SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA track & field teams will get the 2024 season underway with the first indoor meets of the year, as the Roadrunners will send two squads to opposite ends of the nation. UTSA kicks off the indoor campaign on Friday, Jan. 19 at the Lumberjack Team Challenge in Flagstaff, Ariz. and the Bellarmine Open in Louisville, Ky. in the 16th season under Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Aaron Fox.
Working with an experienced squad that finished second in both the indoor and outdoor Conference USA men’s competition, and third at the women’s C-USA outdoor, the Roadrunners look to make a splash during their first season in the American Athletic Conference – putting a select group of prominent returners into action this week.
Hosted by Northern Arizona at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, Lumberjack Team Challenge competition is scheduled to get underway with field events starting at 2 p.m. MST, followed by track events at 4 p.m. MST.
The Roadrunners will line up against athletes from Arizona State, Grand Canyon, Northern Arizona, Southern Utah, UC Riverside, UNLV and Utah Tech, along with a heavy slate of regional and national track clubs.
Live results from Friday’s NAU meet can be found here.
Meet information and the competition schedule can be found here.
Leading the Flagstaff men’s party, UTSA is looking for a big start for junior sprinter Dennis Phillips, who helped the Roadrunners to a pair of conference relay golds last year and reached the NCAA Preliminary. Following up a pair of conference medals and an NCAA outdoor preliminary appearance, Gabriel Binion returns for his second season in the triple jump. Another NCAA Preliminary performer and three-time conference medalist last year, junior sprinter Brice Chabot will make his 2024 debut in Flagstaff. On the women’s side in Arizona, UTSA awaits the collegiate introduction of freshman Ida Breigan, who was the 2023 Norwegian Indoor National Champion in the long jump and 60m runner-up at the Norwegian U20. Junior sprinter Lauren Roy is following up on an NCAA Preliminary appearance and conference medal in her first collegiate season. Junior sprinter Thennelle Williams also has garnered a pair of conference medals and reached the NCAA Preliminary last season, backing up a rookie campaign that saw her win C-USA Outdoor Freshman of the Meet honors.
Out east, the Roadrunners travel to Louisville’s Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center for the Bellarmine Open, hosted by Bellarmine University. The meet schedule begins at 10 a.m. EST and UTSA will face athletes from Bellarmine, Western Kentucky, Louisville, SEMO, Southern Indiana, Tennessee-Martin, Cumberlands (KY), Eastern Kentucky, Xavier, Union (KY), Northern Kentucky, Oakland City, Spalding and Illinois Springfield.
Live results from Friday’s Bellarmine meet can be found here.
Meet information and the competition schedule can be found here.
Anchoring the Kentucky-bound UTSA squad, junior Mike Roth returns after finishing as the Conference USA Indoor High Point Scorer (20.5), highlighted by a 400m gold on a school-record time of 46.42 seconds, a 200m silver and anchoring the 4x400m relay to first place. Roth also won the C-USA outdoor 400m and advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Preliminary. For the women, Friday will be the UTSA debut of freshman hurdler and two-time German Youth National Champion Vivienne Morgenstern.
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