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Cross Country
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Friday, October 27
University Place, WA
11 AM
University of Utah
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Pac-12 Championships
Photo by: Kirby Lee
Caesar Leads Women of Utah to Fifth-Place Finish at Pac-12 Championships
10/27/2023 1:58 PM | Cross Country
McKaylie Caesar claimed ninth-overall as the No. 21 Utah finishes in fifth as a team at the Pac-12 Championships.
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – Grad transfer McKaylie Caesar led the 21st-ranked Utah cross country team with a top-10 finish as the Utes placed fifth as a squad at the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships with 103 points behind PRs from all five scorers on Friday at Chambers Creek Regional Park.
"Heck of a battle today," head coach Kyle Kepler said postrace. "I thought we ran very well, particularly through our top four. A 19 second spread and being just 1-of-3 teams with four in the top-20 will lend itself to good things in two weeks."
This marks the third time in the Pac-12 era that the Women of Utah have finished fifth in the conference meet (2015-16) and first time since 2016 when it was held in Tucson.
Freshman Anna Peters led the Utes for the majority of the race as she had done all year but with about 1500m to go, grad transfer McKaylie Caesar let her veteran experience take over to finish ninth-overall as Utah's top finisher with a time of 19:36.0.
Caesar's ninth-place finish also garnered her Second-Team All-Pac-12 honors – which will be officially announced early next week. It also marks the fifth-straight year that Utah has had a runner earn All-Pac-12 honors.
Freshman Katarzyna Nowakowska ran well down the stretch for Utah and passed four runners in the final 1000m to go from 19th to finish in 15th-place on Friday for a time of 19:50.4 to just miss out on all-conference honors. Nowakowska started the race in 30th through the first 1000m of the race before moving up to 22nd by the time she reached the 3k marker and continued to accelerate in the final 1k to finish in 15th.
Peters ran well with the top group through 3000m but tailed off at the end behind Caesar and Nowakowska before finishing 16th-overall as Utah's third finisher with a time of 19:51.4 – just one second behind Nowakowska.
Morgan Jensen finished strong in her fourth Pac-12 Championships, jumping 12 spots in the final 3000m – including three in the final 1k – before crossing the finish line 20th-overall (19:55.9). The 20th-place finish is Jensen's highest-finish ever at the conference championships – passing last season's 23rd-place mark.
Clara Mayfield was Utah's fifth scorer of the day, crossing at 20:44.4 while Kyla Martin was right on her tails with a PR time of 20:46.6. Ellie Lundgreen narrowly missed her 6k PR, as the first of three-consecutive Utes to cross the finish line with a mark of 21:07.8 for 60th. Karli Branch was right behind Lundgreen after being out-leaned for a time of 21:07.9 while Maddie Reed came in at 21:11.3. Caroline Fischer rounded things out for Utah with a PR mark of 21:26.0.
UP NEXT
The Women of Utah now return home to rest and get ready to compete in the NCAA Mountain Regionals in Lubbock, Texas, at the Chaparral Ridge Cross Country Course. Competitors will toe the line on Friday, Nov. 10, with the gun slated to go off at 9 a.m. (MT) / 10 a.m. (CT) local as Utah looks to qualify for the NCAA Championships as a team for sixth time since 2015.
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Chambers Creek Regional Park • University Place, WA
5th / 12 • 103 Points
For the latest news and information on the Utah cross country and track & field programs, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following on Facebook, X and Instagram.
"Heck of a battle today," head coach Kyle Kepler said postrace. "I thought we ran very well, particularly through our top four. A 19 second spread and being just 1-of-3 teams with four in the top-20 will lend itself to good things in two weeks."
This marks the third time in the Pac-12 era that the Women of Utah have finished fifth in the conference meet (2015-16) and first time since 2016 when it was held in Tucson.
Freshman Anna Peters led the Utes for the majority of the race as she had done all year but with about 1500m to go, grad transfer McKaylie Caesar let her veteran experience take over to finish ninth-overall as Utah's top finisher with a time of 19:36.0.
McKaylie Caesar running strong in the last 1k for Utah in her first #Pac12XC race.#GoUtes | #UtahTFXC pic.twitter.com/hI6MPy0V4S
— Utah T&F/XC (@Utah_trackfield) October 27, 2023
Caesar's ninth-place finish also garnered her Second-Team All-Pac-12 honors – which will be officially announced early next week. It also marks the fifth-straight year that Utah has had a runner earn All-Pac-12 honors.
Freshman Katarzyna Nowakowska ran well down the stretch for Utah and passed four runners in the final 1000m to go from 19th to finish in 15th-place on Friday for a time of 19:50.4 to just miss out on all-conference honors. Nowakowska started the race in 30th through the first 1000m of the race before moving up to 22nd by the time she reached the 3k marker and continued to accelerate in the final 1k to finish in 15th.
Peters ran well with the top group through 3000m but tailed off at the end behind Caesar and Nowakowska before finishing 16th-overall as Utah's third finisher with a time of 19:51.4 – just one second behind Nowakowska.
Anna Peters and McKaylie Caesar keeping pace up front for the Utes heading through the 3k mark. #Pac12XC#GoUtes | #UtahTFXC pic.twitter.com/kMFa8AlZG3
— Utah T&F/XC (@Utah_trackfield) October 27, 2023
Morgan Jensen finished strong in her fourth Pac-12 Championships, jumping 12 spots in the final 3000m – including three in the final 1k – before crossing the finish line 20th-overall (19:55.9). The 20th-place finish is Jensen's highest-finish ever at the conference championships – passing last season's 23rd-place mark.
Clara Mayfield was Utah's fifth scorer of the day, crossing at 20:44.4 while Kyla Martin was right on her tails with a PR time of 20:46.6. Ellie Lundgreen narrowly missed her 6k PR, as the first of three-consecutive Utes to cross the finish line with a mark of 21:07.8 for 60th. Karli Branch was right behind Lundgreen after being out-leaned for a time of 21:07.9 while Maddie Reed came in at 21:11.3. Caroline Fischer rounded things out for Utah with a PR mark of 21:26.0.
UP NEXT
The Women of Utah now return home to rest and get ready to compete in the NCAA Mountain Regionals in Lubbock, Texas, at the Chaparral Ridge Cross Country Course. Competitors will toe the line on Friday, Nov. 10, with the gun slated to go off at 9 a.m. (MT) / 10 a.m. (CT) local as Utah looks to qualify for the NCAA Championships as a team for sixth time since 2015.
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Chambers Creek Regional Park • University Place, WA
5th / 12 • 103 Points
| Finish | Name | Time |
| 9th | McKaylie Caesar | 19:36.0 |
| 15th | Katarzyna Nowakowska | 19:50.4 |
| 16th | Anna Peters | 19:51.4 |
| 20th | Morgan Jensen | 19:55.9 |
| 46th | Clara Mayfield | 20:44.4 |
| 49th | Kyla Martin | 20:46.6 |
| 60th | Ellie Lundgreen | 21:07.8 |
| 61st | Karli Branch | 21:07.9 |
| 62nd | Maddie Reed | 21:11.3 |
| 72nd | Caroline Fischer | 21:11.3 |
For the latest news and information on the Utah cross country and track & field programs, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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