Men's Cross Country | 10/15/2025 10:00:00 AM

(St. George, Utah - Oct. 15 2025) - The Trailblazer cross country teams return to California for the second time this season competing at the UC Riverside Highlander Invitational on Saturday morning.

Who | UC Riverside Invitational
When | Saturday, Oct. 18 – Men's 8K - 9 a.m. MT | Women's 6K - 9:40 a.m. MT
Where | UCR AGS OPS Course - Riverside, Calif.
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

PARTICIPATING TEAMS
UC Riverside, Utah Tech, Arizona, UCLA, California Baptist, UC San Diego, Cal State Fullerton, Pepperdine, CSUN, San Diego, USC (women), UC Irvine (women), San Diego State (women), The Master's, Pomona-Pitzer, Chapman, Cal State Los Angeles, Caltech, Occidental, Redlands, Vanguard, Embry-Riddle, La Verne, San Bernardino Valley, Mesa CC, Arizona Christian, Pima CC, Coconino CC, San Marcos, Southern Nevada (men)

TEAMS IN THE USTFCCCA NATIONAL RANKINGS (Oct. 6 Region & Oct. 7 National)

• Men
  • California Baptist is ranked No. 15 nationally and No. 2 in the West Region.
  • UCLA is ranked No. 9 in the West Region.
  • UC San Diego is ranked No. 15 in the West Region.
• Women
  • California Baptist is receiving votes nationally and No. 8 in the West Region.
  • UCLA is ranked No. 11 in the West Region.
  • UC San Diego is ranked No. 13 in the West Region.
  • UC Irvine is ranked No. 14 in the West Region.

LAST TIME OUT AT SOUTHERN UTAH COLOR COUNTRY INVITATIONAL
The Trailblazer women finished second and the men came in third at the Southern Utah Color Country Invitational at the Cedar Ridge Golf Cours on Oct. 4.

With the men getting action started with a 6K, junior Ryan Hatch led the Trailblazers with a 10th-place finish clocking a time of 19:34.32.

Four more Trailblazers registered top 30 finishes in Aiden Hardy (17th), Rex Martin (21st), Dawson Leffler (22nd) and Grayson Peterson (29th).

On the women's side, the Trailblazers notched a runner-up finish with six runners finishing in the top 20.

Led by a pair of top 10 finishes from juniors Makayla Pitcher (5th) and Averie Perriton (7th), the duo breezed to the fifth & sixth-fastest 4K times in program history.

FIRST TRIP TO UC RIVERSIDE IN SEPTEMBER
The Trailblazers have already made one trip to California this season competing on Sept. 27 at the UC Riverside Invitational with the women finishing 11th as a team and the men coming in 17th.

The women were led by Perriton with a 15th-place finish in the 219-women field clocking the third-fastest 6K time in program history with a time of 20:52.7.

Pitcher was the Trailblazers' second-fastest finisher coming in 64th (21:28.5), good for the ninth-fastest time in program history.

On the men's side, Hatch was the top finisher placing 64th in a field of 223 with a time of 24:54.8 in the 8K.

Leffler (24:59.3) and Mordechai Yadegar (25:12.0) also notched top 100 finishes placing 76th and 99th, respectively.

SEASON OPENER AT THE NAU GEORGE KYTE CLASSIC
Opening the season on Aug. 30 at the NAU George Kyte Classic, the women took second as a team while the men finished fourth at the five-team race in Flagstaff.

The women saw six Trailblazers finish in the top 20 while running the 2.5 mile course while the men placed three in the top 20 in the 4.5-mile race.

Perriton was the top finisher on the women's side coming in 10th breaking the 16-minute mark clocking a time of 15:59.8.

On the men's side, Hatch notched a ninth-place finish with a time of 23:01.1.

FINAL WAC CHAMPIONSHIP UPCOMING
For the sixth and final time before heading to the Big Sky next year, the Trailblazers will compete at the WAC Cross Country Championships on Oct. 31 in Arlington, Texas.

The top returner on the men's side from the championships from a season ago is Hatch, who earned Second Team All-WAC honors after finishing 17th overall.

Hardy (43rd), Leffler (47th) & Collin Manning (61st) are also top returners from 2024.

Perriton is the top returner among the women placing 33rd while Adri Bird (39th), Charly Murie (47th) & Erin McKinnon (60th) are also back from last season.

Men's/Women's Finish
Spring 2021: 5th/6th
2021: 5th/5th
2022: 10th/9th
2023: 5th/7th
2024: 7th/5th

LOOK AT THE 2025 ROSTER
The Trailblazer men's squad brings back eight returners while welcoming four newcomers this season.

With only one senior, Dennis Speaks, the remaining returners are made up of five juniors, Aiden Hardy, Ryan Hatch, Luke Howell, Dawson Leffler & Collin Manning, and a pair of sophomores in Tyler Mullins and Rex Martin.

The newcomers are made up of four freshmen in Carter Frost (Layton, Utah), Grayson Peterson (Milton, Ga.), Payton Wilkins (St. George, Utah) and Mordechai Yadegar (Logandale, Nev.), who will all look to contribute in their first seasons as Trailblazers.

On the women's side, the Trailblazers also bring back eight returners and welcome four newcomers.

Two seniors (Kelly Denninghoff & Savannah Rydalch), four juniors (Erin McKinnon, Charly Murie & Averie Perriton), two sophomores (Kambrie Wilkinson & Adri Bird) and redshirt freshman (Makayla Boulton) headline the returners while the newcomers are a pair of freshmen, a sophomore and a redshirt junior.

The pair of freshmen are Zoie Adcox (Salado, Texas) & Natalie Roberts (Mesa, Ariz.), sophomore Hailee Phillips arrives at Utah Tech after spending the 2022 season at Utah Valley and going on a two-year mission.

The final newcomer is Southern Utah transfer Makayla Pitcher, who joined the UT track and field program in January 2025, and is set for her first cross country season as a Trailblazer this fall.

2024 IN REVIEW
The Trailblazers are coming off a fifth-place finish for the women at the WAC Championships while the men's team took seventh.

The top returners for the women are Perriton, Bird, Murie & McKinnon as they all raced in all six races last season outside of McKinnon, who competed in five meets.

On the men's side, Hatch comes back as the top returner after earning Second Team All-WAC honors finishing 17th overall and notched the third-fastest 8K in program history with a time of 24:08.30.

Other top returners include Hardy, Leffler, Manning & Speaks, who each competed in all six races outside of Speaks, who did not compete at the NCAA West Regional Championship.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK & FIELD HEAD COACH JUSTIN DECKER
Justin Decker (Utah Tech, 2008) is in his 15th season at the helm of the Utah Tech cross country program.

During his tenure at Utah Tech, Decker has mentored 25 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.

UTAH TECH ANNOUNCES MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD PROGRAM STARTING IN 2027
On Aug. 7, Utah Tech Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Ken Beazer announced the addition of a men's track & field program ahead of the 2026-27 academic year when the Trailblazers join the Big Sky Conference.  
 
With the addition of men's track & field, which begins on July 1, 2026, UT will now sponsor 16 intercollegiate athletic programs.

The men's track & field program will begin competition in distance events during the 2026-27 indoor and outdoor seasons.

Utah Tech will proceed with incremental additions in events and coaching staff in the coming years on the program's path to becoming a full-fledged men's track & field team.

Utah Tech will join a strong track & field cohort in the Big Sky Conference with the Trailblazers representing the 11th men's track & field squad, joining Eastern Washington, Idaho, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Southern Utah and Weber State.

Josh Thompson will serve as the first head coach of the men's distance track & field program, as well as head coach of the men's cross country team.

Meanwhile, Justin Decker will remain as head coach of the Trailblazer women's cross country team and will continue to coach the women's distance track events.  

"I'm grateful to Utah Tech and the athletic department for the opportunity to lead the men's cross country and track programs, and I'm truly honored to step into this role," Thompson said. "My goal is to build a culture where athletes strive for greatness on the track, in the classroom and in life. We'll pursue excellence with passion, discipline and purpose, while also working to positively impact the Utah Tech community. The best is still ahead!" 
 
A former collegiate distance runner at Oklahoma State, Thompson won five individual Big 12 titles, qualifying for the NCAA Championships five times before signing a professional contract with Nike and joined the Bowerman Track Club in Portland, Oregon.

Over his seven-year professional career, Thompson has competed in two World Championships and was a World Finalist in both the 2022 Indoor World 1,500 meters in Serbia and the 2022 Outdoor World 1,500 meters in Eugene, Ore. and recently competed in the 2025 USA Track and Field Championships in the 1500 meters, clocking a time of 3:52.04 in Eugene.

UP NEXT
The Trailblazers get postseason action started with the WAC Cross Country Championships hosted by UT Arlington at the Harold Patterson Sports Complex on Oct. 31.