Completed Event: Track & Field versus NCAA Championships on June 12, 2025 ,
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Track & Field
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Sunday, May 12
Los Angeles, Calif.
All Day
University of Utah
vs
Pac-12 Championships
Utah Track and Field Finishes 11th at Pac-12 Championships
5/12/2013 12:00 AM | Track & Field
May 12, 2013
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Wrapping up the final day of the Pac-12 Conference Championships, the University of Utah women's track and field team secured an 11th-place finish with 14 points. The Utes were led on the second day by senior Amanda Mergaert's fourth-place performance in the 1500m.
"Overall we had some great efforts with kids getting out and trying hard," Utah head coach Kyle Kepler said. "This is the highest level on the planet in terms of collegiate track and field. I know we can be successful and have the athletes to do it. We need to work on closing out races and continue putting ourselves in a good position."
"I was pleased with the effort," Kepler continued. "We did well in some events, and in others did not accomplish what we expected. Sometimes our kids would go out too hard, when they just needed to relax. We will continue to work on those things. We have a bunch of qualifiers for the regional meet, we will find out for sure who is going later this week and turn all our focus to that."
The 1500m showcased the top runners in the country in a race that went down to the wire. Throughout the entire race, Mergaert kept stride with the lead pack. In the final 200 meters she got caught up in the lead pack and was unable to find a way to pass the leaders. In a tight finish that featured only a difference of .7 seconds between the winner and fifth place, Mergaert crossed the line fourth overall in a season-best time of 4:15.45 earning five team points. The overall winner was Arizona State's Shelby Houlihan that clocked a meet record 4:14.84.
In the 800m final, Utah's Rosalie Waller and Andrea Chavez tallied a combined five points. Waller finished the race in a time of 2:10.72 for sixth, followed by Chavez in seventh with a time of 2:11.19. The feat marks the first time Utah had two athletes in the finals of a single event at the Pac-12 Championships.
In the throws, Destanae Howerton-Davis earned a team point with her eighth-place performance. Howerton-Davis recorded a top discus throw of 167-07 feet on her second attempt locking up a spot in the finals and an overall eighth-place finish.
The Utah 4x400m relay team finished ninth overall with a season-best time of 3:40.53.
"I thought senior Lauryn McKay ran a terrific third leg to put the relay team in a good position," Kepler said. "It was her final collegiate race and she ran really well with a lot of effort for us today."
The Utes had a combined team score of 14 points earning 11th place. Oregon won the conference title with 139 points, followed by Arizona in second and Arizona State in third.
Utes compete next at the NCAA First/Second Rounds on May 23 in Austin, Texas.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Track & Field
Throws
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Sprints
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Distance
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Hurdles/Middle Distance
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