Chalk up a win for the University of Utah women’s cross country team. The Utes ran at the Montana State Invitational this past weekend and they ended up taking first place overall. Head coach Kyle Kepler was beaming in his team’s effort.
“We were really pleased with how well we ran,” Kepler said. “Our top four girls especially ran really well. It’s always exciting to see the culmination of hard work and dedication. It was a great day for us.”
The meet saw teams from all over the region heading into Bozeman, Mont. in an effort to showcase a variety of team’s talents and what they could accomplish competing against one another.
Among the teams to compete last weekend was Weber State, who is ranked fourth in the region.
“From our perspective, it was about as close to perfect as we could get,” Kepler said. “Our top four racers ran as a group, and that is something that we’ve emphasized this season. No race is ever quite perfect and there are a few things that we could work on, but it was still one of the strongest performances we’ve had so far. To go into a race against Weber State and come out on top was a great thing for us.”
Moving forward, Kepler said his team has their sights set on the race at Notre Dame in two weeks.
“That race is just so different, because you run against some of the best teams in the country,” Kepler said. “Last year we finished in the top 10, and we were only a few points away from finishing even higher. It’s one of those meets where you have to be really mentally prepared. You’re racing against 25 to 30 of the best teams in the nation.”
Next up for the Utes is the Nevada Chase Race in Reno, Nevada this weekend.