It was a loaded week of Trailblazer sports, as women’s basketball played a pair of home games while the men were on the road for two.
Women’s tennis, women’s track, and women’s swimming were also in action this week.
Women’s basketball
Utah Tech first hosted Abilene Christian Jan. 29, falling 54-46 in a low-scoring affair.
Sophomore Paige Cofer led the Trailblazers with 18 points. UT made just one 3-pointer on the night, shooting a mere 8% from downtown. The defense played well, allowing the Wildcats to convert on just 33% of their shots, but the offense was unable to have a productive game.
Utah Tech then hosted Tarleton State Jan. 31, losing 63-45.
Redshirt senior Brie Crittendon was the only Trailblazer to score in double figures, netting 15. The offense once again struggled, being held to 30% shooting from the field while scoring under 50 points for the third straight game.
“Our offense, we are really trying to work on it. I think once everybody starts working together and figures each other out, I think we will be pretty good. But we’re just going to keep working on that every single day,” Crittendon said.
With the pair of losses, Utah Tech sits at 6-14 overall and 1-9 in Western Athletic Conference play. They are currently at the bottom of the conference standings.
Next up, the Trailblazers travel Feb. 5 to face UT Arlington at 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time.
Utah Tech women’s basketball drops fifth straight contest in loss to Tarleton State
Men’s basketball
The Trailblazers went a perfect 2-0 during the week, moving just a 1/2 game out of first place in the WAC standings.
First, Utah Tech took down Abilene Christian Jan. 29 on the road, winning 76-70.
Senior Ethan Potter led the Trailblazers with 16 points, while the team shot 49% from the field in the game. The win was also the 350th for head coach Jon Judkins at Utah Tech.
The Trailblazers then defeated Tarleton State, 65-59, on Jan. 31.
Winning their third game in a row, UT was led by a career-high 23 points from sophomore Noah Bolanga. The Trailblazers shot a blistering 50% from both the field and the 3-point line.
Following the two wins, UT is 13-11 overall and 6-4 in the WAC.
Next up, Utah Tech returns to Burns Arena for a showdown Feb. 5 with first-place UT Arlington at 7 p.m.
Women’s tennis
The women’s tennis team traveled to Sin City for three weekend matches at the UNLV Fertitta Tennis Complex, going 1-2.
First, the Trailblazers fell 4-3 Jan. 30 to Youngstown State. Junior Ana Gutierrez Sampere won her third straight singles match, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
UT then battled UNLV Jan. 31, losing 7-0.
The Trailblazers ended the weekend with a win Feb. 1, securing their first sweep of the season in a 7-0 thrashing of Weber State.
Up next, the Trailblazers return home for a Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day date with North Dakota State at 11 a.m. at Trailblazer Tennis Courts.
Women’s swimming
The women’s swim team traveled to Flagstaff, Arizona, Jan. 30-31 to battle Northern Arizona in the pool.
Utah Tech won three events and combined for a pair of school records in the two-day dual meet.
Sophomore Gabby Henry and Junior Cera Mallory recorded both of the school records while also securing two event wins.
Mallory broke her own program record in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:53.93, while Henry tied her school record with a time of 25.45 in the 50 butterfly.
The Trailblazers now travel to face Northern Colorado Feb. 7 at 10 a.m.
Women’s track
Women’s track joined the women’s swim team in Flagstaff Jan. 30, winning two event titles and setting a new program shot put record at the Ron Mann Classic at Northern Arizona University.
Junior Mille Roesaeg set the all-time indoor record in the shot put with a mark of 10.11 meters, while senior Lainee Leavitt won the high jump with an indoor school-record tying mark of 1.65 meters.
The Trailblazers’ next competition will be at the Mountain State Games at Idaho State University from Feb. 13-14.
This article was originally written for Utah Tech’s student newspaper, Sun News.
Photo credit: Utah Tech Athletics.
