KEARNS, UTAH – Hundreds of top indoor track athletes from across the region – including a talented squad from Sublette County – gathered for the annual Utah Cross-Country and Track Coaches Association (UCCTCA) Indoor Invitational at the Utah Olympic Oval on Feb. 2-3.

Many events featured hundreds of contestants from Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and beyond – the 1600-meter run alone tallied 800 athletes.

The UCCTCA Invitational is the third meet of the season for the Pinedale High School (PHS) indoor track team and the third out-of-state event for the squad.

“Due to road conditions, every meet has been out of state so far,” head coach Kyle Sullivan said. “While we are hoping that changes soon, so that we can see our in-state competition, it has taken us to some really big and interesting track meets so far.”

PHS indoor tracksters – from both Pinedale and Big Piney – rose to the challenge at the large regional event, filling their bags with top-25 finishes and new personal records.

“We had the majority of our team accomplish at least one personal best for the season (at UCCTCA), while a few athletes managed to achieve an all-time personal best,” Sullivan added. “This is a great accomplishment, especially at this point of the season in training.”

Junior Madison Antonino snagged third place in the finals for the girls’ 3200-meter run, posting a time of 11 minutes, 9.65 seconds – a blistering pace of nearly 5:30 per mile. Antonino also secured eighth place in the 1600-meter run, crossing the finish line in 5:11.39.

Sophomore Isabelle Rigo garnered 13th place in the girls’ pole vault, leaping 7 feet, 6 inches.

In the girls’ long jump, freshman Bethany Vrska broke into the top 25 with a 25th-place finish at 14-03.

The PHS track team travels to Casper for the Natrona County Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 10. A select group of prequalified athletes from Sublette County then make the journey to the prestigious Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho, on Feb. 15-16.