ST. GEORGE —  Now in its fourth year, the Utah Tech women’s track and field team is building momentum as the spring season begins this weekend.

The Trailblazers will host the Utah Tech Invitational at Greater Zion Stadium Friday-Saturday, March 22-23, and teams scheduled to participate include Southern Utah, Utah State, Utah Valley, Weber State (women), Westminster, Salt Lake City Community College and Idaho State University (men).

According to a news release, the Trailblazers return 22 athletes — 12 juniors and 10 sophomores. Junior Addi Wyatt is back after earning All-WAC honors in the 800 meters in both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2023.

Utah Tech also welcomes 18 newcomers with six distance runners, eight sprinters, two sprinters/hurdlers, one hurdler and one jumper/sprinter.

Derrick Atkins is in his fourth season as the head coach of the track and field team, according to the news release. Under 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 set in the 2023 season alone.

Utah Tech also earned 20 Indoor Academic All-Conference honors and 45 Academic All-Conference honors outdoor.

The Trailblazers wrapped up the indoor season on Feb. 19-20 at the WAC Championships finishing ninth as a team with 17 points.

Scoring in six different events, the Blazers were led by sophomore Ashlyn Parish in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, finishing fourth in a time of 8.64. Other top individual finishers were junior Wyatt in the 800 meters (5th, 2:15.45), freshman Averie Perriton in the 5,000 meters (7th, 18:25.74) and Lexi Larsen in the mile (8th, 5:03.12).

Larsen set the program record in the mile in the prelims breaking the five-minute mark clocking a time of 4:59.34.

The distance medley relay team of Mariah Skinner, Sadie Edwards, Savannah Eatough and Larsen finished sixth for the second-fastest time in program history (12:25.28) while the 4×400 meter relay team of Megan Jenkins, Whitney Christiansen, Kelly Denninghoff and Wyatt came in seventh in a program-record time of 3:50.66.

Over the course of the indoor season, new marks were set in the 60 meters (Rashawnna Gibson), 200 meters (Gibson), 300 meters (Kaydance Sherwood), 400 meters (Christiansen), 500 meters (Ryan Mendez), 1,000 meters (Larsen), mile (Larsen), 60-meter hurdles (Parish), long jump (Mackenzie Bradach) and the distance medley relay team (Skinner, Edwards, Eatough and Larsen).

Schedule of events

Friday

• Field events
• 4 p.m. – Discus (women first) – None
• 4 p.m. – Shot Put (men first) – None
• 4 p.m – Long Jump (women first)
• 5 p.m. – High Jump (women first)
• Running events
• 5 p.m – Women’s 3,000 Meters Steeplechase
• 5 p.m – Men’s 3000 Meters Steeplechase
• 5 p.m – Women’s 200 Meters
• 5 p.m – Men’s 200 Meters
• 6 p.m – Women’s 400 Meters Hurdles
• 6 p.m – Men’s 400 Meters Hurdles
• 6 p.m – Women’s 5,000 Meters
• 6 p.m – Men’s 5,000 Meters

Saturday

• Field events
• 10 a.m. – Javelin (women first)
• 10 a.m. – Triple Jump (women first)
• 10:30 a.m. – National Anthem
• Running events
• 10:35 a.m. – Senior Recognition – Nya Black, Mariah Skinner, Abigail Yadon, Camilla Hamilton, Nick Roach and Quinton Read
• 11 a.m. – Women’s 4x100m Relay
• 11:10 a.m. – Men’s 4x100m Relay
• 11:15 a.m. – Women’s 1500 Meters
• 11:30 a.m. – Men’s 1500 Meters
• 11:45 a.m. – Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles
• 12:05 p.m – Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles
• 12:10 p.m – Women’s 800 Meters
• 12:20 p.m – Men’s 800 Meters
• 12:35 p.m – Women’s 100 Meters
• 12:55 p.m – Men’s 100 Meters
• 1:10 p.m – Women’s 400 Meters
• 1:25 p.m – Men’s 400 Meters
• 1:40 p.m – Women’s 3000 Meters
• 1:55 p.m – Men’s 3000 Meters
• 2:10 p.m – Women’s 4x400m Relay
• 2:20 p.m – Men’s 4x400m Relay

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