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Kepler Earns Five-Year Extension Through 2028
7/5/2023 2:23 PM | Cross Country, Track & Field
Utah cross country and track & field head coach Kyle Kepler was extended through 2028 after historic year.
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah head cross country and track & field head coach Kyle Kepler earned a five-year extension through the 2028 season after guiding the Women of Utah to an unprecedented 2022-23 season.
"Kyle Kepler has done a tremendous job leading our cross country and track and field programs to unprecedented success, and I'm thrilled to extend his contract," said Mark Harlan, Director of Athletics. "He has raised the bar for his programs over the past several years, including a significant number of school records in 2022-23, and his student-athletes consistently rank among our department's top academic performers."
The historic year for Kepler, who wrapped up his 18th season at the helm this spring, saw his team accomplish so much throughout the season. The 2022-23 campaign saw Utah tally seven All-America honors, one cross country win, 14 new school records and 30 new entries into the all-time record books between indoor and outdoor seasons and program highs in the number NCAA regional NCAA Championship qualifiers.
Additionally, the Women of Utah finished the 2022-23 campaign No. 9 in the final USTFCCCA Program of the Year standings – its highest finish in program history. All three finished their respective seasons in the top-25 with cross country checking in at No. 12, indoor track at No. 21 and outdoor track at No. 15 according to the USTFCCCA final polls.
"I'm grateful to be able to lead these programs for at least another five years," said Kepler. "With the help of many outstanding professionals and administrators over the last 18 years, we've been able to build a national level program. I'm appreciative of the outstanding leadership provided by our Director of Athletics, Mark Harlan, and the entire administration. I'm especially thankful for Associate AD Liz Prince, who oversees these programs on a daily basis for all of her support."
Utah kicked off 2022 cross country season with a bang, sweeping the podium at the Roy Griak Invitational. Emily Venters led the way for Utah capturing her first-career victory while the Utes took home the team title. Her time of 20:33.2 was the fifth-fastest time on that course since it was lengthened to 6k in 2000 and was the fastest mark since 2011.
After taking eighth at a stacked Nuttycombe Invitational, the Women of Utah took second at the Pac-12 Championships after ending up on the wrong side of the tiebreaker rule despite all five scorers for the Utes finishing in the top-25.
Utah then earned its first-ever automatic bid to the NCAA Championships when it finished second at the NCAA Mountain Regionals – which is arguably the toughest region in the country. Ironically, the tiebreaker rule worked in favor of the Utes this time around. Venters took second as an individual at the regional meet after placing second at the league championships as well to pace the Utes.
The cross country season closed with Utah finishing 12th overall for its best finish ever at the NCAA Championships and was once again led by Venters – who also came in 12th to earn First-Team All-America honors.
Like the cross country season, the indoor track season also saw a ton of success with six new school records and 14 new entries into all-time list. Utah finished 21st-overall with nine points at the NCAA Indoor Championships behind All-America performances from Venters and Simone Plourde. Venters took fifth in the 5000m race on the first day, which was the highest-finish by a Ute at the indoor championships. However, Plourde went out the next day and bested her teammate with a fourth-place finish in the 3000m race to be Utah's best finisher at the indoor championships.
The outdoor season only built on the two previous seasons, setting 10 new records to go with 16 new entries into the record book. Venters made a splash in her first outdoor race of the season when she ran the sixth-fastest 10k in collegiate history at the Stanford Invitational (31:48.35). That time would end up being the top time in the NCAA for the remainder of the 2023 outdoor season.
Kepler, who is a native Iowan, had a great homecoming this year at the Drake Relays when his Utes clinched the Relays Cup for the first time in program history. Plourde also had a great showing in that meet, taking second in the elite 1500m race where she was the only collegian running against a group of professionals.
The distance duo of Plourde and Venters thrived in the championships season, with the pair bringing home Utah's first individual titles ever since joining the Pac-12. Venters became Utah's first-ever Pac-12 Champion when she ran away from the field in the 10000m race. The very next day, Plourde gave the Utes their second conference champion when she out-kicked Stanford's Melissa Tanaka for the 1500m crown. The Women of Utah also finished the conference meet with 45 points for ninth-place – both of which were top numbers for the program at the conference championships.
Utah had 12 qualifiers for the NCAA West Preliminaries, which was the most in program history while its 4x400m relay team qualified for the second-straight season – also a first for the program. Venters was the first to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships in the 10000m before Plourde earned her spot in the 1500m race. Dinedye Denis then earned the final qualifying position out of the west in the 400m hurdles ahead of Plourde and Venters qualifying for the 5000m to close out the meet.
The three participants at the NCAA Championships for Utah was a first in program history. The trio of Denis, Plourde and Venters represented the Utes well on the oval for their final races of the season, earning four All-America honors and one honorable mention distinction.
Venters further cemented her place in the Utah history books when she earned national runner-up honors in the 10000m race. Two days later on a hot and humid night in Austin, Venters (third) and Plourde (seventh) both registered top-eight finishes to garner first-team honors in the 5000m race. Like her teammates, Denis also competed at the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career and earned herself honorable mention distinction after placing 18th-overall in the 400m hurdles.
The 16 points earned by Utah tied it for 15th overall in the team standings with USC – which was the highest total and finish in program history. Additionally, the Utes were tied for the second-highest finisher among Pac-12 teams with the Trojans at the championships.
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.
"Kyle Kepler has done a tremendous job leading our cross country and track and field programs to unprecedented success, and I'm thrilled to extend his contract," said Mark Harlan, Director of Athletics. "He has raised the bar for his programs over the past several years, including a significant number of school records in 2022-23, and his student-athletes consistently rank among our department's top academic performers."
The historic year for Kepler, who wrapped up his 18th season at the helm this spring, saw his team accomplish so much throughout the season. The 2022-23 campaign saw Utah tally seven All-America honors, one cross country win, 14 new school records and 30 new entries into the all-time record books between indoor and outdoor seasons and program highs in the number NCAA regional NCAA Championship qualifiers.
Additionally, the Women of Utah finished the 2022-23 campaign No. 9 in the final USTFCCCA Program of the Year standings – its highest finish in program history. All three finished their respective seasons in the top-25 with cross country checking in at No. 12, indoor track at No. 21 and outdoor track at No. 15 according to the USTFCCCA final polls.
"I'm grateful to be able to lead these programs for at least another five years," said Kepler. "With the help of many outstanding professionals and administrators over the last 18 years, we've been able to build a national level program. I'm appreciative of the outstanding leadership provided by our Director of Athletics, Mark Harlan, and the entire administration. I'm especially thankful for Associate AD Liz Prince, who oversees these programs on a daily basis for all of her support."
Utah kicked off 2022 cross country season with a bang, sweeping the podium at the Roy Griak Invitational. Emily Venters led the way for Utah capturing her first-career victory while the Utes took home the team title. Her time of 20:33.2 was the fifth-fastest time on that course since it was lengthened to 6k in 2000 and was the fastest mark since 2011.
After taking eighth at a stacked Nuttycombe Invitational, the Women of Utah took second at the Pac-12 Championships after ending up on the wrong side of the tiebreaker rule despite all five scorers for the Utes finishing in the top-25.
Utah then earned its first-ever automatic bid to the NCAA Championships when it finished second at the NCAA Mountain Regionals – which is arguably the toughest region in the country. Ironically, the tiebreaker rule worked in favor of the Utes this time around. Venters took second as an individual at the regional meet after placing second at the league championships as well to pace the Utes.
The cross country season closed with Utah finishing 12th overall for its best finish ever at the NCAA Championships and was once again led by Venters – who also came in 12th to earn First-Team All-America honors.
Like the cross country season, the indoor track season also saw a ton of success with six new school records and 14 new entries into all-time list. Utah finished 21st-overall with nine points at the NCAA Indoor Championships behind All-America performances from Venters and Simone Plourde. Venters took fifth in the 5000m race on the first day, which was the highest-finish by a Ute at the indoor championships. However, Plourde went out the next day and bested her teammate with a fourth-place finish in the 3000m race to be Utah's best finisher at the indoor championships.
The outdoor season only built on the two previous seasons, setting 10 new records to go with 16 new entries into the record book. Venters made a splash in her first outdoor race of the season when she ran the sixth-fastest 10k in collegiate history at the Stanford Invitational (31:48.35). That time would end up being the top time in the NCAA for the remainder of the 2023 outdoor season.
Kepler, who is a native Iowan, had a great homecoming this year at the Drake Relays when his Utes clinched the Relays Cup for the first time in program history. Plourde also had a great showing in that meet, taking second in the elite 1500m race where she was the only collegian running against a group of professionals.
The distance duo of Plourde and Venters thrived in the championships season, with the pair bringing home Utah's first individual titles ever since joining the Pac-12. Venters became Utah's first-ever Pac-12 Champion when she ran away from the field in the 10000m race. The very next day, Plourde gave the Utes their second conference champion when she out-kicked Stanford's Melissa Tanaka for the 1500m crown. The Women of Utah also finished the conference meet with 45 points for ninth-place – both of which were top numbers for the program at the conference championships.
Utah had 12 qualifiers for the NCAA West Preliminaries, which was the most in program history while its 4x400m relay team qualified for the second-straight season – also a first for the program. Venters was the first to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships in the 10000m before Plourde earned her spot in the 1500m race. Dinedye Denis then earned the final qualifying position out of the west in the 400m hurdles ahead of Plourde and Venters qualifying for the 5000m to close out the meet.
The three participants at the NCAA Championships for Utah was a first in program history. The trio of Denis, Plourde and Venters represented the Utes well on the oval for their final races of the season, earning four All-America honors and one honorable mention distinction.
Venters further cemented her place in the Utah history books when she earned national runner-up honors in the 10000m race. Two days later on a hot and humid night in Austin, Venters (third) and Plourde (seventh) both registered top-eight finishes to garner first-team honors in the 5000m race. Like her teammates, Denis also competed at the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career and earned herself honorable mention distinction after placing 18th-overall in the 400m hurdles.
The 16 points earned by Utah tied it for 15th overall in the team standings with USC – which was the highest total and finish in program history. Additionally, the Utes were tied for the second-highest finisher among Pac-12 teams with the Trojans at the championships.
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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Players Mentioned
Hurdles
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Distance
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Distance
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