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The University of Utah Athletics
Utes Prepare for Tough Test at Husky Invitational
2/7/2012 12:00 AM | Track & Field
Feb. 7, 2012
SALT LAKE CITY- Following a great performance at the Mountain States Games on Feb. 4, the University of Utah women's track and field team gets set its toughest challenge of the season thus far. The Utes will face nationally ranked competition for the first time this season at the Husky Invitational, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. PDT at the Dempsey Indoor Track in Seattle, Wash.
"This will be one of the premier college meets in the country," Utah head coach Kyle Kepler said. "The competition will be the best we will have seen all year, with teams coming from all over the country. We hope to have some NCAA qualifying performances from our top athletes."
The Utes have recorded dominating performances in the throwing events so far this season with Utah throwers finishing in the top five of every throwing event. This weekend, look for junior Anneli Stahl to lead the Utes in the weight throw and Nikkie Rudder to be among the top finishers in the shot put.
In the distance events, the Utes will be strengthened by the addition of junior Amanda Mergaert. Senior Alyssa Abbott and upcoming freshman Susannah Hurst will also bolster the depth of the group.
After a solid beginning of the year, senior Brianna LeRoy is focused on posting an automatic NCAA qualifying mark in the jumping events. Junior Angela Kaplar is also determined to make it to the NCAA Championships. Kaplar already owns the Utah school-record time in the hurdles, and is now set to qualify for the national meet.
"We have a group of athletes who are ready for this challenge," Kepler said. "They have performed well at this level in the past or in the case of our freshmen, they have competed well early in the season and earned this opportunity. All of the athletes we take will perform well in this environment."
"Our focus will be more on marks than place this week," Kepler continued. "It would be great if we could win an event or two, but ultimately we want to keep improving our marks."
Live results will be available at flotrack.com.
Players Mentioned
Distance
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Distance
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Hurdles
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Multiple
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Distance
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Throws
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