Despite Injuries, Utah Tech Women Set the Standard to End Transition Phase

Hall of Fame group sets the standard for what hoops can look like in St. George.

The Utah Tech Trailblazers won 37 games in the final two years of the transition phase. Courtesy Western Athletic Conference.

Injuries are part of the game, right?

Well, in the case of Utah Tech, they were more than a part of the game.

Injuries nearly depleted the entire roster.

Amber Kartchner (undisclosed) never took the floor in 2023-24 after making a significant impact in 2022-23.

Emily Issacson tore her ACL early in the 2023-24 season to end possibly her final season in St. George.

Two starters…gone just like that.

In February, it was the first of the Warren sisters that suffered another season-ending knee injury as Macie Warren’s season was cut short.

And late in the regular season finale, Macie’s sister, Madie, joined her on the injured list with a torn ACL in the win over SFA on Senior Day.

Playing shorthanded is nothing new for the Utah Tech women’s basketball team. As you can see, the final year of the transition phase to the Division I level was quite the adventure.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Trailblazers coach JD Gustin said. “We’ve counterpunched so many times this year and gotten wins that maybe we weren’t supposed to have and I’m so proud of the way they handled it all.”

Yet through all that, the Trailblazers have played like a boxer who just goes to their corner, gets themselves off the mat, and keeps fighting.

Maggie McCord is a Hall of Famer in head coach JD Gustin's book. Courtesy Western Athletic Conference.