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No. 9 Utah Cross Country Headed to Wisconsin for NCAA Championships
11/16/2024 11:50 AM | Cross Country
Utah cross country is headed to the NCAA Championships for third-straight season and seventh-overall.
INDIANAPOLIS – The ninth-ranked Utah cross country team is headed to the NCAA Championships for the third-consecutive year and seventh time overall as a program – all under head coach Kyle Kepler – after hearing its named announced Saturday afternoon on the NCAA.com Selection Show broadcast.
The Utes earned an at-large berth for the second-straight year after placing fourth at the NCAA Mountain Regional on Friday, Nov. 15. The mountain region, which is considered the toughest region of the nine, had five teams ranked inside the top-30 – including four in the top-10 with No. 1 BYU, No. 4 Northern Arizona, No. 9 Utah and No. 10 New Mexico.
Overall, the Women of Utah have now earned six at-large berths to the NCAA Championships out of the seven times it has qualified (2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). The 2022 squad, which recorded the program's best finish ever at the championships (12th), is the only team to earn an automatic bid when it took second at the mountain regional that year in Albuquerque.
Utah returns to the NCAA Championships with a lot of depth behind McKaylie Caesar, Anna Peters and Morgan Jensen returning from last year's squad that placed 13th at Panorama Farms. Caesar and Peters are both returning All-Americans for Utah. In addition, the Utes have also added firepower with Erin Vringer, Lindsey Peters, Emily Chaston and Marika Couture.
Vringer redshirted last season and have come back stronger than ever, leading the Utes in all four major races this year culminating with an all-region award this past Friday. Peters and Chaston are both veteran transfers with experience at other institutions from the mountain region while Couture is in the mix as a true freshmen to make it the third-straight year the Women of Utah have had a true freshman compete as part of the NCAA Championships squad.
Jensen will be racing in her third-consecutive NCAA Championships while Chaston makes her fourth-career appearance – three of which came as a member of Colorado State (2020-22). Vringer is racing in her second championships having ran for the Utes her true freshman season back in 2022 as a member of the program record-setting team that finished 12th. Meanwhile A. Peters will compete at the championships for the second-straight year after earning All-America status last season as a true freshman.
The NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will once again air live on ESPNU when the teams toe the line and vie for the coveted championship at the Zimmer Championship Course on Saturday, Nov. 23, beginning at 8:20 a.m. (MST) / 9:20 a.m. (CST) local.
For the latest news and information on the Utah cross country and track & field programs, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com, on social media by following on Facebook, X and Instagram or stay connected with Utah360, the official mobile app of Utah Athletics through the App Store or Google Play.
The Utes earned an at-large berth for the second-straight year after placing fourth at the NCAA Mountain Regional on Friday, Nov. 15. The mountain region, which is considered the toughest region of the nine, had five teams ranked inside the top-30 – including four in the top-10 with No. 1 BYU, No. 4 Northern Arizona, No. 9 Utah and No. 10 New Mexico.
Overall, the Women of Utah have now earned six at-large berths to the NCAA Championships out of the seven times it has qualified (2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). The 2022 squad, which recorded the program's best finish ever at the championships (12th), is the only team to earn an automatic bid when it took second at the mountain regional that year in Albuquerque.
Utah returns to the NCAA Championships with a lot of depth behind McKaylie Caesar, Anna Peters and Morgan Jensen returning from last year's squad that placed 13th at Panorama Farms. Caesar and Peters are both returning All-Americans for Utah. In addition, the Utes have also added firepower with Erin Vringer, Lindsey Peters, Emily Chaston and Marika Couture.
Vringer redshirted last season and have come back stronger than ever, leading the Utes in all four major races this year culminating with an all-region award this past Friday. Peters and Chaston are both veteran transfers with experience at other institutions from the mountain region while Couture is in the mix as a true freshmen to make it the third-straight year the Women of Utah have had a true freshman compete as part of the NCAA Championships squad.
Jensen will be racing in her third-consecutive NCAA Championships while Chaston makes her fourth-career appearance – three of which came as a member of Colorado State (2020-22). Vringer is racing in her second championships having ran for the Utes her true freshman season back in 2022 as a member of the program record-setting team that finished 12th. Meanwhile A. Peters will compete at the championships for the second-straight year after earning All-America status last season as a true freshman.
The NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will once again air live on ESPNU when the teams toe the line and vie for the coveted championship at the Zimmer Championship Course on Saturday, Nov. 23, beginning at 8:20 a.m. (MST) / 9:20 a.m. (CST) local.
For the latest news and information on the Utah cross country and track & field programs, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com, on social media by following on Facebook, X and Instagram or stay connected with Utah360, the official mobile app of Utah Athletics through the App Store or Google Play.
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