General | 6/25/2026 12:00:00 PM

2025-26 UTAH TECH ATHLETICS YEAR IN REVIEW

NEW CONFERENCE AFFILIATION FOR TRAILBLAZER BASEBALL AND MEN'S SOCCER
In addition to the formal announcement (6/25/25) of Utah Tech joining the Big Sky Conference last summer, Trailblazer Athletics announced on October 29, that both the baseball and men's soccer programs would become affiliate members of the Mountain West Conference. 

That announcement served as the final piece to solidify Utah Tech's conference membership affiliations for all of its intercollegiate athletic programs beginning on July 1. 

ACADEMICS
The Utah Tech University Athletic Department combined to post a school record 3.42 cumulative GPA among its 16 varsity sports for the 2025-26 academic year. This year's GPA included a 3.41 spring GPA, to go with last fall's 3.43 average, which marked the 18^th-straight semester, and the 23^rd semester in the last 25 overall, that Trailblazer student-athletes combined to earn at least a 3.00 GPA.

In addition, this year's 3.42 cumulative GPA bested the previous school record of 3.40 average set one year earlier during the 2024-25 academic year. 

Meanwhile, last fall semester's 3.43 GPA was the highest combined GPA in Utah Tech's brief NCAA Division I tenure, and is the second-highest combined GPA in the department's NCAA four-year era overall.

All 16 of Utah Tech's varsity sports posted at least a 3.00 overall GPA this past season, with the women's golf team leading the way with a department-best 3.83 GPA.

The Trailblazer women's volleyball program finished second on the list with a 3.77 GPA, followed by women's basketball (3.76), women's cross country (3.74), and the women's soccer program (3.71 GPA) rounded out the top-five overall.  

Utah Tech had 186 student-athletes earn 2025-26 Academic All-WAC honors, including a conference-high 66 student-athletes last fall. Twenty three more student-athletes were listed on the conference's winter sports list, while 97 more made the grade on the WAC's spring list.

Additionally, nine Trailblazers garnered Mountain Pacific Sports Federation women's swimming academic all-conference recognition, while 49 student-athletes collected College Sports Communicators Academic All-District accolades. 

FOOTBALL
Utah Tech played to a 2-10 overall record in its final season in the United Athletic Conference (UAC). The Trailblazers did not shy away from tough competition as Utah Tech faced seven FCS top-25 nationally-ranked teams last season, with two of those contests decided by one score. 

Both victories came at home at Greater Zion Stadium, starting with a 20-9 non-conference triumph over Northern Iowa (9/20) out of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Trailblazers also posted a thrilling 34-33 come-from-behind overtime victory over North Alabama (11/1).

Utah Tech landed two players on the 2025 UAC postseason awards list, including redshirt junior tight end Eric Olsen and junior punter Ryan Marks were both named to the conference's second team, as voted upon by the league's head coaches. 

Olsen closed the 2025 regular season leading all NCAA Division I FCS subdivision tight ends in receptions (53) and finished second among tight ends nationally in receiving yards (590).

Meanwhile, Marks finished his year as Utah Tech's single season and career leader in punt yardage with a 46.4 ypp average (40.26 ypp net), which was good for seventh-overall in the FCS subdivision. Marks was also one of 10 national finalists for the 2025 FCS Punter of the Year Award>

In addition, outside linebacker Dallin Havea was named to the 2025 FCS Football Central Freshman All-American, and redshirt junior quarterback Reggie Graff became a two-time FCS Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team selection.

VOLLEYBALL
The Trailblazers clinched their first WAC volleyball regular season championship, and Utah Tech's second conference title overall (Softball – 2023), with a 10-2 record in conference play.

Bolstered by a perfect 9-0 home record inside the Burns Arena, Utah Tech went 21-6 overall and advanced to the WAC Tournament championship game after defeating Southern Utah and Tarleton State, before falling in five sets UVU in the title match.
            
Head coach Camilla Hafoka earned WAC Coach of the Year honors, while four Trailblazers collected All-WAC recognition. Senior middle blocker Casidy Fried was voted to the conference's first team, while seniors Kennedi Knudsen and Taylor Snow were selected to the second team. In addition, freshman setter Tehanie Waters was named to the All-WAC Freshman Team.

Knudsen, who was a four-time WAC Player of the Week honoree, closed her storied Trailblazer career as the program's all-time leader in kills (859), highlighted by a single-season record 395 kills during the 2024 season. 

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Utah Tech had a strong final season in the WAC finishing fifth at the WAC Championships scoring 117 points.

The Trailblazers were paced by the junior duo of Averie Perriton and Makayla Pitcher. Pitcher led the Trailblazers at both the WAC Championships and NCAA West Regional Championships, while Perriton was the Trailblazers' top finisher at three of the four meets in the regular season.

Highlighted by a third-place team finish at the UC Riverside Highlander Invitational, the Trailblazers placed five finishers in the top 45, bolstered by a pair of top 20 finishes by Perriton and Pitcher.

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Much like the women, the men's cross country team also had a strong final season in the WAC scoring 172 points at the WAC Championships.

Led by junior Ryan Hatch, the top finisher for the Trailblazers in all six races this season, the Flagstaff, Ariz., native led the way with a 24^th-place finish at the WAC Championships clocking the 10^th-fastest 8K time in program history.

Hatch along with freshman Mordechai Yadegar and junior Dawson Leffler also notched top 10 program times in the 10K at the NCAA West Regional Championships helping lead the Trailblazers to a 24^th-place finish as a team.

MEN'S SOCCER
Utah Tech came away with a 4-7-6 overall record in 2025, which included a t-second place finish in the WAC table at 3-1-3 (12 pts) in the program's final season in the league.

The Trailblazers racked up Division I-era single season records for goals (22), assists (24), and points (68), which helped lead the program to its third-straight WAC postseason tournament appearance as the No. 2 overall seed. 

Utah Tech also collected seven all-WAC postseason honors, including freshman netminder Luca Campolibeing voted the conference Goalkeeper of the Year, and head coach Jonny Broadhead tabbed as the league's Coach of the Year.

In addition, senior defender Anthony Godinez and sophomore forward Taylor Rogers garnered first team all-WAC recognition, as did Campoli, who was voted to the all-Freshman team. Campoli was also named to the TopDrawerSoccer Men's Postseason Top-100 Freshmen list. 

Meanwhile sophomore midfielder Dunes Nielsen was selected to the WAC's second team, and fellow midfielder Jacob Cinelli and forward Stetson Coy were named to the league's all-Freshman team.

The men's soccer program also made history when senior GK Stockton Short became the first Trailblazer to be selected in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Draft when he was chosen with the 81^st-overall pick by the Seattle Sounders in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft. 

WOMEN'S SOCCER
Utah Tech posted its third winning record in its brief Division I era, and the third winning ledger in its last four years overall, on the strength of an 8-7-5 mark in 2025.

The Trailblazers also finished third in their final WAC season with a 4-4-2 (14 pts) record in the conference table and drew the third seed in the 2025 WAC Tournament. Utah Tech squared off against No. 2 seed California Baptist in the WAC semifinal and owned a 2-1 lead after an Ella Cotter goal in the 78^th minute.

However the Lancers managed to tie the match with 20 seconds to play in regulation time. The two sides played through two overtime periods all square before Utah Tech saw its tourney run come to a heartbreaking end by a 2-1 count in a penalty shootout.

Utah Tech set D-I era single season records in goals (38), assists (37) and points (113), and racked up a program record eight all-WAC postseason honors.

The Blazers led the WAC with three all-Freshman selections, including Freshman of the Year in forward Jocelyn Wright, along with defenders Abby Olsen and Ava Talaeai. Meanwhile, Olsen, senior forward Lacy Fox and senior midfielder Kyah Le garnered first team all-conference honors, and sophomore midfielder Bre Koscielski was voted to the all-WAC second team. 

In addition, Le earned 2025 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I all-Pacific Region Second Team accolades, while both Olsen and Wright were named to the TopDrawerSoccer Women's Postseason Top-100 Freshmen list.

MEN'S BASKETBALL
Earning their first winning season as Division I members, the Trailblazers went 19-15 overall and finished third in the WAC with an 11-7 record.

An experienced team led by five seniors, the Trailblazers advanced to the WAC Tournament semifinals downing Abilene Christian in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion California Baptist.

Under the direction of 2025-26 WAC Coach of the Year Jon Judkins, the Trailblazers were led by All-WAC First Team selection Ethan Potter along with sophomore forward Noah Bolanga earning Second Team honors, and freshman guard Tanner Davis was named to the All-Freshman Team.

Potter, who was named a finalist for the national 2025-26 Riley Wallace Award, which is presented annually to the most impactful Division I transfer, broke Utah Tech's single season scoring records in both points (522) and field goals made (205). Potter led the WAC in rebounding (8.0 rpg), total rebounds (255) and field goal percentage (.589), and was the league's second-leading scorer at 16.3 ppg, and was a four-time WAC Player of the Week honoree.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Utah Tech played to a 9-20 overall record and finished in a tie for sixth place in the WAC standings (4-14) in the program's final season in the conference. The Trailblazers advanced on to the quarterfinal round of the WAC Tournament, where they were felled by a 77-73 count versus sixth-seeded UT Arlington.

The Blazers landed two players on the WAC postseason awards list, headlined by senior guard Kaylee Borden, who garnered first team all-conference honors. The three-time WAC Newcomer of the week honoree led, or co-led, the team in scoring 12 times, and scored in double figures in 25 of her 29 starts with nine 20-point outings.

In addition, fellow senior guard Brie Crittendon was voted to the WAC's all-defensive team.

Utah Tech made a change in program leadership after the season, naming Adam Wardenburg as the program's new head coach on April 20. 

WOMEN'S SWIMMING
Utah Tech made a splash in its debut season in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), during which the Trailblazers finished seventh at the conference championships thanks to one podium finish, three school records, and several top-10 all-time marks.

The Blazers landed four swimmers on the 2025-26 MPSF All-Conference awards list, headlined by junior Mary Sims Cross, who was Utah Tech's lone first team honoree thanks to her third-place conference finish in the 200 yard IM, during which she clocked a school record time of 2:02.22.

Cross also claimed second team honors thanks to top-10 showings in both the 100 back (6^th place; 55.12) and 200 back (6^th place; 2:00.56) events. 

Meanwhile, fellow junior Cera Mallory garnered second team all-MPSF accolades in both the 500 free (4^thplace; 4:53.19 – school record) and the 1,650 free (6^th place; 17:01.58)

In addition, sophomore Gabby Henry (4^th place; 23.14) and freshman Reagan Patterson (8^th place; 23.37) both collected second team all-conference recognition in the 50 free. 

In all, nine Utah Tech school records were either broken, or established in the pool.

INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
The 2026 indoor season for Utah Tech track & field was yet another record setting year that saw multiple program school records and personal bests written and rewritten.

The Trailblazers got their indoor campaign started at the Weber State Indoor Invite (1/9-10), where they notched 17 top-eight finishes and set three all-time program top-10 marks. The highlight of the meet came in the 400-meter race where the Trailblazers claimed over half of the top eight. Freshmen Scarlett Brock, Hannah Bingham, and Gracie Meeds all made their collegiate debuts in that race, finishing in 2nd, 3rd, and 8th respectively.

Between the NAU Ron Mann Classic (1/30) and the Idaho State-hosted Mountain State Games (2/13-14), Utah Tech racked 39 top-10 finishes and broke six school records. Those records included the pentathlon, which Utah Tech competed in for the first time in program history, the 5000-m race, the women's distance medley relay, the men's distance medley relay (also first time competing in program history), the men's indoor mile, and shot put. Each program record was broken by a different Trailblazer.

At the WAC Indoor Track & Field Championships (2/27-28), the Trailblazers posted 10 top-8 finishes and set six school records. Juniors Whitney Christiansen, Makayla Pitcher and Averie Perriton, and senior Megan Jenkins were each part of two program records and combined to score 35 total points for the Blazers. School records were also recorded in the mile, 3000m, 5000m, 4x400m relay, distance medley relay, and the pentathlon. Utah Tech also set a D-1 era program record in total points recorded at the indoor conference championships. 

WOMEN'S GOLF
Utah Tech finished its sixth season of NCAA Division I play with six top-six showings in 10 team events, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Utah Fall Intercollegiate (9/14-15). The Trailblazers also posted a fifth place finish at the 2026, and final, WAC Women's Golf Championships this past April in Texas.

Senior Jenna Anderson recorded the program's first Division I individual tournament victory, doing so at the Utah Fall Intercollegiate last September. With the win, Anderson also became just the fourth different player in program history to win a collegiate golf tournament.

Junior Samantha Phelan led the Trailblazers with four top-10 finishes, including a pair of top-five showings, highlighted by a career best t-second place showing at the Montana State Bobcat Desert Classic (4/13-15). Phelan went on to post the program's fourth-lowest season stroke average at 74.93 in 29 competitive rounds, and in the process, lowered her Utah Tech career record scoring average to 75.14.

Phelan also tied the program's 18-hole (-6 66), 36-hole (139) and 54-hole (212) scoring records at the season-opening Utah Valley Wolverine Inv'l (9/8-9).   

Sophomore Maria Purroy Galan led the Trailblazers in stroke average this past season at 74.69, which ranked as the fourth-lowest season average in program history. Purroy Galan's efforts also moved her into second place on Utah Tech's career scoring average list (75.15)

Purroy Galan notched her third career top-10 in the season-opening UVU event, where she opened with a collegiate career low 4-under 68, and joined her teammate Phelan in tying the program's 54-hole scoring record (212). The duo's efforts also helped the Trailblazers break the program's 36-hole (570) and 54-hole (861) team scoring records. 

MEN'S GOLF
Utah Tech finished its sixth season of NCAA Division I play with six top-six showings in 10 team events, highlighted by a third finish at the Colorado State Ram Masters (9/11-12/25). The Trailblazers also posted a sixth place result at the 2026, and final, WAC Men's Golf Championships this past April in Texas.

Freshman David Liechty earned first team all-WAC honors after finishing second on team with a 71.67 season stroke average, which ranked as the second-lowest single season average in the program's NCAA era.
 
A two-time WAC Player of the Week honoree, Liechty played in all 10 team events and became the first Utah Tech men's golfer to win medalist honors twice in a single season during the program's brief NCAA Division I era. 
 
Liechty's first tourney victory came in the spring-opening CSUN Bill Cullum Invitational (Feb. 2-3), at which he posted a three-round total score of even-par 216 and won the individual title in a playoff.
 
He followed that up with an eight-shot victory at the Seattle U Redhawk Invitational (March 30-31) played at famed Chambers Bay Golf Course. Liecthy tied both the Utah Tech 36-hole (-10 134) and 54-hole (-16 200) scoring records en route to the win, and fired the second-lowest 18-hole score in program history with an 8-under 64 in the second round.
 
Liecthy wound up with four top-10s overall, which tied for the sixth-most in a single season in the program's NCAA era. In addition, he carded a hole-in-one during the first round at the Idaho Bandon Dunes Championships (March 8). 

Meanwhile junior Ashton McArthur collected second team all-WAC recognition after he played in eight of Utah Tech's 10 team events this past season and finished third on squad with an even 73.00 stroke average.
 
The junior posted four top-15 finishes on the year, highlighted by a t-11^th showing at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate (Feb. 23-25), during which he fired consecutive rounds of 3-under 69 and a final round even par 72. 

McArthur, who finished second on the team with 12 par-of-better rounds, also tied for 14^th at the Air Force Gene Miranda Falcon Invite (Sept. 20-22), and tied for 21^st the 2026 WAC Championships. 

WOMEN'S TENNIS
Utah Tech women's tennis put together a record breaking season in 2026. The Trailblazers racked up eleven total dual wins, highlighted by a four-match win streak, along with four WAC players of the week honors, and two All-WAC selections.

The Trailblazers picked up their first win of the season on the road at future Big Sky Conference opponent and in-state foe Weber State (1/23). Ana Gutierrez Sampere won WAC Singles Player of the Week for her performance in the win in Ogden as well as the match versus Utah State (1/19) earlier in the week, and Gutierrez Sampere teamed up with Mariana Zurita Berdecio to earn WAC Doubles Players of the Week accolades and sweep the WAC Weekly Honors. 

The following week, Utah Tech and Weber State met again in Las Vegas, where the Trailblazers posted their second-straight victory over the Wildcat in a 7-0 sweep. Zurita Berdecio and Gutierrez Sampere paired up again to take home WAC Doubles Players of the Week for the second consecutive week.

In late February, Utah Tech swept a two-match road trip to Grand Junction, where they outscored Colorado Mesa and Colorado College by a combined 13-1 count. Freshman Cameron Hendrix, who enjoyed a strong freshman campaign in 2026, picked up two of her team-leading eleven singles victories of the season on the trip. 

The highlight of Utah Tech's season came in March when the Trailblazers rattled off four-consecutive victories. Utah Tech took all three road matches in Arizona by way sweeps over Ottawa University and Mesa CC. The Blazers then put an exclamation point on the win streak with a convincing triumph over another future Big Sky opponent in Montana (5-2; 3/27). 

The Trailblazers collected two WAC postseason awards as Gutierrez Sampere and Zurita Berdecio both landed on the All-WAC Second Team. Gutierrez Sampere had an excellent year, compiling eleven singles victories and nine doubles victories, to go along with three WAC player of the week honors. Zurita Berdecio also notched double digit wins in singles play and nine total doubles victories, to go along with two WAC player of the week honors. 

In all, Utah Tech posted Division-I era program records in total wins, road victories, and consecutive matches won. The Trailblazers also went 3-1 versus future Big Sky opponents, and competed in the conference tournament semifinals for the third consecutive year.

SOFTBALL
Highlighted by WAC Player of the Year Kinley Pappas and All-WAC First Team selection Lakaiya-Braessia Kahahawai-Kekona, the Trailblazers racked up 19 victories for the fifth time in their six seasons in Division I.

The Trailblazers tied their single season program record and finished 12^th nationally with 19 triples and also finished in the top three in the WAC in batting average, doubles and stolen bases.

Earning a 7-4 win over UT Arlington in the WAC Tournament, the Trailblazers fell to Tarleton State and Southern Utah to see their third WAC Tournament bid in the last four years come to an end.

OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
The Utah Tech 2026 outdoor track & field season was one for the record books that saw numerous program records established, along with an invitational team victories, and the program's, and the university's, first-ever NCAA postseason qualification.  

The Trailblazers kicked off the 2026 outdoor season by hosting the Utah Tech Invitational (3/21). The team put together a great showing in front of a home crowd at Greater Zion Stadium, posting 22 top-eight showings, five top-three finishes, and setting two program records. Junior Averie Perriton kicked off her historic 2026 outdoor season by setting the Utah Tech record in the 3000-m steeplechase. Whitney Christiansen took home the event victory in the 800-m race, and senior Megan Jenkins added three more top-five finishes to her illustrious Trailblazer career.

Two weeks later at the UNLV Rebel Elite (4/3-4), the Trailblazers recorded the most team points of any school at the meet en route to a team victory. Utah Tech totaled 32 top-eight finishes, 16 top-three finishes, and set the program record for men's 800 meter race. Utah Tech tallied four total event wins, including sweeping the podium in the 3000-m run. Nine different Trailblazers recorded multiple top-eight finishes, and Perriton recorded two top-two finishes. 

The Trailblazers replicated their WAC Indoor Championships success at the conference's Outdoor Championships (5/14-16) by also setting a program record for most team points recorded at the conference championships with 55. Utah Tech tallied eight top-five finishes, five top-three finishes, and broke two school records. Junior Reyes Hernandez broke the heptathlon record, while Jenkins, Kelly Denninghoff, Hannah Bingham and Ilenia DeHart teamed up to shatter the school record in the 4x400m relay. 

Meanwhile Perriton enjoyed a historic outdoor season for Utah Tech. Among her numerous podium finishes, the junior qualified for the NCAA West First Round in the 3000-m steeplechase. This marked the first time in Utah Tech's Division-I era that a student-athlete, or program, had qualified an NCAA postseason event, across all sports.

Perriton earned her spot with a time of 10:22.33 at the Azusa Pacific Franson Last Chance meet (5/7-9), and took to the track in Fayetteville, Ark., amongst the top-50 steeplechase qualifiers in the country. 

BASEBALL
Utah Tech enjoyed a banner 2026 season, playing to a 35-24 overall record (17-9 at Bruce Hurst Field), which was an 11-win turnaround from a season ago. The Trailblazers' 35 wins this year also marked the sixth time in the program's NCAA era that it had reached the 35-win plateau, and are the most victories in the program's brief time as a Division I member. 

The Trailblazers got off to a great start, winning 12 of their first 13 games, including a 7-1 road mark to begin the campaign. The 12-1 start tied for Utah Tech's best overall record after 13 games in the program's NCAA era overall. The Blazers also posted a 9-4-2 overall series record (two or more games) on the year.

Utah Tech finished third in its final season of WAC play at 10-8 and entered the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed, but the Blazers saw their tourney run come to an end in the elimination bracket semifinal round in a loss to Sacramento State.

Utah Tech placed five players on the all-WAC postseason awards list, headlined by three first team selections in senior catcher Ty Johnsen, and junior infielders Ryan Kroepel and Kyle McDaniel. In addition, junior infielders Miller Durhman and Petey Soto Jr. were voted to the league's second team, with Soto Jr. also garnering All-Defensive team honors.

That group of players garnered a lot of regional and national attention throughout the season, in particular Kroepel and Durham.

Kroepel was tabbed as the NCBWA District 8 Player of the Year and was named a 2026 NCBWA Third Team All-American. He was also one of five national finalists for the 2026 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, sponsored by the College Baseball Foundation, which also named Kroepel an All-American utility player. 

The junior batted .312 overall, .358 in conference play, and finished the year ranked second in the WAC in HBPs (17 – school record), fifth in on-base percentage (.469), t-sixth in runs scored (56), t-14^th in RBI (47), and t-15^th in hits (67).

On the mound, Kroepel led the WAC with 10 saves and posted a 1-2 record with a 3.82 ERA and a 1.22 WHiP in 19 relief appearances. His 10 saves tied for the second-most on Utah Tech's single-season list, and also tied him for 18^th in the NCAA Division I season rankings. In addition, he finished with 31 strikeouts in 35.1 innings pitched. 

With all those accolades in tow, Kroepel became the fifth All-American in Utah Tech's 20-year NCAA era, and is the second All-American during the program's brief time at the Division I level.

Meanwhile Durham was voted to the 2026 ABCA/Rawlings Division I all-West Region team. Durham finished the season as the WAC's leading hitter with a .406 batting average, which ranked him seventh in the NCAA Division I final season rankings.