For the third straight year, the Utah track and field team ended the Mountain West Conference Championship with a sixth-place finish.
Over the two days of the championship on May 16 and 17, the Utes posted 85 points and had five members of the team qualify for Regionals. Colorado State fished first and won the conference championship with a total of 187 points
“We had a good overall meet,” said head coach Kyle Kepler. “It was exciting for us to have a conference champion on each day. Our kids came out and performed at a high level and fought for every point we earned.”
On the first day of competition, Lauren Enderson finished first in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 35 minutes and 58.21 seconds. Her mark was the fifth-best time in MWC Championship history.
Josefin Berg and Shayla Houlihan also performed well for the Utes as Berg placed third in the hammer throw while Houlihan finished fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
On the final day, Chelsea Shapard won her second straight 400-meter hurdle title and ran the final leg of the 4×400-meter relay team, which finished third in the event. Her 11.5 total points were the highest of all Ute competitors.
Shapard, Houlihan, and Berg, along with Alyssa Abbott and Chelsea DiGrazia, will represent the U in the NCAA Regionals. “I’m proud of everyone on the team, including my staff,” Kepler said. “We had positive things happen across the board.”
The NCAA Regionals take place in Northridge, Calif., and will be hosted by Cal-State Northridge from May 29 to May 31.