Sunny southern California was the site for a track meet of national caliber, as teams from near and far gathered for the Mt. San Antonio College (Sac) relays, the Bryan Clay Invitational and the Cal State LA Twilight meet. With three meets over two days, the Utah track and field team gave an impressive performance as it prepares for the Pac-12 and NCAA Championships.
The bright lights and national attention didn’t slow down the Utes, as several members of the team set personal bests while winning their events. Junior Alissa Atisme was one such Ute, as she set a personal best in the 200-meter dash. Atisme turned in possibly her best performance of the weekend in the 400-meter event at the Cal State invitational, where she won with a speedy time of 55.60 seconds.
“We had a lot of girls perform very well over the weekend. We were very happy with how we performed, and I think it puts us in a great position as we get ready for the end of the season with the PAC-12 championship coming up,” said head coach Kyle Kepler. “We had so many great performances, from Andrea Chavez to Alissa Atisme to Ali Eisenbeiss.”
Chavez, a fifth-year senior who is ranked 22nd in the West Region, won the 1,500-meter race at the Bryan Clay invitational. Chavez posted an impressive time of 4:19.87, good enough not only to win her heat, but also to place third on the school’s all-time list.
“I am very happy with how we performed,” Chavez said. “I thought we did well, and I was ecstatic to set another personal best. I think it was really empowering to share that moment with my team, and I think we’re on the right path as we get ready for the Drake invitationals and the Pac-12 Championship.”
Sophomores Sadie Wassum and Dakota Grossman were also among those Utes who posted personal bests in the same event as Chavez.
Up next for the Utes is the Clarence Robison Invitational at BYU in Provo on April 22. The Utes will also be represented at the Drake invitational at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 29.
@JaredWalch