Completed Event: Soccer versus BYU on October 30, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 2
Final Score
Soccer
0
vs BYU
2
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The University of Utah Athletics
Ute Maren Harper Selected To Speak At Graduation
5/1/2003 12:00 AM | Soccer
May 1, 2003
SALT LAKE CITY - The University of Utah Athletics Department is ecstatic and proud to announce that Maren Harper has been selected to speak at this year's graduation ceremony. Harper, a member of the women's soccer team and a Summa Cum Laude graduate, was selected from a field of 45 applicants to be this year's speaker. The ceremony, which will honor more than 6,000 Utah graduates, will be held at Jon M. Huntsman Center on May 2 at 9:00 a.m.
"It was just a thrill to be asked," said Harper. "I'm very honored and excited to speak in front of my graduating class. This will be a very fun and rewarding experience, but nerve racking at the same time. I feel privileged they asked me to speak."
Harper's accolades have accumulated both in and outside of the classroom. This accomplished student-athlete recently earned an NCAA postgraduate scholarship after completing her four-year career with the Utah women's soccer team. Harper was one of only 58 student-athletes in the nation to earn this scholarship award.
"I'm very excited for Maren," remarked Assistant Athletics Director Mary Bowman. "She has worked so hard and is well deserving of this honor. Maren is a great representation for the Athletics Department and she is a terrific role model for our athletes and community. We couldn't be prouder of her accomplishments."
The senior has established herself as one the elite members in her graduating class, upholding a 3.97 GPA in political science. Harper acquired first-team Verizon Academic All-America honors, first-team Verizon All-District honors and was selected to the third-team all-West Region Soccer Team.
Harper spent her senior year serving as the vice president of Utah's Student Athlete Advisory Committee. The Sacramento, Calif., native also spent an immense amount of time volunteering with community service projects and speaking to the youth of various schools throughout the Salt Lake valley. The defender was also team captain of last year's nationally ranked soccer team, helping the Utes to their first ever NCAA appearance. Her tenacious defense was evidence of why Utah upheld one of the strongest defenses in the country.
"Maren is a great example of what being a student-athlete is all about," commented Head Coach Rich Manning. "Too many times we focus on the negative. Maren is a great example of the kind of dedicated, talented and unselfish athletes that we have in our programs here at the U. As coaches and teammates, we are all very proud of her."
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