Upcoming Event: Cross Country versus Gans Creek Classic on September 26, 2025 at 8:00 AM
8:00 AM
Cross Country
vs Gans Creek Classic
Utah Has High Expectations Heading Into NCAA Mountain Region Championships
11/7/2011 12:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 7, 2011
SALT LAKE CITY- This Saturday, the University of Utah women's cross country team heads south to compete at the 2011 NCAA Cross Country Mountain Region Championships. The Utes are scheduled to begin the six-kilometer race at 12:15 p.m. MST, at East Bay Golf Course in Provo, Utah.
"We are aiming to finish in the top five as a team," Utah head coach Kyle Kepler stated. "The teams ranked from third through seventh in our region are all very similar, so we will have to run our best races of the year to achieve that goal."
The Utes will be lead by veteran runners Alyssa Abbott and Amanda Mergaert.
Abbott is a 2008 NCAA Championships qualifier who is coming off a 25th-place finish at the Pac-12 Conference Championships two weeks ago.
Mergaert has led the Utes all season, including fourth-place finishes at the Stanford and Chile Pepper Invitationals. She looks to qualify for the NCAA Championships in consecutive seasons, which would mark the first time in over 10 years that a Utah athlete has qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships in back-to-back seasons.
"Amanda and Alyssa will be trying to return to the NCAA Championships as individuals, by being one of the top four individuals on non qualifying teams," Kepler said. "Our region features some of the best individuals in the country. Because we don't have many teams with at-large points, I expect those four individual spots will require at least a top-10 finish as an individual."
Throughout the season, the Utes have competing against elite competition that has helped prepare the squad for Saturday's race. With rain and snow predicted in the forecast, Utah will have an advantage as the team has trained in cold weather during its week off.
"Our schedule this season has prepared us well for this meet," Kepler stated. "We have been in some big invitationals, so our younger athletes understand what is involved. They need to get out early and get in the race. I expect the third through seventh places to come down to a few points."
"The weather has been less than ideal during our practices for the last couple of weeks, so I think that could be an advantage," Kepler said. "However, cross country is a sport that is full of strong-willed individuals who understand these elements can be part of the race. Ultimately, we have to focus on the race and beating other people."
Last season, the Utes hosted the NCAA Mountain Region Championships and finished 12th overall. This year, the Utes have more veteran experience and enter the race ranking seventh in the region.
"We are a little stronger all the way around from where we were last season," Kepler stated. "Having two runners with NCAA Championship experience up front and more talent on the back end, I feel like we have continued to move the program forward."
The Utes are slated to compete with nationally-ranked Colorado and New Mexico, who are the top two teams in the Mountain Region. Texas Tech (third), BYU (fourth), Colorado State (fifth), and Weber State (sixth) are also teams ranked ahead of Utah in the regional rankings heading into this Saturday's race.
Players Mentioned
Distance/CC
/ Cross Country
Distance/CC
/ Cross CountryCoach Kyle Kepler celebrates 20 years at the helm of Utah Cross Country/Track & Field
Monday, August 11
Utah Cross Country's McKaylie Caesar Feature - A Medical Miracle
Tuesday, April 29
Utes Insider – Cross Country Runner Bella Williams
Wednesday, November 17
2019 Track & XC - Meet the Teams
Thursday, September 05