Women's Track & Field | 2/16/2024 12:45:00 PM

(St. George, Utah – Feb. 16, 2024) - The Trailblazer indoor track and field team head to the 2024 WAC Indoor Championships hosted at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Monday and Tuesday.

COMPETING TEAMS
Abilene Christian, Grand Canyon, Seattle U, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton, UT Arlington, UTRGV, Utah Tech, Utah Valley

2024 WAC Women's Indoor Track & Field Pre-Championship Coaches' Poll
Rank    Team
1.         Grand Canyon (#13 in the USTFCCCA West Region)
2.         Utah Valley (#16 Mountain)
3.         UT Arlington (#17 South Central)
4.         Southern Utah (#19 Mountain)
5.         Stephen F. Austin (#16 South Central)

Other teams competing: Abilene Christian (#18 South Central), Seattle U, Tarleton (#34 South Central), UTRGV (#29 South Central), Utah Tech (#29 West)

BLAZERS SET FIVE PROGRAM RECORDS AT MOUNTAIN STATE GAMES
Utah Tech set five new program records in its last outing at the Mountain State Games hosted by Idaho State last weekend.

Freshman Whitney Christiansen ran the fastest 400 meters in the prelims with a program record time of 56.58 before finishing third in the finals.

Other record times came in the distance medley relay where the team of Lexi Larsen, Sadie Edwards, Addi Wyatt and Mariah Skinner finished second clocking a time of 12:19.17.

Junior Rashawnna Gibson set program records in both the 60 meters and 200 meters at the Mountain State Games with times of 7.64 and 25.27.

Finally, freshman Mackenzie Bradach recorded a leap of 5.10m (16-8.75) in the long jump to set a new mark in the event surpassing the previous record of 4.99m (16.375) set by Gibson in 2022.

BLAZERS SET 19 TOP TEN MARKS AT THE MOUNTAIN STATE GAMES
A week after setting 21 top ten marks at the Ron Mann Classic, the Blazers continued to rewrite the record book posting 19 more top ten marks last weekend.

Leading the way was four marks in the 200 meters followed by three in the mile, two apiece in the 60 meters, 400 meters and 3000 meters.

Rounding out the ranks were one top ten ranking in the 800 meters, 60 meter hurdles,4x400 meter relay, DMR, long jump and 5000 meters.

TOP EIGHT TIMES ENTERING THE WAC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Entering the meet, Utah Tech has six top eight marks in the WAC in the distance medley relay (Lexi Larsen, Sadie Edwards, Addi Wyatt, Mariah Skinner, 2nd), 800 meters (Wyatt, 5th), 60 meter hurdles (Ashlyn Parish, 6th), 5000 meters (Averie Perriton, 7th), 400 meters (Whitney Christiansen, 8th) and 4x400 meter relay (Edwards, Ella Spear, Brittany Kuhn, Savannah Eatough, 8th).

LOOK BACK AT THE 2023 WAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
Wyatt finished fifth in the 800 meters at the 2023 WAC Indoor Championships in a program record time of 2:14.18 while Stephen F. Austin claimed the indoor team crown scoring 99.5 points.

RETURNERS
Utah Tech brings back 22 returners this season with 10 sophomores and 12 juniors.

Junior Addi Wyatt is back as a mid-distance runner after earning All-WAC honors in the 800 meters in both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2023.

NEWCOMERS
The Trailblazers welcome 18 newcomers to the team this season with six distance runners, eight sprinters, two sprinters/hurdlers, one hurdler and one jumper/sprinter.

HEAD COACH DERRICK ATKINS
Head coach Derrick Atkins is in his fourth season as the head coach of the track and field team in 2024.

With his guidance, the Trailblazers have achieved significant success setting 16 school records in outdoor events and 12 in indoor events, with 10 of those records being set in the 2023 season alone.

Not only has the team excelled athletically, but they have also excelled academically. They earned 20 Indoor Academic All-Conference honors and 45 Academic All-Conference honors outdoor.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

• MONDAY
  • Field Events
    • 1:30 PM - Long Jump
    • 3:30 PM - Pole Vault
    • 3:30 PM - Weight Throw
  • Running Events
    • 2:20 PM - Mile - Prelim
    • 2:45 PM - 60 Meter Hurdles - Prelim
    • 3:15 PM - 400 Meters - Prelim
    • 3:35 PM - 60 Meters - Prelim
    • 4:00 PM - 800 Meters - Prelim
    • 4:20 PM - 200 Meters - Prelim
    • 4:50 PM - 5000 Meters - Final
    • 5:25 PM - Distance Medley Relay - Final
• TUESDAY
  • Field Events
    • 9:00 AM - High Jump
    • 9:00 AM - Shot Put
    • 11:00 AM - Triple Jump
  • Running Events
    • 1:40 PM - Mile - Final
    • 2:00 PM - 60 Meter Hurdles - Final
    • 2:20 PM - 400 meters - Final
    • 2:40 PM - 60 meters - Final
    • 3:00 PM - 800 meters - Final
    • 3:20 PM - 200 meters - Final
    • 3:50 PM - 3000 meters - Final
    • 4:25 PM - 4x400 meter relay - Final