Tara Northcutt
Distance #0
Ht
5'
3"
Class
Senior
Hometown
Provo, 
Utah
Roster Years
1998-2002


Personal

  • Born in Provo, Utah
  • Parents are Ray and Sylvia Rohatinsky
  • Married to Paul Northcutt

Before BYU

  • Set the mile record at the Simplot Indoor Games in Pocatello, Idaho
  • Her 4x800m team, which included fellow BYU harrier Sarah Gardiner, set the meet record at Simplot Games
  • Two-mile winner (10:35) at the Golden West Meet in Sacramento, California
  • Captured Utah state title in two-mile two years in a row
  • Won the two-mile at the Arcadia Invitational in Arcadia, California
  • Led sprint medley team to state title
  • Team captain for her last two years
  • Army Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2014 BYU Hall of Fame

2014 BYU Hall of Fame

Tara Rohatinsky Northcutt enjoyed one of the most decorated running careers in BYU history while competing for the Cougar cross country and track teams from 1997-02.

As a member of the cross country team, Northcutt helped lead BYU to national titles at the NCAA Championships in 1999 and 2001 and a second-place finish in 2000. She was a first-team All-American in each of those seasons with a 17th-place finish in 1999, an 18th-place finish in 2000 and a ninth-place finish in 2001.

Before her breakout success at BYU, Northcutt was the third American finisher in the 1998 Junior World Cross Country Championships in Morocco.

In addition to her achievements in cross country, Northcutt enjoyed a successful career as a distance runner on the track as well. She claimed four top-10 finishes at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships and received four All-America citations. Northcutt’s defining moment on the track came in 2000, when she claimed the individual national title in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, one year after finishing second in the same event.

Northcutt’s accomplishments were not limited to the track. She was a Cougar Club Scholar Athlete in 1997 and earned back-to-back Academic All-America honors in 1998 and 1999.

After graduating from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in health education, Northcutt moved to San Diego and coached distance runners at Scripps Ranch High School for three seasons.

Freshman Year 1999

T&F: WAC champion and meet record-setter in the indoor 5000m with a time of 17:09.03. . . finished 10th in the 5000m at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 16:27.71. . . NCAA automatic qualifier in the outdoor 5000m and 10,000m. . . recorded a personal best time of 16:12.12 in the 5000m at the Stanford Invitational. . . was the team's high point-scorer at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing second in the 10,000m (34:04). . . seventh in the 10,000m at the World University Games in Mallorca, Spain.

CC: selected to the All-MWC first team after a third-place finish at the MWC Championships. . . finished fifth at the Mountain Regional meet in a season-best 17:07. . . earned All-America honors with a 1seventh-place finish at the NCAA finals.

Sophmore Year 2000

T&F: started the outdoor season by running a provisional-qualifying time of 16:15.67 in the 5000m at the Stanford Invitational. . . set a personal record in the 10,000m and automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships with a 33:40.06 at the Mt. SAC Relays. . . won the 5000m at the Mountain West Conference Championships in 16:39.55. . . finished 13th in the 5000m at the NCAA Championships in 16:46.68. . . earned All-American honors by winning the 10,000m at the NCAAs in a time of 33:49.24.

CC: ran first race of the season at the Pre-National Invitational, covering the 6K course in 22:46. . . selected to the All-MWC first team after a third-place finish at the MWC Championships with a season-best 21:12 on the 6K course. . . named to Academic All-MWC team. . . finished 13th at the Mountain Regional in 21:41. . . earned All-America honors with an 1eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

Junior Year 2001

T&F: took third in the indoor 5000m at the Minnesota Classic. . . earned All-MWC honors with a second-place finish in the 5000m at the MWC Indoor Championships. . . ran an automatic-qualifying time of 33:27.59 in the 10,000m at the Stanford Invitational. . . took second and ran a provisional-qualifying time of 16:40.99 in the 5000m at MWC Outdoor Championships. . . Cougar Club Scholar Athlete.

CC: ran a 16:56.3 to win the Great American Cross Country Festival, her first race of the year. . . finished fifth at the Pre-National Invitational with a time of 20:57. . . won the Mountain West Conference Championships, completing the 6K course in 21:00. . . was named Mountain West Conference Runner of the Year and First Team All-MWC. . . second-place finish at the Mountain Regional with a time of 21:21. . . ran a season-best 20:42 at the NCAA Championships to finish ninth and earn All-America honors.

Senior Year 2002

Graduate Year

Redshirt Year 1998

 

T&F: Placed third in the WAC outdoor 5000m in 17:12.53. . . won the 5000m at the USATF Junior National Championships in 16:42.0.

CC: third American finisher in the 1998 Jr. World Cross Country Championships in Morocco. . . started the season with a sixth-place finish at the Mountain West Classic. . . ran a season-best 17:08 to finish 10th at the Stanford Invitational. . . raced to a fifth-place finish at the BYU Autumn Classic and a 10th-place finish at the WAC Championships. . . wrapped up the season by taking 12th place at the NCAA District meet.

Medical Redshirt Year 1998

 

T&F: Placed third in the WAC outdoor 5000m in 17:12.53. . . won the 5000m at the USATF Junior National Championships in 16:42.0.

CC: third American finisher in the 1998 Jr. World Cross Country Championships in Morocco. . . started the season with a sixth-place finish at the Mountain West Classic. . . ran a season-best 17:08 to finish 10th at the Stanford Invitational. . . raced to a fifth-place finish at the BYU Autumn Classic and a 10th-place finish at the WAC Championships. . . wrapped up the season by taking 12th place at the NCAA District meet.