Utah Track and Field Opens NCAA West Preliminary

Thursday, May 25

Austin, Texas

10:00 AM

University of Utah

NCAA West Regionals

Utah Track and Field Opens NCAA West Preliminary

5/25/2017 10:05 PM | Track & Field

Amanda Gehrich qualifies for next round in the 1500

AUSTIN, Texas – The Utah track and field team opened competition at the NCAA Division I West Preliminary on Thursday in Austin, Texas. The Utes were represented in the javelin, long jump, and the 1500-meter run.

Freshman Amanda Gehrich competed in the 1500-meter run at the Mike A. Myres Stadium. Gehrich finished in 10^th place with a time of 4:25.12. With this time, Gehrich will advance to the next round of the 1500-meter run on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. MT for a spot at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore.

"Amanda ran a great race. She just came up short in a mad dash for an automatic qualifying spot, but after sweating it out for the other three heats, she was the fastest of the time qualifiers. She is a freshman who looked very comfortable in her first NCAA meet, which bodes well for her future, as well as for our program," head coach Kyle Kepler said.

Representing Utah in the long jump, freshman Ann Wingeleth finished in a tie for 26^th overall. Wingeleth recorded a mark of 19 feet, 8.25 inches (6.0m).

"Ann looked as good as she has all year. All three attempts were aggressive which you love to see as a freshman at this meet. She went for it and may have advanced if her third attempt wasn't a foul. She had a terrific season and has a huge future ahead," Kepler stated.

Sophomore Christine Glasmann competed for Utah in the javelin. Glasmann finished in 47^th place after recording a mark of 120 feet, 2 inches (36.63m).

"Chrissy struggled with her approach on all three attempts. It was just one of those days where it didn't click. However, she had a great season that involved a lot of consistency. She's a great person and teammate so we know she will bounce back moving forward," Kepler said.

Utah will be back in action tomorrow when junior Grayson Murphy competes in the 3000-meter steeplechase. The steeplechase event will begin Friday night at 7:20 p.m. MT.

Live results can be found via http://live.pttiming.com/?mid=1236. There will also be live streaming for the event via http://www.ncaa.com/championships/trackfield-outdoor/d1/broadcast-info.