Highland XC Invitational (UT)
The U.S. No. 7 ranked Davis boys pose after winning the Highland XC Invitational. (Photo courtesy of @davistrackandxc)
In perhaps the most dramatic pre-season cross country battle yet, MileSplit is proven wrong in the Pre-Season Team Rankings ALREADY! But what are rankings for, if not to be destroyed in-season?
The American Fork girls edged Pre-Season U.S. No. 7 Davis, 41-58, at Thursday night's pre-season meet. Junior Kate Hunter of Provo, a perennial small school Utah state champion, won the individual title (17:26 for 2.9 miles) over a talented field that included 16:50 5k runner Aubrey Argyle.
Junior Argyle finished fourth overall (17:35.6) and No. 2 for Davis, as new transfer Courtney Wayment led the Darts in second place (17:30.5). Sara Musselman led American Fork with a third place, 17:32.1 effort as her squad packed up just a little tighter than the Darts. American Fork's top four placed within the top 10 overall finishers, while only Wayment and Argyle finished in the top 10 for Davis.
On the boys side, Pre-Season No. 7 Davis scored 46 points to dominate the field, as runner-up Timpanogos scored 97 points in the team competition. Ogden's Alek Parsons won the individual title in 14:44.6 on the 2.9 mile course; the time is a 23-second personal best for the senior, who is one of the nation's top returning distance runners (U.S. No. 11 on Flo50). Junior Camren Todd led the Darts in second place, running just behind Parsons in 14:46.6. The Davis boys boasted a 44-second top five spread, as all five scorers placed within the top 15 overall.