Women of Utah Set to Compete at West Coast Relays

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah track & field team begins a slew of competition on the western front beginning with the West Coast Relays this Friday, April 30, in Clovis, Calif., at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
 
West Coast Relays
Date: April 30
Location: Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Host: Fresno State
Meet Central: http://www.rtspt.com/events/2021/fsu/wcr/
Live Results: https://rt.trackscoreboard.com/meets/43021/events
Live Stream: https://flosports.link/2PhB0Ip ($)
 
STARTING BLOCK
For this week's competition, the Women of Utah will have 18 competing at the West Coast Relays between 11 events. Poppy Tank will kick things off bright and early for the Utes on Friday racing in just her third 10k at 9:10 a.m. (MT). It will be her first 10k race since running in back-to-back meets back in 2019 at the Pac-12 Championships and NCAA West Regionals (34:08.80). Members of the relay team will get a lot of action in with six competing in three or more events.
 
Anna Busatto will be racing in the 1500m (4:35.70) for the first since setting a new PR at the Hayward Premiere back in early April. Maya LeBar will also be running in her first 200m race since setting a new PR at the Hayward Premiere (24.55). Meanwhile, Lauren O'Banion will take her first crack at the 400m since she won the race at the Utah Spring Classic with a PR time (55.25 aa).
 
LAST TIME OUT
Utah had a productive weekend with the squad split up in two locations. The Utes sent a small crew to Des Moines, Iowa, for the 111th running of the Drake Relays while some stayed local and competed in the Robison Invitational hosted by BYU.
 
At the Drake Relays, the 4x100m group qualified for the finals while the 4x400m team finished sixth overall in the finals with the second-fastest time this season at 3:42.83. Brooke Manson took fifth against a loaded field with a 2:07.61 finish.
 
Back home at the Robison Invitational, Donna Ntambue won her heat in the 100m dash with a time of 12.15 (aa) and advanced to the finals. Ruby Jane Mathewson clocked her second-fastest time in the 100m hurdles at 14.53 (aa) to advance to the finals as well. Same story, different week for freshman Bailey Kealamakia as she set a PR in the 400m hurdles for the fifth-consecutive week she's competed in with a recorded time of 1:02.34 (aa). Rachel Whipple recorded a new PR for the second-straight week in the 400m hurdles, checking in with a mark of 1:02.83 (aa).  SLC native Annie Murdock took fourth overall in the 800m race with a PR mark of 2:12.55 while Emma Earl set a new personal best as well (2:15.11). Meanwhile, Natalie Platil placed third in her first outdoor 5k race (18:04.41 aa).
 
UP NEXT
Utah will have a quick turnaround as it flies back to Salt Lake City to compete in the Weber State Twilight May 3-4 up in Ogden.
 
UTAH ENTRANTS
100m
Maya LeBar
Donna Ntambue
Taylor Watson
 
200m
Maya LeBar
Lauren O'Banion
Donna Ntambue
Taylor Watson
 
400m
Kelise Davis
Lauren O'Banion
Jackie Martin
 
400m Hurdles
Ruby Jane Mathewson
 
800m
Sarah Newton
Brooke Manson
Whitney Hessler
 
1500m
Anna Busatto
Sarah Newton
Sophie Ryan
 
5k
Morgan Jensen
Sara Leonard
Karli Branch
 
10k
Poppy Tank
 
Javelin
Regan Crofts
 
4x100m
Kelise Davis
Maya LeBar
Jackie Martin
Lauren O'Banion
Taylor Watson
 
4x400
Skyler Blair
Kelise Davis
Whitney Hessler
Jackie Martin
Lauren O'Banion
 
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