Women of Utah Conclude Outdoor Season at NCAA Championships

Thursday, June 6

Eugene, OR

All Day

University of Utah

NCAA Outdoor Championships

The 2024 NCAA D1 Track and Field Championships host by the University of Oregon at the Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on June 6, 2024 (Eric Evans Photography)

Photo by: Eric Evans Photography

Women of Utah Conclude Outdoor Season at NCAA Championships

6/6/2024 10:49 PM | Track & Field

Live Results

The Utah track & field team saw its season come to an end Thursday evening at the NCAA Championships.

EUGENE, Ore. – The Utah track & field team closed out the 2024 outdoor season on Thursday at the NCAA Championships inside the reimagined Hayward Field.

"It's been a fantastic season," said head coach Kyle Kepler. "So many all-time records, top-5 and top-10 performances. Everyone ran well tonight. Josie drew the toughest heat in the 800m and just missed qualifying for the final in addition to just missing out on breaking her own school record. Harley ran her second fastest time ever in the 400m hurdles as a sophomore in her first NCAA appearance. Erin competed well by running within three seconds of her PR in the fastest 1500 NCAA Championship field ever in her first appearance at this meet. The relay competed well in its first appearance at this meet as well. They came up one spot short of this meet a year ago so to return this year and be the first relay in Utah history to advance to this meet is a tribute to their hard work and belief in each other."

Erin Vringer kicked the day off for Utah running in the second heat of the 1500m semifinals. The sophomore kept within distance of the lead group before they pulled away in the final 600m and crossed the finish line at 4:16.66 in her first NCAA Championships appearance.

Josefine Eriksen was just short of advancing to the finals of the 800m semifinals later on, running a time of 2:01.66 – which was good for 12th-overall at the NCAA Championships.

Oregon native Harley Daniel stepped foot onto Hayward Field once again shortly thereafter, this time as a collegian competing in her first championships, in the 400m hurdles and nearly ran a new PR with a mark of 57.56 for 17th-overall.

Utah's 4x400m relay crew, who made their first appearance ever at the NCAA Championships, consisted of Emily Martin, Eriksen, Daniel and Bailey Kealamakia combined to run a mark of 3:34.50.

"It's hard to believe our NCAA season is over," Kepler noted. "It's been such a joy to coach this group and all of our women this year. We still have several current women and a few alums who will be competing in their country's championships, the European Championships and of course the Olympics over the next two months."

UP NEXT
With the collegiate season all wrapped up for the Women of Utah, the attention will now turn to international competition.

Josefine Eriksen will head to Rome and meet up with the rest of the Norwegian team at the European Championships (June 7-12) to compete in the 4x400m relay.

Meanwhile, a quartet of current and former Utes are headed to Montreal, Canada, for the Canadian Championships. Current student-athletes Emily Martin, Kyla Martin and Erin Vringer are joined teammate Simone Plourde at the championships June 26-30.

Soon to be sophomore Katarzyna Nowakowska is back in her native country of Poland and will compete in a trio of national races - including the Polish National Championships.

Eriksen will then get a little rest before flying to Paris with her teammates as they compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics.

For the latest news and information on the Utah cross country and track & field programs, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following on Facebook, X and Instagram.

###