STILLWATER, Okla. — Utah Valley University's
Everlyn Kemboi became the program's first All-American in cross country after finishing 19th at the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday morning at Oklahoma State University. The 27th-ranked Wolverines, making their first team appearance in program history, finished 26th overall.
Kemboi ran the 6k in 19:59.7 on a chilly but sunny morning in Stillwater. She was followed by
Mazzie Melaney Preston, who was 140th with a time of 20:51.6.
Caila Odekirk (154th, 20:57.3),
Hannah Branch (167th, 21:04.1), and
Maggie Zwahlen (182nd, 21:11.9) were the remaining three to factor into the team score for the Wolverines.
Ari Trimble (198th, 21:20.0) and
Madison Flippence (213th, 21:30.6) rounded out the Utah Valley student-athletes competing on Saturday.
"For Eva to become our first distance runner in cross country to be an All-American is special. She also ran 23 seconds faster than she did here (at the Cowboy Jamboree) a couple of months ago," said UVU head coach
Scott Houle.
Utah Valley had five seniors all race for the final time in cross country: Branch, Melaney Preston, Flippence, Kemboi, and Zwahlen. All but Branch have track & field eligibility remaining and will forever be part of the program's first team NCAA Championships appearance. Branch was a five-time All-WAC selection in cross country and last season was alongside Kemboi as the program's first female outdoor track & field All-Americans, with both achieving the feat in the 10k. Zwahlen had four All-WAC finishes during her cross country career with Melaney Preston achieving the feat three times. Kemboi — the 2022 women's champion — and Flippence were both two-time All-WAC selections.
"The seniors have been a huge staple for us. I remember recruiting them and they came here and believed in a system and worked hard. They achieved some great things and really put our team on the map. We're really going to miss them," Houle said.
Odekirk, a sophomore, and Trimble, a true freshman, both are poised to lead the program going forward.
"Caila had a really good race today. She ran one minute faster than she did last year, which is a huge improvement, and Ari being a freshman just continues to impress. She's our fastest freshman ever on this course so it's exciting to have them in the program as they continue to develop," said Houle.
