time down to 18:45.01.
 
And finally, after a long day of racing that included a two-hour lightning delay, it was time for the final event of the meet, the 4X400 relay. The team of sophomore Sadie Edwards, sophomore Addi Wyatt, freshman Kelly Denninghoff, and freshman Megan Jenkins did not disappoint. They combined to run a new team record of 3:52.10 to cap off the day.
 
Seasons end: The Trailblazers say goodbye to three graduating seniors. Distance runners Nicolette Coffman and Amy White along with high jumper Morgan Callens. The rest of the team will move on to offseason preparation with the distance runners looking forward to cross country in the fall and the whole team preparing for the 2024 track season.