On June 8, one of the most accomplished athletes in Utah history finished her career as a Ute with a bang.
Amanda Mergaert became just the second Ute ever to receive All-American honors in cross country, indoor and outdoor track when she took third in the 1500m at NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
“Her big goal going into the year was trying to complete the triplet, becoming an All-American in all three,” Utah head coach Kyle Kepler said. “That was her thought process from the beginning.”
Mergaert’s third place finish at the outdoor championships capped off a memorable year that saw her finish 14th and fifth in the nation in cross country and indoor track, respectively.
“Finishing third in the country would probably take the cake as the best moment of the year, but that’s because my parents were there,” Mergaert said. “They were able to fly across the country and see my last race. It was awesome.”
Mergaert’s All-American triplet finished off a collegiate career that was filled with many accomplishments. But for her, the best memories are of the people around her and not the individual success. Mergaert laughed as she remembered moments spent at camps, on road trips and just being with the team.
“The best part of it all is just being on and with the team,” she said.
In her junior year, Mergaert was an individual qualifier for nationals in cross country. She had to deal with an injury and wasn’t in the highest of spirits. As she was about to leave for the meet, her teammates met her with a surprise — all of them held balloons and letters of encouragement for her.
“That was a huge turning point in my career,” Mergaert said. “When you know that you have a whole team supporting you and having your back and wishing you well then you just want the same for them. It’s comforting knowing you have the team behind you.”
Even with Mergaert’s individual success, the Utes have had a hard time adjusting to life in the Pac-12. Led by a fourth place finish in the 1500m from Mergaert in the Pac-12 outdoor championships, Utah finished 11th overall.
“I think we are still in a transition process and trying to get recruits here so we can be more competitive in the Pac-12,” Mergaert said. “You never want to be in the bottom half of the conference. There’s a lot of room to grow.”
Kepler is confident that growth can come. The Utes have been helped in recruiting since joining the Pac-12 and are confident they will be able to fill the void left Mergaert’s departure. Mergaert also plans on helping coach next year, but that career may be short-lived as becoming a coach isn’t something she aspires to.
Though Kepler will miss Mergaert’s prowess on the track next year, he is looking forward to having her around the team once again.
“Her personality was one of my favorite things about coaching her,” Kepler said. “She doesn’t just give the same old, ‘work hard and stay focused’ answers. She tells it how it is.”
To mimic Mergaert and tell it how it is, after her All-American career, Mergaert may just be the best runner Utah has ever seen.