If the weather holds up today, track head coach Kyle Kepler expects his entire team to get some NCAA experience at the BYU Cougar Invitational in Provo this weekend.
Because of the meet’s proximity, Utah will get the rare chance to send its entire track and field team for a meet.
“This meet gives us the opportunity to have our entire team compete because it is so close to home. It will give our younger kids a chance to compete and open their season and get some valuable experience,” Kepler said. “I hope to see some of our Ute supporters come down and cheer us on.”
Josefin Berg and Sarah Grimm will have the chance to build on their performances at the Arizona Invitational, where Berg finished third in the hammer throw with a mark of 192 feet, five inches8212;the second-best throw of her career. The throw also ranks her first in the Mountain West Conference and qualified her for the NCAA Regional Championships. Grimm shattered her personal best and finished just behind Berg with a throw of 183 feet 3 inches, also good enough to earn her a spot at the regional in May.
Chelsea Shapard continued to cement herself as one of the best Utah track competitors in recent years as she finished third in the 400-meter hurdles at the Stanford Invitational on Saturday. Her time of one minute 38 seconds was a lifetime second-best. She leads the conference and ranks No. 20 nationally in that event. With that time, Shapard also qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Utah will compete against Southern Utah, Wyoming, Utah State, Utah Valley and Weber State in the one-day meet.