You're going to get some argument on any "top 10" list, but nobody will dispute that Jacob Heslington belongs on this year's list. Photo by Alan Versaw.
In this article we take on the task of naming Utah's top ten male cross country prospects for the fall, 2012, season. In case you slept through track season, you need to know that there is no shortage of candidates for the list. Distance running is booming in Utah these days!
So, here goes with our best shot at naming a top ten:
1. Ben Saarel, Park City - The small schools get a serious nod with the first selection. Sure, Saarel's 9:01 3200 this spring was at Arcadia, but his 9:16 was in Utah. Track times don't always convert well into cross country times, but Saarel has proven himself in cross country as well, including missing a Foot Lockers National berth by exactly one place last fall.
2. Jacob Heslington, Timpanogos - In the last year, Heslington has won 4A titles at 1600 and 3200 meters in track and the 4A cross country title. He also won the 3200 at Great Southwest. It's tough to argue with that kind of resume, but the next couple of guys on the list have a case to make as well. For now, though, Heslington pencils in at #2.
3. Brayden Cromar, Davis - The Davis senior has been paying some serious dues over the last year. He seems primed and ready to explode onto the scene at this point. He is the top returner in 5A cross country and owns a 9:08 3200 at Arcadia. He hasn't won everything he's set his eyes on, but he's getting pretty close.
4. Jerrell Mock, Logan - Mock still has something to prove on the cross country course, but a track season that culminated with a 9:17 3200 at the state meet strongly suggests he's ready to prove that. It seems likely that Mock will be one of the state's most improved cross country runners this fall.
5. Jordan Cross, Ogden - Cross is more or less the opposite of Mock. You could make a case, based on last year's cross country results alone, that Cross should be at the top of this list. But, Cross's track season wasn't as strong as those listed above him. If Cross returns to last year's form in cross country and builds from there, figure on him climbing a little on this list.
6. Brayden McLelland, American Fork - McLelland's track credentials don't place him this high, but American Fork's guys are notoriously good at cross country. Like Jordan Cross, McLelland has potential to be a climber on this list. And, when the stakes are big, McLelland has a history of responding, as his 4th-place finish at last fall's NXR-SW would attest.
7. Conner Mantz, Sky View - It's a tough list that has Mantz at #7 (and maybe he belongs a little higher?), but the Sky View sophomore will be heard from this fall. His 9:18 3200 as a freshman at the state meet this spring speaks volumes. If he enjoys the usual freshman-to-sophomore progression, he's going to make life tough on guys higher on this list. Mantz figures to be special before he's done if he keeps things pointed in the right direction.
8. Andrew Brewer, Bingham - Only a sophomore last year, Brewer had some flashes of brilliance, and particularly so during track season. So, we're overlooking a cross country season that wasn't all that special and figuring on him being one of the state's most improved cross country runners in the fall. There is no question about Brewer's speed, but we'll see how his endurance develops this fall.
9. Chuk Mitchell, Herriman - Mitchell may have been a little out of gas at the state track meet this spring, but his run at the Davis Invitational likely gives a more accurate picture of his capabilities. Like a few other guys on this list, the evidence suggests Mitchell is a little more at home on grass and trail than on polyurethane.
10. Preston Johnson, Davis - Johnson didn't enjoy the greatest of track seasons this spring, but it's very hard for me to get out of my head the visual image of Johnson pressing the pace through the first two miles of NXR-SW. My hunch is that Johnson is a cross country guy through and through and is ready to demonstrate that this fall. If not, at least this position on the list doesn't have far to travel as there are other Davis guys waiting in line.