Utah sophomore distance runner Sarah Feeny has been in the spotlight for much of her career. As a standout prep runner for Ogden High School, Feeny was one of the best runners the state had ever seen at the high school level, even breaking Utah’s all-time record at the state meet her senior season.
She was a catch for Utah head coach Kyle Kepler, and the expectations were sky-high coming into a program that’s been trying to make a name for itself since joining the Pac-12. Now a year older and wiser, Feeny has adjusted to the expectations, and the freshman who looked lost in the headlights a year ago is now brimming with confidence as a leader of this cross country team.
“I think doing everything the way it’s supposed to be done — all of our core exercises, all that stuff, not cutting anything short,” Feeny said. “By doing that, I can be a silent example.”
The newfound conviction in Feeny may have stemmed from her being back in the spotlight over the summer, when she qualified to represent Team USA at the Pan American Junior Championships in Edmonton, Alberta for the 1,500-meter race, earning her spot by finishing in second place at the USA Track and Field Junior Championships in June. It was literally a dream come true for Feeny.
As an aspiring runner growing up, Feeny always imagined herself running in the Olympics, earning a medal and listening to the national anthem while standing on the podium representing her country. While the Pan American Junior Championships aren’t the Olympics, the sophomore finished in third place during the near-mile competition, which allowed her to achieve her lifelong goal.
“It was super cool,” Feeny said. “That’s the coolest thing because you always see that in the Olympics, and you always want to be that person. The girl that won was also from the U.S., so I got to listen to the national anthem on the podium. That was awesome.”
Making the trip up north with her was Kepler, who helped Feeny with her training for the event. Because the sophomore had been running throughout the entire Utah track season, training was sometimes tricky — she didn’t want to be worn out, especially with cross country season coming up.
But because this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Feeny, both she and Kepler decided training for the Junior Pan-Am Games was something they would focus on, and also agreed to delay the start of her cross country season until October.
All that said, Feeny and Kepler would not alter their decision to delay the start to her cross country season, as the experience was truly a unique one for the Utah native. If anything, the postponement will be viewed as an advantage when Feeny finally takes to the course partway through the season.
“It’s an incredible learning experience from an international setting,” Kepler said. “It’s just more championship-level racing that’s hard to come by. You can’t buy it, you just have to earn that … Each time you get to that level, you get more confident.”
With the late start to the campaign, Feeny will be missing the Montana State Invitational, where she captured her first collegiate victory in her freshman debut last season for the Utes. Though she won’t be able to defend her title in Montana, the decision was made with a long-term goal in mind — qualifying for the NCAA National Championships.
Making it to the National Championships is not out of reach for Feeny, whose personal best times would most likely be a qualifying mark, but the team goal is where it gets a little more lofty.
“I’m not going to say it’s going to require a perfect climb, but it’s going to require a near-perfect climb [to get to Nationals],” Kepler said.
That’s not to say the Utes don’t have a shot, especially with redshirt senior Susannah Hurst back in the mix to blend with an exciting crop of newcomers who might be able to break that threshold to qualify for the big meet.
With Feeny leading the way, this team has a frontrunner to keep up with some of the top teams out there, but the challenge lies in the other runners and cutting the gap between them. According to Kepler, the goal is to get the second, third, fourth and fifth runners just 20 seconds behind Feeny versus 40, which was the case last season. This will allow the team to register lower scores, and potentially qualify for the national meet.
“If they do that, we’re gonna have a pretty good shot to grab an at-large spot,” Kepler said.
The Utes will kick off their quest for Kentucky when they travel north for the Utah State Open on Sept. 5. Feeny will join her teammates in October in South Bend, Ind. for the Notre Dame Invitational.
@GriffDoug