Finding Our Way

While the weather was a little less than what you think of for Arizona, we were still able to put together some great performances.  Light rain, wind, and cool temperatures plagued what is usually track and field paradise at this time of the year.  However, we had athletes in almost every event group compete at a very high level.  Our weekend included another NCAA Regional Qualifier (Chelsea DiGrazia-1500m, 4:26.71) and three other NCAA Regional performances from our three athletes who had already qualified.  

Junior Sarah Grimm had another huge PR in the hammer throw (194-0).  Chelsea Shapard finished second in the 400m hurdles against a field loaded with NCAA championship qualifiers and All Americans.  Her time of 58.88 was the fastest she has ever run at this time of the year. Freshman Langley Iverson cleared 5-7 in the high jump and had two great attempts at 5-8.75 which is the NCAA Regional qualifying mark.  Seniors Lauren Endersen (17:13.50) and Kellie Anderson (17:26.80) both ran lifetime bests in the 5K.  Another senior, Janett Ern ran a personal best mark of 4:40.00 for 1500m.  

I was really impressed with how we competed in most events.  I thought we dealt with the weather and we had several athletes who were fighting illness.  We still have some work to do and a few athletes are not where they want to be.  However, I think between practice and our upcoming meets we still have plenty of time to solve those issues and keep moving forward.  

BYU Invite

Our meet last weekend at BYU  was held in less than desirable competition conditions (40 degrees, light winds, and scattered snow showers), but I thought for the most part our team competed very well.  We had two event champions as well as nine personal best efforts.  More importantly, I was impressed with our mental toughness.  I thought we focused on competing hard rather than worrying about the conditions.  In otherwords,  our team controlled what they could control.  If your going to be great it has to be that way because you never know what the conditions will be like at a championship meet when the stakes are even higher.  

This weekend we go back to Tempe, AZ to compete at the Sun Angel Classic hosted by Arizona State.  Our first trip their this year produced three regional qualifiers. We are hoping to add to that group with more outstanding performances.  The weather looks to be great, and the field of teams will provide great competition in every event.   I'll check back in next week...hopefully with some great news, more regional qualifiers, and a slew of new lifetime bests.  

Have a great week.

The Outdoor Season Opens

Hey everyone!  Sorry it's been a while since I checked in.  It's been crazy around here with the spring weather and transitioning from indoor to outdoor practices.  However, we are off to a great start after our first weekend.  We took a few distance runners to Stanford and the rest of the team went to Arizona State.  

At Stanford we had two lifetime bests, two all-time top ten performance (800 and 10K), and our graduate assistant won her heat of the steeplechase in a new personal best that is only 12 seconds from the US National 'B" standard.  

In Tempe, our true freshman heptathlete, Bree LeRoy qualified for the US Junior National meet in her first ever outdoor multi event competition.  We also had three NCAA regional qualifying performances.  Two of those came in the hammer throw from Josefin Berg (2008 NCAA Championships qualifier) and Sarah Grimm.  NCAA 400 meter hurdle semi finalist, Chelsea Shapard, also qualified in her first race of the year.  Our 4x400 meter relay also ran well.  

The pictures above feature senior Chelsea DiGrazia preparing to race in her 1500 meter heat at Stanford and a full venue shot from Arizona State's evening meet.  

We compete at BYU on Friday in a one day meet.  We hope to have a few more athletes make regional qualifying marks and see our developmental athletes continue to improve.  

Spring Break

Spring break is here!  I know many of our athletes are happy for the break academically.  We will train together through Tuesday and then they will have five days on their own.  It's been very exciting on campus as both our men's and women's basketball teams won their respective conference tournaments and will be playing in the NCAA tournament.  We will all be rooting for them.  

Our outdoor schedule begins with meets at Stanford and Arizona State in two weeks.  Be sure to follow us at www.utahutes.com.  

Utah Cross Country Finishes 6th in the Nation

We found out today that our program has reached another big milestone.  After finishing just out of the top ten in the country for team GPA the last two years (12th-2006; 13th-2007) our team completed the 2008 Fall semester with the sixth highest GPA in Division I.  Our team GPA was 3.656.  

Junior Alyssa Abbott was named to the Division I Cross Country All Academic team.  She finished 76th at the NCAA Championships and carried a 3.809 GPA in Exercise Physiology.  

Seniors Lauren Endersen and Kellie Anderson had perfect 4.00 GPAs.  Janett Ern (3.800), Sam Gaffney (3.736) and Chelsea DiGrazia (3.65) also made key contributions to this effort.  

This is the perfect reward to what was an outstanding season on and off the course.  I couldn't be prouder of a group of young women.  The four seniors have been with me since I arrived four years ago.  They never stopped believing in each other or what we were trying to build here at Utah. That belief and that passion has been rewarded with national level success that this program has not seen in quite a while.  

What to do in SLC???

So...besides attending one of the premier academic institutions in the U.S., running and training in one of the most beautiful areas in the country, being part of one of the Top 20 Division I college athletic programs in the nation, having 11 of the best ski resorts in the world within 45 minutes of campus, and living in a family oriented city...what else is there to do you ask.

Sports.....

Basketball--Home of the NBA's Utah Jazz (see picture above from a recent home game)

Baseball--Home of the Triple A Salt Lake Bees (Anaheim Angels affiliate)

Speed Skating--Home of ISU World Cup Speed Skating events

Dew Tour--Pro Skateboard Tour event held in the summer

Professional Skiing/Snowboarding events held in Park City

Professional Ski Jumping events held at Olympic Ski Jump Park near Park City

Rodeo--Days of '47 Professional Rodeo Event

University of Utah Athletics

   -'09 Sugar Bowl Champion and undefeated (13-0) Football

   -Conference leading men's and women's Basketball teams

    -#1 Ranked Gymnastics team

    -Sweet 16 and conference champion volleyball team

   -Nationally ranked men's and women's ski teams

    -National level track & field, cross country, soccer, softball, baseball, swim & diving teams

Shopping....

Gateway Shopping Center (built for Olympics) outdoor shopping and dining

Outlet Mall at Kimball Junction (72 stores including Nike, Adidas, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Abercrombie, etc.)

7 other shopping malls within 10 mile radius of campus

Sugarhouse--Several locally owned shops and boutiques located 10 minutes from campus

Entertainment....

Concerts of all sizes (see picture from recent Big Head Todd & the Monsters concert at local venue)

Recent concerts:  Rascal Flatts, Hannah Montana, MC Hammer & Vanilla Ice, Tracy Lawrence, Metallica, Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Maroon 5, Kenny Chesney, etc.

Summer concert series with a variety of superstars and local talent

Lagoon-Amusement Park

Raging Waters-Water Park

Hundreds of miles of hiking, biking, and running trails

Any questions???  

Most points at conference meet ever

Pic 1:  Coach Kepler holds a team meeting to passionately speak about the weekend performances

Pic 2:  The 4x400m relay team accepts their runner-up medals.  They ran a season best time of 3:49.

Pic 3  Grad Assistant Shayla Houlihan, Lucy Yates, and Coach Kepler discuss the upcoming 800 meter prelims.

 I am very proud of the effort this past weekend at our indoor conference championships.  Our team put up it's highest point total in the ten year history of the MWC indoor meet to finish fourth.   We ended up only two points from third place in the team standings.   

Freshman Bree Leroy got us rolling by placing seventh in the pentathlon on Thursday.  We were able to carry that momentum into Friday and scored 30 more points with runner up finishes in the 5K (Lauren Endersen) and 20lb weight throw (Josefin Berg) leading the way.  

Saturday was far from perfect as we had four runners trip, get cut off, or fall during their races. However, our group continued to be resilient all day and fight for every point.  That focus and determination is what ultimately allowed us to finish as high as we did.  

This program has grown by leaps and bounds (pardon the pun) in my four years as the head coach.  They now embrace tough competition.  They can now persevere through less than ideal circumstances.  They now have confidence and believe in themselves and each other.  I am ultimately proud of everyone associated with our program (student athletes, assistant coaches, administrators, alumni, and family supporters) because together we have made this happen. 

2008-2009 MWC Championship finishes:

Cross Country-3rd (highest in school history)

Indoor T/F-4th (ties highest in school history and most points ever at championship meet)

Outdoor T/F-?????  

Be sure to follow us throughout the outdoor season for more fun and great performances!