Lehi Sports
Lehi’s Braithwaite finishes high at Nike Cross Southwest Regional
Megan Wallgren / Lehi Free Press
Lehi High School senior runner Miles Braithwaite cracked the top 20 at the Nike Cross Regional Southwest meet held Nov. 23 in Casa Grande, Arizona.
Competing against 268 of the fastest runners from Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada, Braithwaite finished 17th overall in the Boys Championship 5K in an impressive 15 minutes flat.
The NXR Southwest meet is one of eight regional qualifiers feeding into the prestigious Nike Cross Nationals (NXN), scheduled for Dec. 6 in Portland, Oregon. The top two teams and the top five individual finishers not already on a qualifying team earn automatic entry into the national championship race.
Running under the club name Pioneer Nation, the LHS boys team placed 14th of 36 teams in the 5K Championship Race with a combined team time of 1:18:28 and an average of 15:42 per runner.
Behind Braithwaite, senior Jameson Lowry finished 86th in 15:35. Sophomore Brayden Barlow ran a personal-best 15:52.1 to place 134th, followed closely by sophomore Milo Amakasu, who clocked a PR of 15:56.0 for 139th.
Junior Everett Quist completed the Pioneer scoring five in 16:04.8, finishing 160th overall. Also competing for Lehi were sophomore Owen McMullin and junior Luke Shumway.
The Skyridge High School boys team, racing as Skyridge XC Club, finished in 17th place in the Championship Race with a team time of 1:19:02 and a 35-second spread among scorers.
Senior Ian Greene led the Falcons with a strong 78th-place finish in 15:30.8. Junior Jack Grossen (97th, 15:39.31) and sophomore Landon Carter (113th, 15:47.15) followed, while sophomore Zane Taylor posted a personal record of 15:59.27 to take 143rd.
Senior Noah Nelson wrapped up scoring in 16:05.16 for 161st. Freshman Curtis Greene and senior Greyson Spencer rounded out the varsity squad.
On the girls side, both the Lehi and Skyridge teams made the trip to Arizona, though neither qualified for the Championship Race. Instead, each competed in large-school division races and delivered standout team performances.
The Skyridge girls claimed the team title in the Large School Girls 3 Race, powered by senior Lucy Hawkins, who won her divisional race in 18:15.3. Senior Clara Madsen placed eighth in 18:50.3, and sophomore Jane Hawkins crossed in 22nd with a time of 19:28.4.
Freshman Abigail Finley finished 28th in 19:41.4, while sophomore Zoe Tanner sealed the Falcon victory by placing 64th in 20:19.3.
The Lehi girls placed third in the Large School Girls 2 Race, led by sophomore Laney Martin, who finished 11th overall in 18:54.1. Junior Avie McAdams followed in 19:08.1 for 17th, with junior Remy McAdams close behind in 19:09.6 for 20th.
Sophomore Maggie Peterson placed 26th in 19:16.9, and sophomore Kaitlyn Liston completed the scoring with a 43rd-place finish in 19:38.3.
For both Lehi and Skyridge, this was an important building year, and their performances in Arizona reflected that progress. Lehi’s squads showed promising depth with several breakout races, while Skyridge demonstrated its growing strength with tight team packs and a girls division title.
With many key athletes returning, both programs look poised to take another step forward next fall.
