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Cross Country to Compete at NCAA 6K Regional Meet
11/12/2009 12:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 12, 2009
Meet-By-Meet Results in PDF Format 
SALT LAKE CITY - The University of Utah women's cross country team is gearing up for the 2009 NCAA Mountain Region Championships on Saturday. The race will be held at the University of New Mexico's North Golf Course in Albuquerque, N.M. The men's 10K race is slotted for 10:45 a.m. MST, by the women's 6K at 12:00 p.m.
The projected runners are currently Amanda Mergaert, Jenny McCune, Sydney Osmun, Rachel Schmalzle, and Hilary Troutner.
The Utes are coming off of a sixth-place finish at the Mountain West Conference Championships held on Oct. 31, in Orem, Utah. Freshmen standouts Mergaert and McCune led the Utes. Mergaert finished the six-kilometer race in 22:53.1 for 28th-place overall and McCune finished in 22:55.0 for 30th place.
The third scoring runner for Utah was freshman Megan Combe with a time of 23:49.4 for 43rd-place overall. Redshirt freshman Lucy Yates had a time of 24:07.3 to earn 48th place, followed by senior Osmun with a time of 24:43.6 for 60th-place overall.
Thoughts from Head Coach Kyle Kepler
"We have one of the toughest regions in the country and this will be a challenge for our young team. We are hosting the regional meet next year, so this is a great opportunity for our kids to see what it is all about and what it takes to be amongst the top finishers.
"We are running a small group on Saturday due to injury and illness. We have had a lot of problems with that this year, but we are going to do the best we can. The group we have here are anxious to get out there and have the best race they can as a team, as well as on an individual level. They're excited to represent the entire team and the University of Utah as a whole."
Looking Back at 2008 NCAA Regionals
Last year, the Utes finished in sixth-place, which is the second best finish in school history. Utah was led by Alyssa Abbott, who finished in 20:52.4 for ninth-place overall. In addition to setting a new personal best, Abbott garnered all-region accolades and qualified for the 2008 NCAA National Championships. At nationals she placed 76th our of 255 athletes with a time of 21:00.5.
Former senior Utah runner Chelsea DiGrazia also garnered all-region accolades at the 2008 NCAA Mountain Region meet. She finished in 21:10.3 for 21st-place overall. Lauren Endersen placed in the top 50 finishers as well. She finished the course in 21:26.0 for 32nd place and a new lifetime best.
Kellie Anderson and Janett Ern rounded out the top five finishers for Utah. They both finished in the top-75 of the race and were mere seconds behind one another. Anderson finished in 22:03.1, followed by Ern with a time of 22:06.1. The regional meet was their last collegiate cross country meet, and they both were able to post lifetime bests at the meet.
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