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Last year, the Alta boys' cross country team earned its first state title and, early this season, it looked as though the Hawks were on pace for another solid finish at the state meet.
But something just didn't add up when the Hawks hit the course at Sugar House Park last week. Garrett Jones , who placed third in the 2008 state meet, dropped to 16th place and Brian Howell , who placed 10th last season, was farther back in 41st place. Ryan Fuller , Zach Evans and Braiden Winegar rounded out the top five for the Hawks. They ran to an eighth-place finish -- still one of the best finishes in Alta's history. Just over one minute separated the Hawks' No. 1 through No. 5 runners.
While the boys fell a few spots in the rankings, the Alta girls picked up the pace and finished fifth. Though the Hawks' No. 1 runner, Sierra Batey , was 25th in 20 minutes, 21 seconds, the rest of the Hawks' scoring runners all came in within just 21 seconds of each other -- better than any other team in the state. Junior Kaitlyn Syndergaard , who placed 10th in her sophomore season, had a rough dayn and finished 55th.
Jordan cross country
With defending 5A champion Danielle Menlove still out with an undisclosed illness, the Jordan girls' cross country team had its work cut out for it as the Beetdiggers battled to match last year's second place finish at state. Last year,
While her absence left a huge hole in the lineup, the young Beetdiggers worked together and battled to place 10th, a respectable finish for a team that did not have a single senior.
Sophomore Amy Reid was Jordan's top finisher, placing 14th in 19 minutes, 32 seconds. Bridget Hazel , Alison Arnold , Riley Barstow , and Kam Jones rounded out the Beetdiggers' top five runners.
Juan Diego girls' soccer
Vicki Shimkus was tired of her team being taunted by fellow Juan Diego athletes for its inability to bring home a state championship. Last Saturday, she and the Soaring Eagle squashed the talk by defeating Morgan 1-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium to bring home Juan Diego's first soccer state title.
"They've been up on us, asking when we were going to get ours," said Shimkus. "We showed them this year."
Fact is, they'd come close before. Juan Diego reached the 3A state title game in both 2006 and 2007 but fell short in both attempts. Following last year's semifinal loss to Park City, coach Jamie Schock made some adjustments, redirected the team's focus and went for the goal in 2009.
"It's nice to be awarded with the top prize for all the hard work we've put in," said Schock.
The Soaring Eagle will graduate nine seniors, including all-state nominee Jenn Flynn, whom Schock calls "the best player in Juan Diego history."
But with junior midfielder Vicki Shimkus, junior defender Monique Morrison and freshman forward Emily Bruder all back next season, the Soaring Eagle may still be a favorite to bring home state title No. 2.
