The Wednesday afternoon crowds lining Utah's state meet course are the stuff of legend. Photo by William Hasty.
The 2013 State Cross Country Championships will be held at Sugar House Park on Wednesday afternoon. Since the course was moved to the current Sugarhouse course, there have been 150 state champions crowned over 5 classifications. 3 Champions who earned their state title on this same course went on to win an NCAA Championship, with more looking to add their name to that list.
The 2012 Utah State Cross Country Championships were the fastest ever. For the boys, 8 of the 15 fastest individual times ever run on the Sugarhouse course were run in 2012. The 5A Junior and Senior Records fell as well as the 4A Sophomore, Junior and Senior Records. As for team times, the 3A and 4A records fell, and teams from all divisions combined for 6 of the 14 fastest team total times ever. For the girls, 4 of the 15 fastest individual times ever were run last season, and three of those four girls are returning this season. 5 of the 8 all time fastest team totals were run in 2012.
With the 2013 Utah State XC Championships less than 72 hours away, the entry lists for the meet are now posted. Check the links below out, and see what the competition looks like. The entry lists are still open for changes until tomorrow, so these lists are not final until the Official lists are finalized.
The Cross Country Season comes to it’s peak this week, with the 2013 Utah State XC Championships. Everyone has worked all season long to be their best on this single day in late October. When the gun goes off at 11 AM Wednesday morning, the 1A girls will begin their quest to etch their names in coveted archive of state champions. Only one individual and one team per classification can ever earn the title of 2013 state XC champion. Winning a state championship is truly the pinnacle of the sport within the state. In fact, more people will summit Everest this year than will be crowned a Utah State Champion. Being a state champion is rarified air. I do have a tendency to ramble, but the point I am trying to make is, this is it!
This week is the most exciting of all for Cross Country competition within the state of Utah. Aside from any post season championships meets, this is the end of the road for many in terms of the XC season. On Wednesday at Sugarhouse Park, runners from across the state will converge for the State Championship. the 1A girls go first, and then right after they finish the 2A girls will toe the line. The 2A boys will get their chance about 30 minutes after the girls finish.
The 3A classification might get the stigma of a “Smaller Classification”, but those who know Utah XC history know that the 3A Boys State title often the most difficult title to win. With runners like Ben Saarel, Luke Puskedra, Jordan Cross, Patrick Smyth, and more, the 3A Boys have proven that the only number that matters is the time on the clock. 3A runners have the fastest 2 times ever run on the current state course.
The 3A Girls Team competition was the highlight of the meet last season. The Park City and Ogden girls came in to the meet both ranked high enough they were looking for spots at the Nike Team Nationals. The battle was hyped up to be the battle of the day, and it did not disappoint, as the Miners of Park City held off the Ogden Tigers by just 8 points to earn the State Championship. The win marked the Miners 5th straight State Title.
This years 4A Girls competition seems to be a mess of epic proportions. One team after another has shown why they should be considered the team to beat, and in the end it looks just as open as it did at the beginning of the season, if not more. There are 5 teams I can honestly say I would not be surprised if they won it all on Wednesday. Orem, Skyline, Timpanogos, Ogden, and Mountain Crest.
The 4A Boys race came down to a tie-breaker last year, as Herriman and Bonneville both scored 68 points through 5 runners. It came down to the 6th man, and even though Bonneville’s 5th was ahead, Herriman brought home the State Championship. History will not likely repeat itself this season, as Herriman made the move to 5A, and both teams didn’t advance to State this season.
Last season Davis and American Fork girls were poised for a battle to the wire, with both teams Nationally ranked. In the end, the Darts Claimed the victory with only 37 points. This marked the 3th straight State Championship the Darts had brought home, in a very dominant streak for Coach Talley’s team. That same team would go on to finish 12th in the Nation at Nike Cross Nationals Entering this 2013 season we weren’t sure how complete the team would be, having lost their top 2 nationally ranked individuals in Shea Martinez and Ellie Child. So could the Darts possibly bounce back from losing 3 of their top 4 from last season?
The 5A Boys race last season was a great battle with two familiar faces in American Fork and Davis. American Fork had a very tight group at the front of the race and went on to win 29 to Davis’ 54. Also in the mix was Riverton, not far back with 74 points. American Fork went on to the highest finisher by a Utah School at the NXN meet, placing 2nd. Their team time of 1:18:18 was the second fastest team time ever, second only to the AF team of 2010 that ran 1:18.01. The Individual battle was also intense, and it took a 5A record run to win the race. Kramer Morton of Alta ran 15:13 to pull away from the AF and Davis pack.
Great times in Colorado with Elise, Cerake and Lauren! Sarah Baxter 16:11 #2 AT, Tal Braude 14:27 #4 AT, Austin Tamagno soph record at Mt. SAC.
Quick Takes: As I write all the meet recaps, and load all the photo galleries, I wanted to update everyone on a few quick highlights from the meet before all the full breakdowns.