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After a third-place finish at the Mountain Region Championships that head coach Kyle Kepler told team media was "maybe the best day in the history of the program," Utah's No. 20 cross country team has received an at-large bid in next weekend's NCAA Championships — its first-ever NCAA team appearance.
Hannah McInturff was fourth at the regional, followed by Susannah Hurst Spencer (20th) and Sarah Feeny (21st).
"I can't be prouder of a group of girls," Kepler said in a release. "They did it. This is all on them and they are the ones who believed that we could get it done this year. All of the effort and all the accolades go to them."
Utah will bring seven runners to Louisville, Ky., on Saturday, with the top five scoring points.
The Utes have had nine individual runners appear at the NCAA meet, including All-Americans Amanda Mergaert (2012), Cesla Boman (1987) and Jill Molen (1982).
— Matthew Piper
Twitter: @matthew_piper