LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The Rebel track & field team will get its first opportunity to compete outdoors in just over 20 months at its own UNLV Winter Challenge Saturday. The one-day meet will take place at Myron Partridge Stadium & Sheila Tarr-Smith Field, and will see UNLV welcome to Northern Arizona, Utah and Utah Valley campus.
Saturday's meet will be the first for the Scarlet & Gray outdoors since it was represented by USTFCCCA All-American efforts from
Jasmyne Graham (second team) and
Avi'Tal Wilson-Perteete (first team) at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships (June 5-8) in Austin, Texas. Unfortunately, the entirety of the 2020 outdoor season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UNLV Winter Challenge gets underway at 10:00 am with the women's/men's hammer throw, the first of 15 events scheduled for the day. The running events start at 11:00 am with the women's 1,500m race and conclude at 2:15 pm with the men's 4x400m relay.
Some Rebels to look out for on the track are Wilson-Perteete and
Elisa Rovere in the 800m (12:25 pm);
Azaria Hill,
Tianna Randle, Nami Wilson and
Emma Zeigler in the 60m (12:05 pm); and
Rosalie Breems,
Jada Hicks and
Taylor Shorter in the 200m (1:15 pm).
Additionally,
Acacia Astwood and
Cassidy Osborne-Butler will participate in the throwing events, beginning with the women's hammer (10:00 am). Both Astwood and Osborne-Butler have not thrown in a collegiate meet since they finished second and third, respectively, in the weight throw at the 2020 Mountain West Indoor Championships. Osborne-Butler was also a finalist for UNLV in the shot put, placing fifth.
Due to the pandemic, the beginning of the outdoor season will be contested without fans in attendance. UNLV Athletics will stay abreast of developments and health recommendations to determine if fans are able to attend home meets as the season progresses.
