The Utah women’s cross country program has followed the example of the Utes’ national champion ski program by recruiting internationally. That explains how Utah’s top five runners include three from England, one from Australia and one from Ogden.
The comparison to skiing ends there. Or could you picture five skiers racing down the slopes in a pack?
Coach Kyle Kepler’s strategy is to make cross country a genuine team sport, and he’s succeeding. With their top five runners staying together for about three-fourths of the race to pace and push one another, the Utes beat No. 1-ranked Colorado and four other top-10 schools in winning Notre Dame’s meet this month.