- Utah Tech women's swimming won 12 of 17 swimming events at the Pepperdine Rodionoff Invitational on Oct. 9-10, led by Cera Mallory and Alyssa Gordon, after opening at the CMU Shootout.
- Utah Tech Women's Swimming connect back to Utah Tech University and the wider olympic sports picture.
- The story is backed by 6 sources and a visible last-verified date.
October 18, 2026
October 18, 2026
4 min / 880 words
6 official links
Utah Tech women's swimming has opened 2026-27 with a fourth-place finish at the CMU Intermountain Shootout and a dominant weekend at the Pepperdine Rodionoff Invitational. The Trailblazers won 12 of the 17 swimming events at Pepperdine on Oct. 9-10, including eight of 13 individual races, and swept all four relays, according to the school's recap. Utah Tech's athletics site lists swimming under women's sports and sponsors no men's swimming team, and the menu calls the sport Swimming.
The Pepperdine weekend
The meet was held at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool in Malibu, California. Utah Tech's recap reports a meet-high 269 swimming points. Senior Cera Mallory won the 1,000 freestyle in 10:14.43, a time the recap ranks third all-time at Utah Tech, and the 500 freestyle in 4:59.82. Junior Alyssa Gordon won the 400 individual medley in 4:29.07 and the 200 breaststroke in 2:20.76. Senior Mary Sims Cross won the 200 individual medley in 2:05.49, and Gabby Henry opened her 2026-27 season by winning the 50 freestyle in 23.31.
For a team whose distance and medley swimmers carry school records, that is a fast reminder of where the points come from. Mallory, Cross, Gordon and Henry each already hold at least one Utah Tech record.
The CMU Shootout opener
Utah Tech opened the season at the CMU Intermountain Shootout at El Pomar Natatorium in Grand Junction, Colorado, on Oct. 2-3. Colorado Mesa hosted the meet, and the field included BYU, Utah, Adams State and Western Colorado. The Trailblazers finished fourth, with five top-10 individual finishes on Friday and 10 on Saturday. Junior Jenna Tracy's 30.49 in the 50 breaststroke was the fifth-fastest time in program history, and sophomore Kiana Hugins' 25.62 in the 50 butterfly was the fourth-fastest, according to Utah Tech's recap.
Who returns
Utah Tech returns 18 swimmers, 14 of them upperclassmen, including four current school-record holders, according to the program's Sept. 30 season preview. Mallory holds school records in the 500 freestyle (4:53.19 in 2026), the 1,000 freestyle (10:06.78 in 2024) and the 1,650 freestyle (16:56.64 in 2025), plus the 5,000-meter open water (1:05:54 in 2026). Cross set the school record in the 200 individual medley at 2:02.22 and reached the podium at the MPSF Championships. Henry was the first Trailblazer under 23 seconds in the 50 freestyle at 22.98 and holds the 50 butterfly record at 25.45. Gordon holds the school record in the 200 breaststroke at 2:15.80, set in 2025.
A program built by an alumnus
Shawn King, a Utah Tech alumnus from 2014, begins his fourth season as head coach. According to the Sept. 30 release, Utah Tech had its second-fastest season in school history in his first year, with seven school records and three All-WAC honors. The team then finished seventh in its debut at the 2025 MPSF Championships, with one podium finish, three school records and several top-10 all-time marks. The program also earned 2024-25 CSCAA Division I Scholar All-America honors with a cumulative 3.62 GPA.
The staff has a new name this fall. Justin Wright joined as assistant coach in a release dated Sept. 2, 2026. The release describes him as the 2018 U.S. national champion in the 200-meter butterfly, with a winning time of 1:54.63, who spent five years on the USA Swimming National Team and two seasons at UC Santa Barbara before joining Utah Tech.
What the schedule lists
Utah Tech's schedule lists a visit to Utah on Thursday, Nov. 5, and a dual at BYU on Friday, Nov. 6. The Trailblazer Invitational is listed for Nov. 18-21 at the HPC Pool, the Human Performance Center pool in St. George. MPSF dual meets follow against Northern Arizona on Dec. 5 in Flagstaff, Arizona, and against New Mexico State on Dec. 17. The schedule lists Northern Arizona again on Jan. 22-23 at home, with Senior Day on Jan. 23.
Utah Tech also hosts the 2027 MPSF Women's Swimming Championships at the HPC Pool, listed for Feb. 17-20, and the NCAA Division I Women's Swimming Championships are listed for March 17-20 in Austin, Texas. Two Utah Tech duals come against Utah and BYU within two days in early November, a stretch against two Big 12 programs that also swam at the CMU Shootout.
Following the Trailblazers
The Utah Tech team page links to the official roster and schedule and shows the next meet from the schedule. The official roster lists every swimmer on the 2026-27 team.
Key facts:
- Team: Utah Tech women's swimming, competing in the MPSF (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation), home pool the HPC Pool in St. George
- Head coach: Shawn King, a 2014 Utah Tech alumnus, fourth season; assistant coach Justin Wright joined in September 2026
- Oct. 9-10, Pepperdine Rodionoff Invitational: won 12 of 17 swimming events, eight of 13 individual races and all four relays
- Oct. 2-3, CMU Intermountain Shootout: fourth, with Jenna Tracy's 30.49 in the 50 breaststroke fifth-fastest in program history
- Individual winners at Pepperdine: Cera Mallory (1,000 and 500 freestyle), Alyssa Gordon (400 IM and 200 breaststroke), Mary Sims Cross (200 IM), Gabby Henry (50 freestyle)
- Returning: 18 swimmers, 14 of them upperclassmen, four current school-record holders
- Home dates listed: Trailblazer Invitational Nov. 18-21; 2027 MPSF Women's Swimming Championships Feb. 17-20 at the HPC Pool
- Road dates listed: Utah on Nov. 5 and BYU on Nov. 6
