Historic Weekend!!!

Arguably one of the best weekends in Utah indoor track & field history has come to an end. The final day of the conference championships provided more records and another champion. After breaking the school record in the DMR on Friday evening, it was the 4x400 meter relays turn. Three freshmen and senior Chelsey Kaplar put together their best splits of the season to run 3:45.35 which was good for third place and all conference honors. This group is really starting to figure it out. Outdoors could be really special.

Another school record went down in the mile and involved another freshman. Amanda Mergaert who was the lead leg on the conference champion DMR team ran from sixth to second over the final 150 meters to run 4:51.21 (altitude converted). She loves to compete and embraces every challenge.

Junior Alyssa Abbott won her second conference title in as many days as she ran a very controlled 9:41.57 (altitude adjusted) and pulled away on the final lap. She has become our rock, our go to performer. You've never seen two easier looking/controlled races than the two she ran this weekend.

Sophomore Langley Iverson cleared 5-8.75 to take runner-up honors in the high jump. Bree Leroy was eighth and scored in three events this weekend (pentathlon, long jump, and high jump). Langley loves the big meets and Bree was ultra determined all weekend.

Freshman Alyssa Johnson broke the Winnipeg (Canada) junior national record in the prelims of the 400m dash (55.60) came back to place fifth in the finals (56.12). She just gets better every time out. Freshmen shot putter Nikkie Rudder was eighth (43-3.25). Nikkie is tough as nails mentally. She wasn't throwing her best, but kept fighting for that point. Sophomore Lucy Yates (another member of the champion DMR team) was seventh in the 800 meter final. The final was Lucy's third 800 in less than 12 hours. She was disappointed with seventh in the final, but she really was one of our MVP's.

Overall we were fourth as a team and exceeded everyone's expectations including mine! We came to compete in every event. I can't imagine being prouder of such a young group. Even the gals who didn't score or qualify for finals competed their guts out. Our freshmen really responded well in their first meet of this magnitude. Our veterans were outstanding. This team hates to lose and they fought for every point in every event. That's what championship level teams do!