Completed Event: Track & Field versus NCAA Championships on June 12, 2025 ,
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Track & Field
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Saturday, April 26
Des Moines, Iowa
All Day
University of Utah
vs
Drake Relays
Enderson Wins 8k Class at Drake Relays
4/26/2008 12:00 AM | Track & Field
April 26, 2008
DES MOINES, Iowa - Lauren Endersen won the women's University division in the 8000-kilometer road race to lead the Utes on the final day of the Drake Relays on Saturday, April 26.
At the Drake Relays, the Utes totaled six top-seven finishes with two regional qualifiers (Alyssa Abbott and Chelsea DiGrazia in the 1,500 meters on Friday) and a race champion in Endersen.
"This was an outstanding weekend for our program," head coach Kyle Kepler said. "We took a step forward this weekend and have individuals who made waves on the national scene. There weren't too many programs that had this many top-seven finishes on the track. Anytime you can finish in the top-five in any event at this meet, you are a pretty good athlete. This is the best relays that I've had here in my three years as a head coach. We came out to compete and I'm proud of the effort we gave in the events we competed in. Several coaches made mention of our presence on the track."
Endersen crossed the line in 29:00. She was the third overall female to cross the line.
"Lauren had a very convincing win in the road race," Kepler said. "She didn't go out with a plan to win but she knew what it would take to win. After running the 10k on Thursday she wasn't feeling very well, but she felt great this morning and really let loose and ran great. The only women who beat here were professional racers."
The team of Shayla Houlihan, Janett Ern, DiGrazia and Alyssa Abbott placed seventh in the 4x1600-meter relay, finishing in 20:00.14.
"The 4x1600 team got us rolling," Kepler said. "Shayla and Janett both started well, and Chelsea DiGrazia got caught in the middle of nowhere during her leg but still ran strong. The strong wind made it difficult to run. Alyssa was all by herself on the track in closing out the race, she did a good job to hold the team's place and finish strong to get the day started.
In the individual events, Chelsea Shapard was fourth in the 400-meter hurdles (59.78). Houlihan placed 15th in the 3000-meter steeplechase, clocking in at 10:57.93.
"Chelsea Shapard came out and ran a great race through the first half, and although she struggled in the turns, she still ended up fourth with a solid run," Kepler said. "She wants to get back to NCAA's, and she knows she needs to pick it up to do that. The next few meets will be really important for getting time down for the conference and regional meets. Shayla ran the second-fastest time of her life in the steeplechase. She only had a few hours rest after the 4x1600 race and a lot of athletes wouldn't have done that on this stage. I have no doubt that if she had run the race fresh she would have set a personal best, but she fought and did a great job."
Utah also raced in the 1600 sprint medley relay. Whitney Wellington, Haley McAllister, Chelsey Kaplar and Ashley Patterson ran a time of 4:20.63 to finish 16th.
"I want to give credit to Chelsey Kaplar, who ran two great 400-meter legs this weekend, during the 4x400 and the sprint medley," Kepler said. "Both splits were lifetime bests which helped her develop some confidence at the 400-meter distance.
"I think we have a few kids who can get regional marks before the year is over. We have some opportunities in the last part of the season to get things done, and we will have to see if they can step it up and make it happen."
In addition to the success of the women, assistant coach Burke Bockman ran the special invitation 400-meter hurdles at the Drake Relays. He finished fifth in 51.11, which is just off the Olympic trials standard of 51.00.
In other Saturday action at the Robison Invitational in Provo, Utah, Josefin Berg won the hammer throw with a toss of 190'9". Chasity Toilolo earned two top-10 finishes on the day, placing seventh in the hammer throw with a toss of 142'11" to place seventh, with a fifth-place mark in the discus (135'6"). Sarah Grimm was 11th in the hammer throw (131'0") and ninth in the discus (122'4").
Sarah McFee finished sixth in the triple jump with a distance of 36'0". Liza Whitehead placed ninth in the 400-meter dash finals. She ran 12.63 in the finals, with a time of 12.45 in yesterday's preliminaries. Wanda Dalton placed 10th in the discus with a throw of 121'4".
The Utes next meet is the Weber State Open on May 3.
Players Mentioned
Distance
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Throws
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Throws
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Hurdles/Sprints
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Sprints
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