The University of Utah Indoor Track and Field team opens up competition in 2019 this Saturday, Jan. 19, when the team will head up to Boise to compete in the Ed Jacoby Invitational. This is the first meet for the team since coming back from winter break.
Before the team dismissed for the break, they opened up their season in Ogden to compete in the Weber State Winter Open. The freshman class came out with very strong performances in several events.
In the 55-meter event, freshmen Taylor Watson, Maya Lebar and senior Raynee Helm-Wheelock led the way for the Utes. All three runners captured first place in each of their separate preliminary races. Watson went on the win the event with a new school record time of 7.16. This beats the record set last year by Alissa Atisme. Helm-Wheelock came in second place in the same event. Lebar did not race in the finals.
Also running in the event for the Utes were sophomore Jackie Martin and freshmen Skyler Blair, Lauren O’Banion and Katrina Broadhead. Both Blair and O’Banion raced in the first heat, placing third and fourth respectively. Martin placed second in the second heat. Broadhead placed second in the third heat of the day. Senior transfer Kolbi Sims ran unattached and placed second in the first heat of the day.
Sophomore Rachel Whipple was the lone Ute to compete in the 400-meter event for Utah, placing second and recording a new personal best time of 58.50.
The Utes performed well in the mile race, with six team members placing in the top 10. Freshman Scarlet Dale was the highest finishing member of the team, placing third in her first indoor track meet with a time of 5:05.15. Following Dale was redshirt freshman Cara Woolnough who took fifth with a time of 5:08.64. Sophomore Bella Williams finished in seventh place with a time of 5:21.37. Rounding out the top finishers for the team were senior Sadie Wassum (eighth), redshirt sophomore Trina Moreno (ninth) and senior Mesa Weidle (10th).
Also competing in the mile race were freshman Sophie Ryan (12th), freshman Sara Leonard (13th), sophomore Whitney Hessler (14th), sophomore Astrid Lindgren (15th), sophomore Natalie Platil (18th), senior Hannah Allred (19th), junior Anna Busatto (19th) and freshman Brooke Manson (23rd).
Freshman Sarah Feeny also ran in the mile but ran unattached. Feeny won the race with a time of 4:59.23.
On the field side of the meet, senior Eliza Hansen placed fourth in the high jump with a new personal best of 1.68m, while Sims competed in the long jump capturing the event title with a jump of 5.46m.
Next week the team will split in two, with some of the team headed to Albuquerque to compete in the New Mexico Team Invitational, while the other half will head up to Ogden to compete in the Weber State Indoor Invitational. Both meets are set for Sat. Jan. 26.
