Woolnough Wraps Up Collegiate Career with Second-Team All-America Honors
EUGENE, Ore. – Utah track & field senior Cara Woolnough closed out her collegiate career at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with second-team All-American honors after finishing 12th overall late Saturday afternoon in the 5000m race inside the reimagined Hayward Field.
Woolnough becomes the 15th Woman of Utah to earn All-America honors, joining Josefine Eriksen – who earned honorable mention All-America Thursday night in the 800m. The two All-America honors make it back-to-back season with multiple All-Americans for Utah, but the first time since 2012 where the Utes had it come from two different individuals.
She is now the fifth Ute to earn All-America accolades in the 5000m event, joining Poppy Tank (2021, HM), Grayson Murphy (2017, 2nd), Carla Pittlekow (1982) and Jill Molen (1982).
"Definitely laid it out on the track and gave it all I had today," Woolnough said after the race.
The Brisbane, Australia, native kept within striking distance from the front of the pack for most of the race before the top-5 began to separate themselves from the rest of the group. Woolnough eventually finished with a mark of 15:45.26 – making it her third race this season under the 15:50 mark.
"Unbelievable outdoor season," head coach Kyle Kepler said postrace. "To run four races this year in 15:50 or faster in the 5000m, including three in 15:45 or less, is incredibly consistent. Hard to put into words what Cara has meant to the program and the work she has put in on and off the track to have the year that she's had – including her becoming just the third recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 award here at Utah. Simply incredible. We're going to miss her in our program, but so lucky to have had her in our Utah cross country and track & field family the past five years."
With that race, the 2021-22 athletics season at the University of Utah officially comes to a close until teams return to The Hill and reports back in for fall camp ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
For the latest news and information on the Utah cross country and track & field programs, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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