"It was one of the gutsiest performances I've seen as a coach," Kepler said of Mackelprang.

Without Mackelprang in the top spot, fellow freshman Alyssa Abbott stepped up for Utah, shaving 1:30 off her best time of the season and finishing 23rd overall.

WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE: The Utah State men's and women's cross country teams won league championships at Fresno, Calif., Saturday.

The Aggie men posted a fairly easy victory as they placed five runners in the top eight individually en route to 26 points.

USU's Vance Twitchell was the meet runner-up, individually placing 28 seconds behind Boise State's Forest Braden. Twitchell, a senior from Helena, Mont., covered the eight-kilometer course in 24:43 to pace the Aggies.

Ben Kessen was fourth with a time of 25:08, while Seth Wold was fifth (25:13), Tony Jones seventh (25:32) and Aaron Clements eighth (25:45) for USU.

On the women's side, USU placed three in the top seven individually, including Jennifer Twitchell, who was fourth at 17:58.8 on the five-kilometer course.

Other top USU women finishes included Stacie Lifferth placing fifth at 18:00 and seventh-place finisher Amy Egan (18:07).

BIG SKY CHAMPIONSHIP: The Weber State men's and women's cross country teams put an end to the Northern Arizona run of titles as each Weber State team won Saturday at the 2006 Big Sky Championships in Sacramento, Calif.

It was the first men's championship since 1997 and the first women's title since 2000 for the Wildcats. It was also just the second time ever both teams have won the championship in the same year.

The Wildcats totaled 32 points to win by 18 over the Lumberjacks as four Wildcats earned All-Big Sky honors.

NAU sophomore Lopez Lomong won individual honors with a time of 23:27.1, but Weber State finished with five of the next 10 runners. Seven of the eight WSU runners posted their best performances of the season.

Junior Seth Pilkington led WSU for the fourth time this season and took second place with a time of 23:39.3 on the 8K course. Junior Bret Ferrier was fourth overall at 24:09.2. Sophomore Bryant Jensen was the third runner for the 'Cats as he finished sixth with a time of 24:43.9.