Ashton Arnold of Altamont was able to improve upon his runner-up performance from last year with a state championship this season.  The junior has set himself up nicely to be one of the heavy favorites to win next year's 1A title.  In the state race this year, Arnold led most of the race and finished ten seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. Theil Cooke of Water Canyon would be another athlete to watch out for. He has the next fastest time in the field, with his 17:29 coming from the State Meet.  He was also the runner-up in this year's State race and will be back next season.