Utah Track and Field Ready to Host Utah Spring Classic

4/9/2014 12:00 AM | Track & Field

April 9, 2014

2014 Spring Classic Schedule

SALT LAKE CITY- The University of Utah track and field team is ready to host its third annual Utah Spring Classic on Friday April 11.

"We are excited to host our home meet once again this year," Utah head coach Kyle Kepler said. "We have met every week for the past seven weeks to make sure that we have all of the little things ready to make the meet run as smoothly as possible. It takes an army of people to run a track meet and make sure that everything is ready to go once competition begins. We appreciate the help we get from our volunteers and administration and look forward to competing in front of our home crowd."

The McCarthey Family Track and Field is a 400-meter track that has 42-inch wide lanes with a Beynon Sports Surface. The Interior of the track has a 75 x 125-yard Astro Turf field, along with areas for the throwing and jumping events. Spectators will also be able to take in the spectacular scenery of the Wasatch Mountains, which surrounds the facility.

Getting the action underway on Friday will be the throws group, starting with the hammer throw. Leading this group will be junior Aoife Hickey, who is eager to compete after resting last weekend. Hickey finished second overall in the hammer throw at the Arizona State Invitational. Freshman Ilse Kaaja will also compete in the hammer throw for the Utes. The shot put will feature senior Nikkie Rudder who has become an elite thrower in the Pac-12.

Coming off great performances at the Stanford Invitational, juniors Rebekah Winterton and Susannah Hurst will headline the distance group. Winterton is the new school-record holder in the 5000, recording a time of 16:08.24. Hurst also ran well and is currently one-of-two Utah runners to ever break 34 minutes in the 10,000-meter race.

Freshman Rhianna Williams is set to lead the sprints group. Williams has wasted no time making her presence known, already recording the third best all-time performance in school history in the 400-meter dash. Competing for the first time in front of a home crowd, Williams looks to shake the freshman jitters and show fans what she can do.

The Utah Spring Classic has traditionally played host to a large scale of competition. In previous seasons, the meet has attracted all of the universities and colleges in the area as well as top competition from the western region and top-individuals competing independently.

The action will begin at 2:30 p.m. MST with the hammer throw at Guadsman Field, while the remaining events will be held at the McCarthey Family Track and Field beginning at 4:30 p.m. The McCarthey Family Track and Field is located at 98 S. Wasatch Drive in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Admission will be free for all fans.

Other events to look out for include:

Supporting exercise and physical wellness with a Utah Utes Pedometer giveaway to the first 200 fans in attendance.
Free Balloons
A mascot Olympics where Swoop will square off against local mascots in a relay, long jump, hurdles and 100m dash to be crowned champion. Winners will be awarded with a gold, silver and bronze medal in a podium ceremony.
The "Fastest Kids Race," where kids 12 and under will be able to compete in a 100m dash to be this year's champion. The top three fastest kids will be awarded with a gold, silver and bronze medal.
Senior Day Presentation

Seniors Rosalie Waller, Alyssa Johnson, AuraLea Fain, Suzie Vozarova, Nikkie Rudder, Hillary Troutner, and Theresa Waybright will be honored in this year's Senior Day Presentation as they try to make their final competition in front of their home crowd a memorable one.