Shapard Leads Utes on Final Day of MWC Championships

Saturday, May 12

San Diego, Calif.

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University of Utah

MWC Outdoor Championships

Shapard Leads Utes on Final Day of MWC Championships

5/12/2007 12:00 AM | Track & Field

May 12, 2007

SAN DIEGO - The University of Utah track and field team finished the final day of the Mountain West Conference Championships with a new league champion, upping its total to two for the event.

Amanda Feigt won the heptathlon title on Thursday with a total 5,328 points while Chelsea Shapard brought home an event title in the 400m hurdles this afternoon. The sophomore from Park City, Utah, finished first in a time 58.47, earning the Utes 10 points with that finish.

"I'm extremely pleased with our team's performance this weekend," said head coach Kyle Kepler. "We performed at maximum capacity and I thought that we really gave a championship effort out there.

"Amanda Feigt got us started with a first-place finish in the heptathlon and everyone from there on out made a difference in the meet. They all fought for every point and I thought they left it all out on the track.

"I'm very proud of our coaching staff as well. They did a great job of training our athletes and keeping them focused."

The team finished in sixth place with 49.50 points. Leading the pack was Brigham Young, bagging 195 points during the four-day event.

Other top finishers today were Feigt's fourth-place finish in the 100m hurdles (14.10, five team points) and Alyssa Abbott's sixth-place effort in the 800m (2:11.91, three points).

A number of Utah's athletes finished seventh today, all adding two points to the Crimson and White's total. Those finishers were Jennifer Cutrer in the 100m hurdles (14.44), Ashley Patterson in the 400m (55.31), and Feigt in the 400m hurdles (60.59). Also claiming seventh were both the Utes' 4x100 and 4x400m relay teams.

Scoring for the Utes on the 4x100m were Cutrer, Haley McAllister, Liza Whitehead and Patterson. On the 4x400m relay team was Patterson, Shapard, Abbott and Chelsey Kaplar.

In addition to scoring this afternoon, a pair of Ute runners chalked up regional qualifying marks. Feigt and Shapard both had qualifying times in the 400m hurdles final.

Up next for the Utes is the NCAA Regional meet in Eugene, Ore., on May 24-26.