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
Meet the Utes: Ariel Keklak
10/13/2021 10:15 AM | Cross Country
By: Yara Ahmed
Up next in our Meet the Utes segment is Ariel Keklak, a Sudbury, Mass., native that transferred in from Johns Hopkins.
Keklak comes to Utah as grad transfer after earning her degree in molecular & cellular biology this past spring. When asked why she decided on the U, she said, "I looked at Utah in high school. I'd been up here to ski before, and I really liked the city and the campus, but I felt like the school was a little bit too big coming out of high school. But, when I was looking at grad schools and Master of Public Health programs, I thought being in Salt Lake City would be really cool, so I reached out to Coach Kepler and told him I'd be interested in running my fifth year while I do grad school here."
Though her collegiate career started out at Wake Forest, Keklak has run since she was young. "My dad had me and my siblings do this youth track program and I always thought that was fun. When I was in high school, I just joined the cross country team and it went really well."
She was ultimately inspired to pursue the opportunity to run in college because of her sister. "I have an older sister who ran at Georgetown and seeing her go through the recruiting process and run in college was really cool, and I hoped I could get to do that. That was always a goal of mine and around the end of my sophomore year and the beginning of my junior year, I realized I could actually do that."
Keklak's road to getting here hasn't been completely smooth, however. "My journey in running has definitely been up and down. I'd been injured for a while at the beginning of college. I persevered through that and thought to myself running will get me through this and I can do big things."
Despite being a newcomer, she has seamlessly fit in with her teammates. "I've only been on campus for a little over a month at this point, but I think just the whole team really gels together well. Having a lot of other grad transfers and new team members is really helpful in getting used to things, but I think overall, everyone is getting along great and it's really fun to be around everyone."
Keklak and her teammates will be competing against 35 other teams at the FSU Invite / Pre-Nationals this week in Tallahassee, Fla., on Friday, Oct. 15, as they get a sneak peek of Apalachee Regional Park – site of the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
More About Ariel Keklak
Q: What is your favorite color?
A: Yellow
Q: Do you have any pets?
A: Yes, two cats, LL and Shadow
Q: What is your favorite TV show?
A: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Q: What is your favorite drink?
A: Iced coffee
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Thai food
Q: What song do you listen to before a race?
A: Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind
Q: What word best describes you?
A: Resilient
Q: What is the last book you read?
A: What We Believe But Cannot Prove
Q: What do you wish you knew more about?
A: Everything! Probably ancient human history if I had to pick one thing
Q: What is your favorite thing about the University of Utah?
A: The mountains and getting to explore Salt Lake City
Q: Who is your favorite musician?
A: Juice WRLD
Q: What is your dream car?
A: Honda CRV
Q: What would be your dream job?
A: Something in healthcare related to improving the overall quality and accessibility of health services
Up next in our Meet the Utes segment is Ariel Keklak, a Sudbury, Mass., native that transferred in from Johns Hopkins.
Keklak comes to Utah as grad transfer after earning her degree in molecular & cellular biology this past spring. When asked why she decided on the U, she said, "I looked at Utah in high school. I'd been up here to ski before, and I really liked the city and the campus, but I felt like the school was a little bit too big coming out of high school. But, when I was looking at grad schools and Master of Public Health programs, I thought being in Salt Lake City would be really cool, so I reached out to Coach Kepler and told him I'd be interested in running my fifth year while I do grad school here."
Though her collegiate career started out at Wake Forest, Keklak has run since she was young. "My dad had me and my siblings do this youth track program and I always thought that was fun. When I was in high school, I just joined the cross country team and it went really well."
She was ultimately inspired to pursue the opportunity to run in college because of her sister. "I have an older sister who ran at Georgetown and seeing her go through the recruiting process and run in college was really cool, and I hoped I could get to do that. That was always a goal of mine and around the end of my sophomore year and the beginning of my junior year, I realized I could actually do that."
Keklak's road to getting here hasn't been completely smooth, however. "My journey in running has definitely been up and down. I'd been injured for a while at the beginning of college. I persevered through that and thought to myself running will get me through this and I can do big things."
Despite being a newcomer, she has seamlessly fit in with her teammates. "I've only been on campus for a little over a month at this point, but I think just the whole team really gels together well. Having a lot of other grad transfers and new team members is really helpful in getting used to things, but I think overall, everyone is getting along great and it's really fun to be around everyone."
Keklak and her teammates will be competing against 35 other teams at the FSU Invite / Pre-Nationals this week in Tallahassee, Fla., on Friday, Oct. 15, as they get a sneak peek of Apalachee Regional Park – site of the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
More About Ariel Keklak
Q: What is your favorite color?
A: Yellow
Q: Do you have any pets?
A: Yes, two cats, LL and Shadow
Q: What is your favorite TV show?
A: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Q: What is your favorite drink?
A: Iced coffee
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Thai food
Q: What song do you listen to before a race?
A: Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind
Q: What word best describes you?
A: Resilient
Q: What is the last book you read?
A: What We Believe But Cannot Prove
Q: What do you wish you knew more about?
A: Everything! Probably ancient human history if I had to pick one thing
Q: What is your favorite thing about the University of Utah?
A: The mountains and getting to explore Salt Lake City
Q: Who is your favorite musician?
A: Juice WRLD
Q: What is your dream car?
A: Honda CRV
Q: What would be your dream job?
A: Something in healthcare related to improving the overall quality and accessibility of health services
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Cross CountryCrimson Corner with Bill Riley - Baylor's John Morris & Utah Track & Field Head Coach Kyle Kepler
Wednesday, November 12
Coach Kyle Kepler celebrates 20 years at the helm of Utah Cross Country/Track & Field
Monday, August 11
Utah Cross Country's McKaylie Caesar Feature - A Medical Miracle
Tuesday, April 29
Utes Insider – Cross Country Runner Bella Williams
Wednesday, November 17