Category: Sports

Utah Tech University athletics saw several school records broken in the pool along with other wins on the diamond for both baseball and softball.

Women’s swimming

On day one of the Western Athletics Conference Swimming & Diving Championships, held in Houston, Utah Tech posted four top 10 program marks. Sophomore Cera Mallory had the second fastest 200 free time in school history with a time of 1:48.98.

Utah Tech combined to break two school records on day two of the meet and was in 8th place through the first two days. Mallory set the first school record in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:55.15 before the team of Mandy Farnum, Natalia Zmierczak, Sorina Rom and Gabby Henry set the second school record in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:33.37.

The Trailblazers claimed their first medal on day three of the meet as Mary Sims Cross took home a silver medal in the 100-yard backstroke. Utah Tech also moved up to 7th place going into the final day of the competition.

Utah Tech closed out their season by breaking three more school records and finishing 7th overall. Mallory was the first to make history as she broke her own school record in the mile freestyle. Yara Olsen broke the school record in the 200 breaststroke only to have teammate Alyssa Gordon beat her record later on.

The Trailblazers closed their final meet of the season with one medal and five school records.

Men’s golf

The Trailblazers finished tied for 7th as part of the Wyoming Desert Collegiate, which concluded Feb. 26 in Palm Desert, California. Junior Tanner Telford led the way for Utah Tech, shooting minus-9 and tied for 6th.

Men’s golf will return when they travel to play in the Bandon Dunes Championship in Bandon, Oregon, March 9.

Baseball

Utah Tech traveled to face the University of California, Irvine, losing 8-4. Aaron Perez hit a two-run home run in the second inning that got the Trailblazers off to a hot start before UC Irvine was able to claw their way back into the game.

The Trailblazers stayed on the road as they traveled to Portland University Feb. 28, winning 9-2. Cade Montgomery had a career-high six strikeouts while the Trailblazer offense did plenty to support his pitching.

As the Trailblazers remained in Portland, they dropped the second game of their four-game series 5-4. After finding themselves in a 2-0 hole, third baseman Ryan Kroepel hit a grand slam in the sixth inning. Portland would rally back before walking off to take the win in game two of the series.

Portland would also take game three of the series, winning 10-2. The Pilots had several big offensive innings that were helped by Utah Tech errors the Trailblazers could not recover from.

The Trailblazers will look to split the series with the Pilots March 3.

Softball

Utah Tech traveled to Long Beach, California, for the Louisville Slugger Invitational and split the opening day of the tournament. The Trailblazers opened with a 6-2 win over Loyola Marymount University as they tallied eight hits in the win. In the nightcap against Long Beach State University, Utah Tech lost 4-1 as they were held to three hits.

Utah Tech swept day two of the tournament as they shut out California Polytechnic State University 6-0 before beating Pittsburg University 5-2 in the nightcap.

The Trailblazers closed out the tournament as they lost in extra innings to Omaha University 7-6. It was the fifth extra-inning loss for the Trailblazers who fell to 9-12.

Utah Tech will open up conference play as they travel to face the University of Texas, Arlington, March 7.

Men’s basketball

Utah Tech fell to Southern Utah University at home Feb. 27, losing 82-75. Senior Noa Gonsalves led the way offensively with 24 points on 9-18 shooting.

The Trailblazers stayed at the Burns Arena to host California Baptist University, losing 61-57. In a defensive battle, Beon Riley led the team in scoring with 11 points.

“We’re playing so hard and we’re doing some really good stuff but we just can’t get stops at crucial times,” Coach Jon Judkins said after the game.

Utah Tech will have their final road game of the season as they face Grand Canyon University March 6.

Women’s basketball

The Trailblazers lost 78-51 on the road to SUU as the T-Birds shot 12-19 from behind the arc. Junior Chardonnay Hartley led the Trailblazers in scoring with 13 points.

They also lost on the road to Cal Baptist 94-74 as CBU shot 31-70 from the field and 13-38 from behind the arc.

The Trailblazers will play their final home game of the season as they host GCU March 6.

Click here to find the schedule for Utah Tech athletics.

The women’s swim team was prepared for the University of Nevada Las Vegas First Chance Invitational at the Jim Reitz pool in Las Vegas Feb. 14, where we saw their hard work put into action.

In preparation for the event, the team went into what’s called a taper. This means they were slowly reducing the intensity of training so the athletes could recover as the big event approached. 

In Northern Arizona Dual Day that took place Jan. 24, the team competed in six relay races with Utah Tech University winning four of them as well as setting five different school records. The team came out victorious over the Lumberjacks with a 48-46 count. On the second day, the team claimed six event wins.

With the Western Athletic Conference Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship coming up at the end of this month, this was a great opportunity for the athletes to show what they got.

The WAC swimming championship will take place later this month Feb. 26-March 1 in Houston. They will be one of 10 colleges that will compete in the event.

Sorina Rom, a sophomore psychology major from St. George, has been swimming with the team for two years. She competes in the sprint freestyle and breaststroke categories. When she first started she wasn’t sure about swimming, but as she gained more experience, she grew more determined to improve and now sees the competitions as a challenge that she can work toward.

“Once I started setting goals and trying to get to the big meets, that’s when I started racing,” Rom said.

Alyssa Gordon, a freshman biomedical science major from Kansas City, Missouri, competes in the breaststroke and the individual medley categories. The highlight of the season for her has been spending time with her teammates.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Gordon said. “Especially with the new team. Our meets are really fun. We have found ways to… find the best out of things.”

Grace Benson, a sophomore marketing major from Bend, Oregon, has been swimming with the team for two years. She competes in sprint freestyle, breaststroke and IM categories. She is determined to do her best in Las Vegas to prepare for the WAC competition later this month.

Benson said, ”With it being like a week out from WAC, it’s a great opportunity to get up and race… It’ll be good.”

In the UNLV Invitational, Benson took first in the 200 yard IM, which is a team season best as well as the sixth fastest time in program history. She also placed second in the 100 yard freestyle with a season best. Additionally, Rom took runner-up honors in the 100 yard breaststroke.

The women’s swim team competed in the UNLV First Chance Invitational in Las Vegas with some season bests. This was a good way to prepare for the upcoming WAC competition.

Utah Tech University athletics were led by several record-breaking performances on the track, along with other career-bests on the basketball court.

Softball

The Trailblazers dropped their finale in the Easton Classic to host California State University, Fullerton 8-0. Over the course of the tournament, four Trailblazers hit over .500 with junior Sadie Gardner leading the way, hitting .667 for the tournament.

The Trailblazers then traveled to Honolulu Feb. 13 for the Hawaii Spring Fling Tournament. The tournament started with a loss as they fell to Sacramento State University 11-10 in extra innings. Senior Marisa Rubio went 4-4 while driving in a career-best 4 RBIs.

Despite the close loss on day one of the tournament, the Trailblazers rebounded on day two of the tournament, beating Western Illinois University 9-4. The Trailblazers totaled 12 hits including four extra-base hits going into the nightcap against Hawaii University.

In their second game of the day, the Trailblazers fell 3-2 to Hawaii despite the Trailblazers outhitting Hawaii 8-3. Junior Baylee Howley matched her season-high with three hits while five other Trailblazers also tallied a hit.

Day three of the tournament saw the team split their games, losing to California State University, Bakersfield 10-6 before beating Sacramento State 6-2.

Men’s basketball

Utah Tech men’s basketball traveled to the America First Event Center in Cedar City to face Southern Utah University in a rivalry game that came down to the wire. SUU came away with a narrow 76-74 victory as Southern Utah’s Jeffrey Langston Jr. scored on a tip-in with 1.8 seconds remaining to give the T-Birds the win.

Freshman guard Madiba Owona led the way for Utah Tech with a season-high 22 points. Seniors Beon Riley and Noa Gonsalves also got into double figures with 17 and 13 points respectively.

The Trailblazers then traveled to face California Baptist University, losing another close game 86-83. Owona led the team in scoring again while four other players finished with double figures.

“We had chances and on the road, that is all you can ask for,” head coach Jon Judkins said. “It hurts because we had a one-point lead, but I thought we got better and there are things to learn from. I thought this week we got better and we have to learn how to finish games.”

Utah Tech will return home to face Utah Valley University at the Burns Arena Feb. 20.

Women’s basketball

Women’s basketball also dropped a close game to SUU Feb. 13 losing 69-66 at home. Freshman Ellie Taylor led all scorers with 21 points on 8-12 shooting.

The Trailblazers then went on the road to play California Baptist University Feb. 15 losing 81-75. Redshirt senior Emily Isaacson led all scorers with 27 points while going 5-8 from beyond the arc.

The Trailblazers will stay on the road as they travel to play Utah Valley University Feb. 19.

Baseball

The Trailblazers played Northern Colorado University three times in the week, winning two of the three games. The Trailblazers won the first game Feb. 14, 7-5. The Trailblazer offense struck early thanks to a two-run home run by Finnegan Stewart in the third inning.

In a Saturday doubleheader Feb. 15, Utah Tech lost 9-8 before winning 5-4 after rallying late to win.

In the last game of the series against NCU, UT fell 5-4 after a 9th-inning rally by the Bears gave them the win.

The Trailblazers will be back in action in a series against the University of California, Riverside starting Feb. 21.

Women’s track and field

On day one of the Mountain State Games in Pocatello, Idaho, the Trailblazers set a program record after 12 athletes qualified for event finals. Sophomore Whitney Christiansen set a program record in the 200m with a time of 25:12.

Women’s tennis

Women’s tennis came up short, losing 5-2 at the Frank and Vicki Fertitta Tennis Complex in Las Vegas.

“The team played well today,” head coach Eric Pelton said. “We had a lot of close matches and picked up some good wins.”

On Feb. 15, the Trailblazers lost to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas 7-0.

Closing out their weekend in Las Vegas, they lost 5-2 to the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Junior Raquel Roshak won her first match of the season, winning 7-6 and 6-4.

To find the schedule for Utah Tech athletics, click here.

The rain came down over St. George as a battle raged inside the Burns Arena the night of Feb. 13. The neighbors from the north had come down for the first Southern Utah University vs. Utah Tech University rivalry game of 2025 with women’s basketball.

Only separated by about 53 miles, the rivalry between the SUU Thunderbirds and the Utah Tech Trailblazers has blossomed since Utah Tech’s transfer to Division I.

Utah Tech swept the T-Birds in both games in the 2023-2024 season, and they were ready to fight. Neither team had won more than two conference games coming in.

After going down 1-5 early in the first, the Trailblazers came out swinging and went on a quick 10-0 run.   

Utah Tech shot an impressive 40% from three during that time, and the momentum carried them through the first half.

Defensively, senior forward Emily Isaacson led the way with three blocks in those first two frames. SUU never regained their early lead and went into the locker room with a score of 32-28. 

The stage was set for late-game theatrics. The arena echoed with the shouts from the Stampede as the halftime performances from the cheer team and the Blaze kept the energy high.

“It’s a different beast,” Kybin Al-Mosawi, a junior psychology major from Salt Lake City, said when asked about preparing for the SUU rivalry. “We love it. It’s awesome. Every single SUU game, we’re trying to break records to get as many people out here as possible. There’s a good energy in the building tonight.”

The Trailblazers held onto the small lead heading into the fourth quarter when the chaos began. Fans from both sides were voicing their disagreements with calls on both sides of the ball, which preceded the teams exchanging free throws and the lead with less than two minutes left.

SUU was up 64-65 with 11.7 seconds left when Ellie Taylor, a freshman criminal justice major from West Jordan, drew a foul and made both free throws to give Utah Tech the lead again. 

However, a mere six seconds later, SUU guard Daylani Ballena was fouled and made both of her free throws to snatch the lead right back. 

The Trailblazers ended up losing in heartbreak fashion after one more foul and two more free throws, leaving the final score in the Burns 66-69. The team shot 4-9 from the free throw line in the fourth and allowed the T-Birds to grab 17 offensive rebounds across the whole game.

Taylor finished with 21 points and two steals and was the only player in double figures for Utah Tech. Isaacson finished with eight points and six rebounds to go along with the blocks. 

“We wanted to keep it pretty business-like and keep it as we needed to get better this game and not focus on the rivalry,” Taylor said. 

Nicole Willardson, a sophomore exercise science major from Richfield, had two blocks. She spoke about the energy in the arena and what it means to have support from the fans. 

“I think it’s awesome,” she said. “Just [to] have our fans come out here really means a lot to us… I’m really grateful for them coming out here and supporting us.”

Taylor expressed a similar sentiment.

“I wish I could thank each of them individually for coming, but I can’t so, I just thank everyone,” she said. 

The team looks ahead to their next game against Utah Valley University Feb. 19 and to the Western Athletic Conference tournament in March. 

“[We’re focusing] just one game at a time,” Willardson said. “We’re trying our best to focus on where we’re at and where our feet are.”

Earlier last week, the women’s golf team went to Arizona for the Utah Valley Wigwam Preview hosted by Utah Valley University. Over the course of three days, Feb. 2-4, 54 holes were played with Utah Tech tying with the University of British Columbia for 2nd place.

The tournament is what’s called a preview, which allows the players to experience and get to know the course before they play on it during the Western Athletic Conference Championship in April. This allows the players to know what to expect and how to best prepare for when it matters the most.

The course they played was the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona. The resort consists of a hotel and three different championship courses. The three courses are the Red, Gold or Blue, each offering a difference in scenery and challenge. The team only played on the Blue Course, which will also be the site for the championship in April.

In the previous tournament, the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Invitational, the team placed 14th overall. Both Jenna Anderson and Mia Cesarek as individuals tied for 39th with a final score of 5 over par. Samantha Phelan placed 49th with a score of 6 over par.

Anderson, a junior history major from Dousman, Wisconsin, was named player of the week in the Utah Valley Wigwam Preview. She was in the lead during the second round, but on the last day, she got a triple bogey on hole 17, resulting in the lead going to Grace Bell of British Columbia. Anderson was one of two players who scored under par in round one. At the end of the tournament, she placed 2nd with a score of 2 over par.

“Playing on this team has made golf more fun,” Anderson said. “I think our team environment brings a lot of fun back into the game.”

At the Wigwam Preview Cesarek, a sophomore management major from Tucson, Arizona, placed 14th with a score of 10 over par. 

“Playing for the team is very different than playing on your own because you have to take into consideration your teammates,” Cesarek said. “You can’t give up because you have to support them.”

Phelan, a sophomore finance major from Henderson, Nevada, has been playing for the team for two years. At the Wigwam Preview, she placed 20th with a score of 14 over par. She said playing for the college team has changed her casual golf experience because she is always thinking about the future, even during the “fun rounds.”

Phelan said, “I’m still always thinking about my next college tournament because in college golf, it is not just you, it’s for the team.”

The next event will be Feb. 21-23 at the Western Michigan Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational that will take place in Rio Verde, Arizona. Additionally, March 7-9 will be the Southern Utah Pizza Hut Lady Thunderbird Invitational.

Women’s golf

Utah Tech women’s golf team started off the spring 2025 season honored as the runner-up at the Utah Valley University-hosted Wigwam Preview in Litchfield Park, Arizona Feb. 2-4. The 2nd place result marks the program’s best team finish in its NCAA Division I era.

Leading the field through two rounds and securing 2nd place individually, junior Jenna Anderson had her best tournament in her collegiate career. Anderson was one of two golfers to post a red number in round one on Sunday, which was followed by another 71 on Monday; she then held the clubhouse lead on Tuesday.

Sophomore Mia Cesarek and Samantha Phelan made jumps up the leaderboard on Tuesday, placing 14th and 20th on the last day of the event.

Maria Purroy Galan tied for the 25th place and junior Jane Olson tied for the 29th place.

The team is now set for the Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational, which starts Feb. 21.  

Women’s basketball

The Utah Tech women’s basketball team lost to Abilene Christian, falling 84-66 Feb. 6. Notably, senior Emily Isaacson led the Trailblazers with 19 points, five rebounds and six-steals, which is tied for her career-high.

Despite the team’s loss, Utah Tech forced a season-high 28 turnovers and 21 steals—the most in its Division I era. In the fourth quarter, the Trailblazers cut the deficit to nine early, however, the Wildcats put redemption out of reach later in the game.

Utah Tech is now home in southern Utah to face its in-state rival—Southern Utah University Feb. 13 at the Burns Arena.

Men’s basketball

Utah Tech continued its losing streak with Abilene Christian 86-72. Senior guard Beon Riley, a senior business major from Chula Vista, California, led the Trailblazers with a double-double, posting 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Noa Gonsalves added 12 points.

The Wildcats set the tone early, shooting 9-for-10 to start the game and building a 13-point halftime lead. Despite a later 13-21 Utah Tech run sparked by a Tennessee Rainwater dunk, ACU maintained control and secured the victory.

When asked what could have been done to secure the win on Thursday, Riley said, “We could of came out with a little more juice and limited our turnovers early on.”

The Crimson Cliffs High School cheer and drill teams were in attendance to cheer them on during the halftime show.

The Trailblazers return to action Feb. 13 against SUU, looking to bounce back on the road.

Softball

Utah Tech opened the 2025 season by splitting a doubleheader against the University of California, Riverside at the Stacey Winsberg Memorial Tournament. The Trailblazers dominated game one with an 8-0 shutout behind Sauren Garten’s two-hit, six-strikeout performance.

Game two saw Utah Tech take an early 7-4 lead, but the Highlanders rallied late to hand the Trailblazers a 9-7 loss. Carly Eldredge led the offense in the second game, going three for three, while Utah Tech combined for 21 hits across both contests.

You can find more information about Utah Tech athletics here.