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HEAD COACH KYLE KEPLER academics with five of his cross country athletes achieving academic all-conference honors. At the MWC Indoor Championships, the Utes finished fourth overall for the second consecutive year. In outdoor track and field, Utah finished sixth overall at the conference meet, but scored 70 or more points for the second-straight year. At the MWC Indoor Championships, Utah’s distance medley team comprised of Mergaert, Chelsey Kaplar, Lucy Yates, and Alyssa Abbott set a new school record and won their first conference title with a time of 11:38.59. The distance medley team finished nearly 11.5 seconds faster than second-place BYU, who had won the event nine of the 10 previous years prior to Utah’s victory. Abbott went on to win her first individual conference title in the 3,000 (9:55.54) the next day. As a freshman, Mergaert claimed the runner-up spot in the mile run in a new school record time (4:51.21). Sophomore Iverson claimed all conference honors in the high jump with clearance of 5-8.75 feet that gave her a runner-up finish as well. Sarah Grimm (weight throw) and the 4x400 relay team were third-place finishers and earned all-MWC honors. Utah’s DMR ended the season ranked 14th in the country after running a schoolrecord 11:13.77 at the Notre Dame Last Chance qualifying meet. The outdoor season saw Abbott run to Utah’s firstever Drake Relays championship in the 1,500 with a time of 4:23.48. She was also the conference champion in that event with a time of 4:29.98. Grimm broke the school record in the hammer throw with her toss of 207-1.75 feet at the Mark Faldmo Invitational. Grimm (hammer throw), Kaplar (400 hurdles), Iverson (high jump), and the 4x400 relay earned all-MWC honors. Yates qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career, where she finished 23rd overall in the 800. Her time (2:06.21) in the preliminary round at the NCAA West Regional Championships set a new Utah school record. Between indoor and outdoor track and field, Kepler guided his athletes to 16 all-MWC honors. Grimm qualified for the NCAA West Region Championships and was ranked in the top 10 in the nation for the hammer throw during the last half of the season. Kepler saw eight athletes qualify for regionals under the new qualifying system. Twenty athletes from the track and field team also earned academic all-conference honors. 14
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2008-09 The 2008 season was a banner year for Coach Kepler and the Utes. He coached the cross country team to a third-place finish at the MWC Championships, which is the highest finish in school history. En route to that third-place finish, the Utes defeated defending conference champion Colorado State. The team also had a top-10 finish at the NCAA Regional Meet, placing sixth overall. Abbott (9th) and Chelsea DiGrazia (21st) were named to the NCAA All-Mountain Region team. Abbott advanced to the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships where she placed 76th with a time of 21:00.5, missing all-American status by 19 seconds. The successful momentum transferred into the track and field season as Kepler coached his athletes to 135 new personal bests between the indoor and outdoor seasons. The team finished fifth at the MWC Outdoor Championships. Senior Chelsea Shapard won the 400 hurdles for the third consecutive year, while Grimm and Iverson won the hammer throw and high jump titles, respectively. Seven Utes were named to the all-conference team in four events. Kepler and his staff coached two athletes (Shapard and Grimm) to the NCAA Track and Field Championships. Shapard went on to qualify and compete at the 2009 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships, finishing 21st overall. Iverson also qualified and competed at the 2009 USA Track and Field Junior National Championships. 2007-08 In 2007, Kepler coached the cross country team to an improved fifth-place finish at the MWC Championships, including three top-25 finishers. At the NCAA Mountain Region Championships, Abbott finished 24th overall and was named to the NCAA All-Mountain Region team as a sophomore. Kellie Anderson and Lauren Endersen also garnered top-50 finishes at the NCAA Regional Championships. On the track, Shapard broke her own school record in the 400 hurdles with a time of 58.07 at the Arkansas Twilight. She also went on to win her second-consecutive MWC 400 hurdle title. Shapard was named to the All-West Region Team after a third-place finish at the NCAA West Region Championships. At the NCAA Championships, she advanced to the semifinals and finished 15th overall.