The Weber State University men’s and women’s track and field teams took their talents down south to the Utah Valley Collegiate Invitational this past Friday. The meet was held on the campus of Utah Valley University and was the Wildcats’ second meet of the outdoor season.

In conditions that were less than ideal, the Wildcats continued their success as they picked up a total of three qualifying marks, two of those coming on the women’s side. The distance runners stayed home and continued to prepare for the rest of the season.

“It was a beautiful day once it got past about 8:30, when the throwers were out throwing,” said WSU men’s head coach Dan Walker. “After that, it warmed up and we had some very good times.”

Sophomore Darion Zimmerman, running in his first event of the season, ran a blistering 400-meter dash. His time of 48.41 seconds was good enough to add another qualifier to the Wildcats’ tally.

Walker said he was happy to see the progress of the men’s team, especially considering that the team is one of the youngest in the conference.

“Jonathan McUne ran another solid race in the 400 hurdles,” Walker said. “Seth Fortin ran great in both the 100 and the 200 as well. Jason Diamond and Christian Barbiero ran very well in the 400 meters in their first races of the year. We are getting much better. I am very pleased with how the guys competed today.”

On the women’s side, even though it didn’t have as many qualifiers as it did the first meet, the team combined for a total of 17 seasonal bests. The Wildcat throwers continued to show their strength and that they are not to be overlooked. The two qualifying marks came from sophomore Britlie Silvester and freshman Chantel Martin in the weight throw. That is significant, as all of the five throwers for the Wildcats have now qualified for the conference.

“It wasn’t as spectacular as last week, but that would be hard to beat,” said WSU women’s head coach Jim Blaisdell. “We are making a lot of progress, and that’s the goal this time of the season. We are getting some very consistently strong performances, so we are very happy about how well we are moving in the right direction.”

Junior Jazmin Porter had a career day in the discus. Her mark was 10 feet farther than her personal best. It is also the best mark in the conference so far this year.

Junior Katherine Wishmeyer ran away from the field in the 400-meter dash, grabbing the victory.

“This is a good group, and we should be a very competitive team by the time we get to the conference meet,” Blaisdell said.

After taking a week off, the Wildcats will return to action to compete at the University of Utah Invitational on April 11, then hosting the Weber State Invitational on April 12.