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Utah to Host NCAA Mountain Region Championships Saturday
11/8/2010 12:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 8, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY- The University of Utah cross country team will host the NCAA Mountain Region Championships at Rose Park Golf Course this Saturday. The women's six-kilometer race will begin at 10:30 a.m. MDT., followed by the men's 10-kilometer race at 11:45 a.m. MDT.
This will mark the first meet that Utah has hosted since the 2006 Mountain West Conference Championships. The course features a flat terrain that is spectator friendly. Athletes will run several loops past the start/finish line.
"We want to run a first-class event on a course that the teams and spectators look forward to returning to every five years for this event," Utah head coach Kyle Kepler said.
Leading the Utes will be sophomore Amanda Mergaert. She looks to improve on her six-kilometer personal-record time of 21:05.8, which she earned last month at the NCAA Pre-National meet. This season, Mergaert became the third Utah cross country runner to earn First-Team All-MWC honors since Utah joined the conference in 1999.
The young Utah team will need key contributions from experienced sophomores Jenny McCune and Megan Combe. Despite being freshmen, the Utes will need solid performances from Alexis Laws, Nikki Dotter, Rebekah Winterton, and AuraLea Fain in order for the team finish in the top 10.
Among the 20 participating teams at the meet will include No.3 ranked Texas Tech, No.8 Colorado, and No.10 New Mexico for the women's race. The men's race will include No.7 Northern Arizona, No.9 Colorado, No.10 New Mexico, and No.15 BYU.
Kepler's Thoughts
"Our freshmen understand that they have to run each step with a purpose. They have to stay mentally focused for the entire race, compete for each spot, and not allow gaps to develop. Our goal for this meet will be a top-10 team finish."
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