Meet The Ladies of Utah Cross Country 2015!

It's fair to say that cross country is probably the most overlooked sport in college athletics. Yet, few athletes could do what these athletes do on a day to day basis, especially in the mountains of Utah. Shoot, I dare any football player anywhere to make it through a single practice with these ladies without giving up and quitting. Even other track athletes respectfully view cross country/distance runners as abnormal stamina charged beasts! But when was the last time you saw a cross country runner on the front page of the Salt Lake Tribune or Deseret News? Let's be honest, you probably won't see it any time soon, but that doesn't mean these women aren't worthy of the attention. 

To the ladies of Utah Cross Country, you aren't forgotten or overlooked here! We know that each race you run is an accomplishment that not many people could even think about attempting. We think you deserve to have your accomplishments publicized just as much as any basketball, football, or baseball player. 

So, let's meet this year's team:

SUSANNAH HURST SPENCER - Sr (RS) - Salt Lake City, UT

Susannah is Utah's secret weapon in the 5,000 this year. After redshirting the 2014 cross country season and both indoor and outdoor seasons in 2015, she is looking to make her presence known on a national stage this year. Susannah currently holds the Utah school record in the outdoor 5,000 with a time of 16:06.31. She's also a two-time NCAA Preliminary qualifier in the 10,000. Look for Susannah to turn heads in all three upcoming T&F/XC seasons this year. She could very well be the runner who put's Utah on the map in PAC-12 T&F/XC.

ANDREA CHAVEZ - Sr (RS) - Ogden, UT

Andrea is another weapon that will turn some heads this year in PAC-12 competition. The St. Joseph's High School grad ranks third all-time at Utah in the indoor mile with a time of 4:47:75 and is currently in the top 10 at Utah in both the outdoor 800 and 1,500. In high school, she won the state cross country meet, won an individual state championship in the 800, and was named the 1A Female Runner of the Year by the Coaches Association. 

JOCELYN TODD - Sr - St. Louis, MO

First of all, I have to give a virtual fist bump to the only Utah student athlete that I've seen so far to be from my hometown of St. Louis. So Jocelyn, *fist bump*, go Cardinals. Don't you miss Steak n' Shake? Notice the difference between training in the humid air of Missouri versus the mountains of Utah? Jocelyn comes to Utah as a senior transfer from the University of Iowa. She is a 3-time cross countryAcademic All-Big Ten athlete and will make a valuable addition to Utah's team this year. 

KATE STRINGFELLOW - Sr - Salt Lake City, UT

Kate returns to the University of Utah this season after serving a full-time mission for the LDS Church in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Personally, I know how difficult it is to try and get back into track shape after serving a mission, so kudos to Kate for getting it done! During her last year of competition at Utah in 2013, Kate placed 12th in the 10,000 meters at the PAC-12 Championships. While attending high school at Highland High School in Salt lake City, she was an All-State cross country selection three years in a row and cross country region champion. We look forward to seeing what she can do this year.

MAKENZIE CLARK - Jr - Bountiful, UT

Makenzie enters her junior year at Utah after earning Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention honors in the 2014 cross country season. She qualified to compete in the 800 at the 2015 PAC-12 Championships with a personal best of 2:14.07. She also recorded a personal best of 4:51.42 in the 1,500 this past outdoor season. We look forward to seeing her times improve throughout the year and seeing her compete at the PAC-12 Championships once again. 

JESSICA SAMS - Jr - Ogden, UT

Jessica is starting her junior year with the Utes perhaps one of the more well rounded athletes on the team. When I say well rounded, I don't mean just in terms of athletics. She's also a passionate humanitarian, serving missions of service in Japan in 2013 and Guatemala in 2011. Last season, she finished 24th in the 5,000 at the PAC-12 Championships, recording a season best time of 16:47.99. At Ogden High School, she was a member of the 2010 cross country and 2011 track state championship teams.

GISELLE SLOTBOOM - Jr - Sassenheim, Netherlands

Giselle is the only athlete on this year's cross country team not to be born in the U.S. After being named the Ohio Valley Conference Cross Country Freshman of the Year while competing at Jacksonville State, Giselle transferred to the University of Utah in 2012 to compete in the PAC-12. She missed the 2012 season to represent the Netherlands on the Dutch National Team at the European Cross Country Championships. She currently ranks 9th all-time at Utah in the 5,000 with a time of 17:07.15. 

DANA SNELL - Jr - Meridian, ID

Dana, a Meridian, ID native and graduate of Rocky Mountain High School, probably has spent more time on the track at a state championship meet than any of her other teammates this year. She placed 2nd in the 800, 3rd in the 3,200, and was a member of the 4x800 relay team that won 1st. How many other athletes can say they won all 3 color medals at the same state championship? Dana has found her niche at Utah in the steeplechase where she ranks 7th on Utah's all-time list with a time of 11:19.42. 

SHAYLEN CROOK - So - Coos Bay, OR

The name of Steve Prefontaine means a lot to cross country/distance runners, but perhaps it means more to this lady. In 2014, Shaylen was the recipient of the Prefontaine Memorial Run Scholarship, which honors outstanding student-athletes whose accomplishments most closely reflect the excellence in athletics demonstrated by the late Steve Prefontaine. At the 2015 PAC-12 Championships, Shaylen finished 17th in the 10,000 with a season best time of 35:59.68. The future looks bright for her at Utah. 

SARAH FEENY - So - Ogden, UT

This group of sophomores will quickly become a force to be reckoned with. Now, I'm not going to say that Sarah Feeny is Utah's next great T&F/XC athlete that's going to re-write the record books....oh what the heck...I am going to say it! Sarah is going to be a legitimate threat this year, not just in PAC-12 competition, but on the national stage. During last year's, XC season, she was Utah's first finisher at the NCAA Regional Championships, placing 32nd overall with a time of 22:08.79, and she was just a freshman! She also ran the 2nd fastest time nationally among all freshman in 1,500 and finished 3rd in the 1,500 at the Pan Am Junior Championships and 2nd at the USATF Junior Championships. Is it fair to say that she's a stud? We think so! 

DAKOTA GROSSMAN - So - Haiku, HI

Track & Field/Cross Country isn't just a competitive sport to Dakota, it's in her blood. Her father is the head track coach at Seabury High School, where Dakota also graduated, and that family tradition is most likely what propelled Dakota to be a four-time Hawaii Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year and four-time cross country state champion. During her senior year of high school, she was the "most recognized high school athlete on Maui." Last year she placed 100th at the PAC-12 Cross Country Championships and looks to make an even bigger impact this season. 

HANNAH MCINTURFF - So - Pocatello, ID

Utah T&F/XC couldn't have been happier to have Hannah follow her sister Ali, an accomplished member of Utah's swim team, to Salt Lake City. Although Hannah does swim, we're happy that she chose track. During last year's cross country season, she placed 86th overall at the NCAA Regional Championships with a time of 23:04.43 and 61st at the PAC-12 Championships.  Her five individual state championships in high school make her another powerful addition to this sophomore class. Hannah is perfectly capable of keeping pace with teammate Sarah Feeny in the 1,500 and we look forward to seeing those head to head battles as the season progresses.

BECKY SARMIENTO - So - Orange, CA

Ok, I'll just come right out and say it. This sophomore class is amazing, and Becky is just another reason why. Last outdoor season, she placed 10th at the PAC-12 Championships in the 3,000 steeplechase, setting an all-time school record of 10:38.08. She was a freshman and will already have a permanent place in Utah's record books? Yeah, she rocks. During last year's cross country season, she placed 64th at the NCAA Mountain Regional Championships and we're hoping that she can continue to rack up the hardware in her 2nd year with the Utes.

SADIE WASSUM - So - Worland, WY

Sadie rounds out this super sophomore class. During her first year of cross country competition at the University of Utah, she finished 14th in the four mile at the Utah Open, 25th in the three mile at the Montana State Invitational, and 97th at the Washington Invitational. However, middle distance/long sprints may turn out to be more of her area of expertise. During her career at Worland High School, she won a state championship in the 400 and was a two-time indoor state champion in the 800. We're looking forward to see what she brings to the table this year.

HANNAH ALLRED - Fr - Ogden, UT

Anyone else noticing a pattern here? Ogden High School seems to be a pipeline of amazing talent for the University of Utah, of which Hannah is the newest. She took an 8th place finish at the 4A Utah State Cross Country Championships, 7th in the 3,200 at the Utah State Indoor Meet, and 5th at the 2015 Simplot Games in the 3,200.




CAITLYN FAUST - Fr - Stone Mountain, GA

Caitlyn is the only freshman this year not to come from traditional PAC-12 country, but she is making the adjustment to the thinner Utah air quite well. She brings to Utah a Georgia State 4A championship in the 800, a 3rd place finish in the 2014 cross country state championships, and a 3rd place finish in the 1,000 at the 2015 New Balance Indoor Nationals.



MILLIKA HOLBROOK - Fr - North Salt Lake, UT

Millika is a graduate of Woods Cross High School in Salt Lake City and is looking to have an immediate impact in cross country this year for the Utes. Last year, she won the Region 6 Championship in the 800, 1,600, and 3,200. She also finished 6th in the 1,600 at the Utah State 4A Championship meet.

CLAIRE MACMILLAN - Fr (Rs) - Felton, CA

Since redshirting last year, we're eager to see Claire get back into competition this season and track her progress. While attending San Lorenzo Valley High School, Claire finished fourth at the CIF Cross Country Meet and earned all-CSS cross country honors. Her personal best mile time is an impressive 5:02.




LAUREN ROBERTS - Fr - La Jolla, CA

Lauren is a three-time CIF State Championship cross country qualifier with personal bests of 5:11.70 in the 1,600, 11:35.69 in the 3,200, and 2:28.33 in the 800. The La Jolla High School graduate is a Pre-Psychology major and we're excited to see her career progress with the Utes this year.




MEGAN SPEHAR - Fr - Bountiful, UT

Megan rounds out the list of newcomers this year. She's a graduate of Bountiful High School and is a two-time state qualifier in the 1,600 and 3,200, two-time cross country state championship qualifier, and a Region 6 champion in the 3,200.





This year's women's cross country team is shaping up to be a good one. The team opened up their season by placing second overall at the USU Aggie Invitational in Logan on September 5th. Coach Kyle Kepler stated "I though that everyone gave great efforts and I think that we will keep getting better and stronger as the season moves forward." 

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About Unknown

"I'm a graduate of the University of Utah and self proclaimed 'biggest track fan in the state of Utah.' Since Utah is an Olympic proud state, it seems odd that Utah doesn't fully support the marquee sport of the Olympics. Let's do something about it!"