Lehi Sports
Lehi-area harriers break top 10 at State
Megan Wallgren / Lehi Free Press
The 6A State Cross Country Championships brought Utah’s best runners to Sugarhouse Park in Salt Lake City on Oct. 29 for a day of fast racing and fierce competition.
With ideal running conditions and a deep field of 17 boys and 17 girls teams, local programs from Lehi and Skyridge capped off their seasons with strong performances against the state’s elite.
Lehi senior Miles Braithwaite brought home the silver medal in the boys race at 15:17.45, holding off several pursuers who were close behind.
The boys team title went to Herriman with a score of 60 points. They were led by senior Jackson Spencer, who set a new Sugarhouse Park course record with a blistering 14:29.78, breaking the previous mark of 14:42.90 set by American Fork’s Casey Clinger in 2016.
On the girls side, nationally-ranked Lone Peak captured the championship with a low 31 points, dominating the field. For the second year, the individual title went to American Fork junior Skye Jensen, who defended her state crown with a time of 17:38.92.
The Lehi boys team made an outstanding showing, finishing fifth overall with 130 points. Braithwaite set the pace early, and was followed closely by senior Jameson Lowry (12th, 15:32.56).
The other scoring runners included sophomore Brayden Barlow (32nd, 15:59.82), sophomore Owen McMullin (39th, 16:10.77) and sophomore Milo Amakasu (45th, 16:16.37).
The Pioneers ran in a tight pack, with just 58 seconds between their first and last scoring runners. Lehi averaged 15:51 for its top five. Junior Everett Quist (16:24.86) and senior Austin Sorensen (17:23.85) rounded out Lehi’s state team.
The Lehi girls team also turned in a strong performance, coming in ninth overall with a score of 209. Sophomore Laney Martin led the way with a standout 16th-place finish in 18:47.23. She was followed by sophomore Maggie Peterson (40th, 19:46.96) and freshman Eilley Baker (45th, 19:56.51).
Junior Avie McAdams (53rd, 20:03.42) and sophomore Kaitlyn Liston (55th, 20:03.57) completed the scoring five, giving the Pioneers a team spread of just 1:16 and an average of 19:43 for their top finishers.
Juniors Remy McAdams (21:07.75) and Evangeline Christensen (21:54.00) added depth to the effort.
“This has been a strong season for both our girls and boys teams,” said Lehi Coach Chris Dorton. “We’ve had some of our varsity girls working through injuries, so we didn’t get the results we know we could have on the girls side, but I know they are really looking forward to coming back stronger at NXR.
“Our boys team is on record as the second fastest team we have had in school history with their performance yesterday at the Sugar House state course,” the coach said.
“Overall, I am so grateful for both these programs and all our athletes! They have shown so much grit and fight throughout this season, and it’s been a privilege to have a front row seat to all of it,” he said.
After a season plagued by injuries, the Skyridge girls team finally lined up with a full, healthy roster, and it showed. The Falcons finished seventh overall with a team score of 191 points, led by senior Lucy Hawkins, who placed 23rd in 19:01.56.
Close behind were senior Clara Madsen (35th, 19:35.66), sophomore Jane Hawkins (41st, 19:47.73), freshman Abigail Finley (44th, 19:54.59) and senior Claire Wallgren (48th, 20:00.40).
The Falcons worked as a team, finishing within 58 seconds of each other and averaging 19:40 for their scoring runners. Sophomores Chloe Bodine (20:23.49) and Zoe Tanner (20:37.48) rounded out the lineup for Skyridge.
The Skyridge boys also placed seventh overall with 174 points, led by senior Ian Greene, who crossed the line in 15:40.52 for 18th place.
He was followed by junior Jack Grossen (25th, 15:49.99), sophomore Landon Carter (35th, 16:06.57), freshman Zane Taylor (38th, 16:10.70) and senior Noah Nelson (58th, 16:34.14) to round out the scoring five.
Their 53-second spread highlighted a balanced and cohesive team effort and the Falcons averaged 16:04 among their top finishers. Freshman Curtis Greene (17:13.92) and senior Greyson Spencer (17:28.93) also competed for the Falcons at the state meet.
Skyridge Coach Isaac Hawkins said, “I was impressed with how our athletes prepared for and responded to challenges throughout the season. Their effort on race day was awesome.”
