Completed Event: Cross Country versus NCAA Championships on November 22, 2025 , , 17th / 32
Final Score
Cross Country
17th / 32
vs NCAA Championships
The University of Utah Athletics
Cross Country Teams To Battle In Mountain Regional Saturday
11/9/1999 12:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 9, 1999
SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah cross country team will participate in the NCAA Mountain Regional on Nov. 13 in Fort Collins, Colo. The men's 10k race will begin at 11:00 a.m. (MST) and the women's 5k will start at noon. The top two teams in each division will qualify to participate in the NCAA Championships on Nov. 22, in Bloomington, Ind. The top four individual runners that are not members of the qualifying teams will also be invited to participate at the national championships. Utah could qualify three runners individually in Chris Merkley, Travis Hildebrand and Johanna Nielsen. Merkely placed third overall (24:41), Hildebrand fourth (25:06) and Nielsen seventh (17:48) in their respective races at the Mountain West Conference Championships on Nov. 29.
The Mountain Regional boasts five nationally ranked men's teams in No. 3 Colorado, No. 12 Brigham Young, No. 14 Northern Arizona, No. 16 Weber State, and No. 23 Utah. The Ute men have struggled with injuries to key runners since before the MWC Championships, where Utah placed third as a team. Head Coach Mike Jones believes the injuries will challenge Utah and its chance at a team invitation to the national championship. "I think Colorado will take it," says Jones. "If we were healthy, it would be a battle for second place between NAU, Weber State, BYU and Utah. It's going to be tough but we're going to give it everything we have."
Teren Jameson, Utah's number three runner, was questionable to run on Saturday due to tendinitis in his knee but has been cleared to participate. "Teren lost two weeks of training, which will hurt him,' says Jones. Phil Stoddard, the number four runner, is out for the remainder of the season due to a stress fracture. "Phil will probably not be ready to run again until the indoor season begins," says Jones. "It's a big loss for us."
Johanna Nielsen will be the focus on the women's team as she tries to earn an individual berth to the national championships. Trina Bateman will not compete for Utah, leaving the women's team with the minimum number of six required for a complete team.
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