Upcoming Event: Cross Country versus Beehive Invitational on September 12, 2025 at W: 10:00 AM / M: 10:45 AM
W: 10:00 AM / M: 10:45 AM
Cross Country
vs Beehive Invitational
Friday, October 28
Riverside, CA
9:30 AM
University of Utah
at
Pac-12 Championships
Photo Credit: Yannick Peterhans
Photo by: Kirby Lee
Women of Utah Take Second in Tightest Race Ever at Pac-12 Cross Country Championships
10/28/2022 11:57 AM | Cross Country
Emily Venters and Utah cross country took second in a wire-to-wire race at Pac-12 Championships.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The 10th-ranked Utah cross country team gave it all they had Friday morning on the UCR Ag-Ops Course as the team ran one of its best races as a program, tying #11 Colorado with 66 points before ultimately finishing second after the tie breaker at the 2022 Pac-12 Championships.
The second-place finish ties the 2021 squad for the highest finish in program history at the Pac-12 Championships while the tie between the Utes and Buffs made it the tightest race in Pac-12 history. Meanwhile, every runner for Utah recorded a new PR on Friday. The Utes as a team all showed heart in the final 2k, moving up 18 points to tie the Buffs.
"I'm just so, so proud of our kids; every one of them," head coach Kyle Kepler said. "The look on their faces finishing that race, just digging in to pass anyone they could was a special sight to see as a coach. We just find a way to keep raising the bar. We ask them to be themselves and we know we have a group of individuals that when they step between the lines they undoubtedly become a great team. They want to see how far they can go and that's fun. We don't' have to talk about winning something or finishing a specific place. We talk about going out and running the right kind of race depending on what type of course it is. You know those gals in the back, particularly those six in the back, fought together to make sure we had one high-level scorer and it was amazing to see."
Individually, Emily Venters arguably had one of the best races of her career, crushing her previous 6k PR with a time of 19:16.7 to take second at the Pac-12 Championships. The Lawrence, Kan., native positioned herself well to take the lead heading into the 4k mark before moving into second in the final 1k behind CU's Bailey Hertenstein (19:11.3) – who ran a course record. The second-place finish for Venters is the highest by any Ute at the Pac-12 Championships or any conference championship dating back to 1989.
Simone Plourde also ran the best race of her young career, moving up 11 spots in the final 2k to finish fifth overall while also crushing her previous PR mark after crossing the finish line at 19:29.7. Like her teammates, Ariel Keklak also put a dent into her previous PR by finishing in 19:46.7 for 17th overall.
Keelah Barger was the fourth Ute to cross the finish line with a new PR as well, checking in at 19:48.1 for 19th. Morgan Jensen was Utah's fifth and final scorer after jumping seven spots in the final 2k to break her previous PR by a minute with a time of 19:58.2.
Lauren Peterson, who was with Jensen in the final stretch, finished with a time of 20:11.4 for 34th-overall while freshman Erin Vringer placed 40th with a time of 20:15.6. Karli Branch (20:45.5), Kylie Harnett (20:49.1) and Maddie Reed (20:53.0) closed things out for Utah – finishing within eight spots of one another.
Prior to the start of the races, Venters was named the 2022 Pac-12 Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year. It was the first honor for the cross country program and ninth overall for the University of Utah since the award program's inception in 2007-08.
UP NEXT
Utah now heads back to SLC to rest up and get some training in before flying to the Land of Enchantment for the NCAA Mountain Regionals on Friday, Nov. 11. Gun is set to go off at 11 a.m. (MT) in Albuquerque, N.M., at the UNM North Golf Course for the toughest regional in the country.
2022 PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Riverside, CA • UCR Ag-Ops Course
Friday, Oct. 28, 2022
For the latest news and information on the Utah cross country and track & field programs, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The second-place finish ties the 2021 squad for the highest finish in program history at the Pac-12 Championships while the tie between the Utes and Buffs made it the tightest race in Pac-12 history. Meanwhile, every runner for Utah recorded a new PR on Friday. The Utes as a team all showed heart in the final 2k, moving up 18 points to tie the Buffs.
"I'm just so, so proud of our kids; every one of them," head coach Kyle Kepler said. "The look on their faces finishing that race, just digging in to pass anyone they could was a special sight to see as a coach. We just find a way to keep raising the bar. We ask them to be themselves and we know we have a group of individuals that when they step between the lines they undoubtedly become a great team. They want to see how far they can go and that's fun. We don't' have to talk about winning something or finishing a specific place. We talk about going out and running the right kind of race depending on what type of course it is. You know those gals in the back, particularly those six in the back, fought together to make sure we had one high-level scorer and it was amazing to see."
Individually, Emily Venters arguably had one of the best races of her career, crushing her previous 6k PR with a time of 19:16.7 to take second at the Pac-12 Championships. The Lawrence, Kan., native positioned herself well to take the lead heading into the 4k mark before moving into second in the final 1k behind CU's Bailey Hertenstein (19:11.3) – who ran a course record. The second-place finish for Venters is the highest by any Ute at the Pac-12 Championships or any conference championship dating back to 1989.
Emily Venters right up front as we hit the 2k marker here at the UCR Ag-Ops Course! #Pac12XC#GoUtes | #UtahTFXC pic.twitter.com/s6N2GrFc8i
— Utah T&F/XC (@Utah_trackfield) October 28, 2022
Simone Plourde also ran the best race of her young career, moving up 11 spots in the final 2k to finish fifth overall while also crushing her previous PR mark after crossing the finish line at 19:29.7. Like her teammates, Ariel Keklak also put a dent into her previous PR by finishing in 19:46.7 for 17th overall.
Keelah Barger was the fourth Ute to cross the finish line with a new PR as well, checking in at 19:48.1 for 19th. Morgan Jensen was Utah's fifth and final scorer after jumping seven spots in the final 2k to break her previous PR by a minute with a time of 19:58.2.
Lauren Peterson, who was with Jensen in the final stretch, finished with a time of 20:11.4 for 34th-overall while freshman Erin Vringer placed 40th with a time of 20:15.6. Karli Branch (20:45.5), Kylie Harnett (20:49.1) and Maddie Reed (20:53.0) closed things out for Utah – finishing within eight spots of one another.
Prior to the start of the races, Venters was named the 2022 Pac-12 Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year. It was the first honor for the cross country program and ninth overall for the University of Utah since the award program's inception in 2007-08.
UP NEXT
Utah now heads back to SLC to rest up and get some training in before flying to the Land of Enchantment for the NCAA Mountain Regionals on Friday, Nov. 11. Gun is set to go off at 11 a.m. (MT) in Albuquerque, N.M., at the UNM North Golf Course for the toughest regional in the country.
2022 PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Riverside, CA • UCR Ag-Ops Course
Friday, Oct. 28, 2022
| Place | Name | Time |
| 2nd | Emily Venters | 19:16.7 |
| 5th | Simone Plourde | 19:29.7 |
| 17th | Ariel Keklak | 19:46.7 |
| 19th | Keelah Barger | 19:48.1 |
| 23rd | Morgan Jensen | 19:58.2 |
| 34th | Lauren Peterson | 20:11.4 |
| 40th | Erin Vringer | 20:15.6 |
| 53rd | Karli Branch | 20:45.5 |
| 58th | Kylie Hartnett | 20:49.1 |
| 61st | Maddie Reed | 20:53.0 |
For the latest news and information on the Utah cross country and track & field programs, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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