Celebrating Champions – University of Utah Athletics

Women’s Outdoor Track & Field

Simone Plourde – 2023 Pac-12 1,500m Champion

Emily Venters – 2023 Pac-12 10k Champion

History was made on Day One of the Pac-12 Championships, with Emily Venters running away from the field and winning the 10k for Utah’s first Pac-12 individual championship. Venters took the lead right as the gun went off and never looked back. She broke away over the final 17 laps, crossing the finish line at 32:32.98.

Two days later, Simone Plourde would give Utah another individual crown with a championship in the 1500m. The race was Plourde’s from wire-to-wire and her time of 4:09.48 was not only a PR, but reset a meet record that had stood for eight years.

In the end, both Utah’s team points total and finish in the team standings were its highest since joining the Pac-12. Plourde and Venters each earned two All-America awards, helping the Women of Utah clock a 15th-place team finish (16 points) at the NCAA Championships. Both were the highest in program history.