ABOUT LIZ
Events: 3000 Meter Steeplechase, 5000 Meters, Cross Country
Height: 5′ 8″
Weight: 117
Current Residence: Salt Lake City, Utah
High School: East High School, Salt Lake City, Utah
College: Brigham Young University
Coach: Patrick Shane
Agent: Chris Layne, Total Sports Management, Inc.
Sponsor: Nike
Career Highlights
PROFESSIONAL:
After graduating from college in 2001, Liz signed with Nike and began her professional career.
- Four-time USA Champion (1999, 2000, 2002, 2005)
- Olympic Trials Champion (2000)
- 2005 World Championships: 9th Place (First American)
- 2005 World Ranking: 7th (First American)
- 2005 World Athletics Final: 8th Place (First American)
- Broke the American Record numerous times
- Ranked 1st in the US: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2005
- Two-time US runner-up: 1998, 2001
- 2001 Goodwill Games: 4th place
- Inducted into the BYU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012 as an individual athlete
- Championship XC team inducted into the BYU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013
* Did not compete in 2003
* Injured in 2004, but competed second half of season
COLLEGE:
- 2001 NCAA Champion – 3000 Meter Steeplechase
- Nine-time All-American (5 in track, 4 in cross country)
- Academic All-American
- First athlete in BYU history to earn All-American honors all four years of cross country
- BYU Cross Country National Champions 1999 – Team Captain and first BYU runner
- BYU Cross Country National Champions 1997 – Third BYU Runner
HIGH SCHOOL:
- State Champion in cross country
- Broke state cross country course record at State Championships
- State Champion: 800 meters
- State Champion: Mile (1600 meters)
- Named Utah’s Most Outstanding Cross Country Athlete
- Captain of State Championship cross country team
- Academic All-American
Bio
A serious ballet dancer most of her life, Liz was accepted into the San Francisco Ballet School and moved to San Francisco at age 14.
Not wanting to put her scholastic education aside, Liz came back to Utah and continued her high school education, taking a step back from dance.
She didn’t start running cross country until her Junior year. One of her friends invited her to come to practice after school one day, so she gave it a try. She ran at the state championship meet that year and placed 19th. By the next Spring’s outdoor track season, she found herself winning the State Championship in the 800 meters.
As a Senior the following fall, she won the State Cross Country Championship and broke the state’s course record. She also won the State Championship in the 1600 meters before graduating.
She earned a full ride scholarship to Brigham Young University (BYU), competing in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track until 2001.
In track, she won the NCAA Championship in the 3000m Steeplechase her Senior year. She was named All-American nine times (five in track, four in cross country) and was the first athlete in BYU history to be named All-American all four years. Her Sophomore year, BYU won the NCAA Cross Country Championship, and became BYU’s first women’s team to ever win a national championship. Liz was the third scoring BYU runner. Her senior year, she led the team to another NCAA National Championship, as the first scoring BYU runner and team captain.
Following the NCAA Championship her senior year, Liz signed with Nike and began competing professionally. She broke the American Record in her event several times during her professional career, holding the record almost consecutively for about four years. She won four US National Championships in the 3000 m Steeplechase and placed second twice. She was ranked 7th in the world her final year of competition, and she placed 9th at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
She retired in 2006.
She now works as a web developer and fitness model, but spends most of her energy raising her two kids, spending time with her husband, and enjoying this next phase of her life.