SACRAMENTO – The first day of action at the NCAA West Preliminaries saw the Utah track & field team send three to the quarterfinals on Saturday at Hornet Stadium while senior Emily Venters punched her ticket to Austin to compete for a National Championship in the 10k on Thursday.
Erin Vringer got the Utes going Thursday evening in the second section of the 1500m race. The freshman waited for her moment in the middle of the pack before kicking it into high gear heading into the final straightaway to earn the last automatic qualifying spot from her section with a PR run of 4:18.02.
Simone Plourde, like her fellow Canadian, waited until the final turn on the bell lap to start her kick. The junior, who will also run the 5000m on Saturday, used just enough energy to propel herself into the quarterfinals after crossing the finish line with a time of 4:18.87.
Josefine Eriksen, Utah’s lone runner in the 800m race, couldn’t quite catch up to the lead pack down the stretch and just missed out on advancing to the quarterfinals after finishing with a time of 2:07.21.
Dinedye Denis cruised to an automatic spot in the quarterfinals of the 400m hurdles on Saturday after taking third in her section with a mark of 58.36. Freshman Harley Daniel followed with a run of 1:01.17 in her first ever NCAA West Regional race but wasn’t able to advance based on her time.
Surrounded by some of the best distance runners in the country, Venters went toe-to-toe with the giants and ran a tactful race that saw her keep pace and at times lead the pack in the 10000m race to close the night off on Thursday. The senior finished third-overall with a time of 32:20.81 – which ended up being the third-fastest time between both preliminary sites. The stellar season for Venters continued after her third-place finish saw her qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships for the first time in her collegiate career.
Junior Morgan Jensen continued her ascension in the 10000m race after finishing with a new PR of 32:28.01 Thursday night. In addition, Jensen also saw herself move up one spot to pass Rebekah Winterton for fifth on the all-time…
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