Men's Cross Country | 9/18/2024 4:30:00 PM

(St. George, Utah - Sept. 18, 2024) - The Utah Tech men's and women's cross country teams return to action on Saturday traveling to the UC Riverside Invitational.

Who | UC Riverside Invitaitonal
When | Saturday, Sept. 21 – Women's 6K - 8:15 a.m. MT | Men's 8K - 8:50 a.m. MT
Where | UCR Agricultural Operations Coure - Riverside, Calif.
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

PARTICIPATING TEAMS
UC Riverside, Utah Tech, Southern Utah, California Baptist, Cal Poly, UC Irvine, Long Beach State, Nevada, Cal State Fullerton, Grand Canyon, Utah State, UC Santa Barbara, CSUN, Sacramento State, Fresno State, UC Santa Cruz, Azusa Pacific, Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona-Pitzer, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Mount San Antonio College, Fresno Pacific, Cal State San Marcos, Concordia Irvine, La Verne, Paradise Valley CC, Chapman

• Men
  • California Baptist - No. 5 - USTFCCCA West Region
  • Cal Poly - No. 7 - USTFCCCA West Region
  • Nevada - No. 11 - USTFCCCA West Region
  • Cal State Fullerton - No. 12 - USTFCCCA West Region
  • UC Riverside - No. 13 - USTFCCCA West Region
  • Southern Utah - No. 14 - USTFCCCA Mountain Region
  • UC Santa Barbara - No. 15 - USTFCCCA West Region
• Women
  • Cal Poly - No. 9 - USTFCCCA West Region
  • UC Riverside - No. 11 - USTFCCCA West Region
  • UC Irvine - No. 12 - USTFCCCA West Region
  • Utah State - No. 12 - USTFCCCA Mountain Region
  • Southern Utah - No. 15 - USTFCCCA Mountain Region
  • Sacramento State - No. 15 - USTFCCCA West Region

LOOK BACK AT UVU INVITATIONAL
The Trailblazers opened up the season at the Utah Valley Invitational on Aug. 30 finishing fifth as a team on the men's side and seventh on the women's side.

The men were highlighted by a program record time of 14:34.8 in the 5K by sophomore Kyle Neuenschwander, who finished ninth overall.

The women were led by junior Lexi Larsen, who was the the Blazers' top runner finishing 42nd overall at 18:11.4. Larsen was followed by Averie Perriton in 44th, Adri Bird in 45th and freshman Kambrie Wilkinson in 60th.

On the men's side, sophomore newcomer Ryan Hatch was the Trailblazers' second finisher coming in 29th with the second-fastest 5K time in program history (14:59.2).

In total, 12 Trailblazer women and 11 Trailblazer men saw action in the meet with four newcomers on both sides making their Utah Tech debuts.

2024 SLATE
Much like 2023, the 2024 schedule will feature four regular season races.

After this weekend's action, the Trailblazers will compete at the Southern Utah Color Country Invitational on Oct. 4.

The final regular season meet sends the Trailblazers back to California for the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational on Oct. 19.

The WAC Championships are set for Nov. 1 back in Orem at Lakeside Park while the postseason continues at the NCAA West Regional Championships in Colfax, Wash. on Nov. 15.

The NCAA Championships will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin in Madison on Nov. 23.

GLACE BACK AT 2023 UCR INVITATIONAL
The Trailblazers return to the UCR Invitational after the women finished 12th as a team in 2023 at that meet and the men finished 20th.

Individually, five Trailblazer women are back from last season's meet highlighted by Averie Perriton who placed 85th with a 6K time of 22:13.1.

On the men's side, Neuenschwander was the Blazers' top finisher in the 8K along with three other Trailblazers returning who competed at that meet.

HEAD COACH JUSTIN DECKER
Justin Decker (Utah Tech, 2008) is in his 14th season at the helm of the Utah Tech cross-country program. During his tenure at Utah Tech, Decker has mentored 24 all-conference, seven all-region, and two All-American athletes (Rachel Young in 2012 and Billie Hatch in 2019). In addition, he has earned certification as a USA Track & Field Level 1 Coach and USTFCCCA Endurance Event Specialist. 

Coach Decker grew up in St. George and graduated from Pine View High School in 2004. After high school, he attended then-Dixie State and competed on the cross country team during the 2007 and 2008 seasons while serving as the team's captain and SAAC representative. He graduated from Utah Tech in 2008 with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and graduated from Southern Utah University with a Master's degree in Business Administration in 2013.

2024 ROSTER
The Trailblazer men's squad brings back eight returners while welcoming four newcomers.

With Trent Holiday being the lone senior on the roster, the Trailblazers return seven sophomores. On the newcomers side, they are split between junior college transfers Dennis Speaks (College of Southern Nevada) and Ryan Hatch (Coconino CC) along with freshmen Tyler Mullins (St. George) and Noah Orton(Meridian, Idaho).

On the women's side, Utah Tech brings back 10 returners with four freshmen, Makayla Boulton (Provo, Utah), Isabela Coffman (Klamath Falls, Ore.), Maren Leffler (Preston, Idaho) and Kambrie Wilkinson(Salem, Utah) joining the team this season.

UP NEXT
The Trailblazers return to action at the Southern Utah Color Country Invitational on Oct. 4 at the Cedar Ridge Golf Course.