NEW ORLEANS – Utah cross country’s McKaylie Caesar and Anna Peters made history on Monday when the USTFCCCA officially announced the 2023 cross country All-America team, making them the first Utah pair to earn All-America honors.
Caesar and Peters become the 10th and 11th Women of Utah to earn All-America honors in program history. Between the two they have led the Utes in every race they’ve competed in this season.
The pair went back-and-forth on who led early on at the NCAA Championships with Peters taking over midway through the meet before Caesar came down the stretch in the final 1k to pass Peters and finish in 26th-overall with a time of 19:56.7.
Caesar’s mark was just the fourth time a Ute had crossed the finished line with a sub-20 mark at the NCAA Championships since it moved to 6k in 2000, joining Utah greats such as Grayson Murphy (2017, 19:36.27), Emily Venters (2022; 19:54.1) and Amanda Mergaert (2012; 19:57.7).
Peters followed in shortly after Caesar at the finish line, crossing at 20:04.2 for 33rd-overall. The Post Falls, Idaho., native was also the top American-born freshman to earn All-America honors. Additionally, her time of 20:04.2 became the fifth-fastest time by a Woman of Utah at the championships since it was moved to 6k.
UTAH CROSS COUNTRY ALL-AMERICANS
2023 McKaylie Caesar
2023 Anna Peters
2022 Emily Venters
2020 Poppy Tank
2017 Grayson Murphy
2012 Amanda Mergaert
1987 Cesla Bowman
1982 Jill Molen
1981 Mary Lou Sedgewick
1981 Carla Pittlekow
1981 Jill Molen
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