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West Jordan Journal

Cross country teams finish season

Dec 08, 2016 02:56PM ● By Greg James

Senior Corban Allen runs the course at the Herriman Invitational. He finished 59th at state. (Copper Hills Cross Country)

By Greg James | [email protected]


Copper Hills and West Jordan high schools were not left out at the state cross country meet. Both teams had a presence in the Utah High School Activities Association 5A state championships at Sugar House Park.

The Grizzlies boys and girls both placed 12th overall at the season’s final meet. The Grizzly girls scored 283 points, well behind the eventual state champion American Fork Cavemen score of 68. The boys scored 330 points; American Fork had 42.

The Cavemen captured their eighth title in the last nine years—Davis stole the trophy last season.  Runners are awarded points depending on their finishing position. The top five team runners’ scores add up to form the team score. As in golf, the lowest team score wins.

The Grizzly boys finished just one point behind Layton High School. Senior Corban Allen paced his team finishing 59th overall. Juniors Jarod Evan, Garrett Crane and John Thompson finished off the scoring runners for the team. 

Allen finished the 3-mile course with a season record of 17 minutes, 7 seconds. Three of the other runners set personal records at the meet. 

The Grizzly girls had some more individual success. Sophomore Marlie Taylor placed 37th overall; senior Autumn Babcock placed 39th. The other scoring runners included Julia Falcon (53rd), Callie Barker (96th) and Brie Steele (97th).

Copper Hills placed second in boys and girls at the Region 2 state qualifier held at the Cottonwood Softball complex.  

The West Jordan boys placed fifth overall in Region 3, and the girls were sixth. Jaguar junior Jennifer Farfan placed ninth overall at the region meet and qualified to compete at state. She finished 72nd. The boys team was paced by senior Jason Scott. He finished 15th overall at region with a person record time of 17:45.

The other top finishers for the Jaguars at the region meet were Gentry Pierce, Lauren Brown, Camile Klundt, Logan Ward, Kevin Syphus and Drake DeHann. 

Sugar House Park hosts the largest cross country meets of the season. Its 3-mile course is known for its hills, flat spots and beautiful running vistas. Cross country running competitions may include grass or dirt trails with hills and obstacles to maneuver. Davis and American Fork high schools have consistently been the top teams in the state. American Fork has been ranked No. 1 nationally most of this season.

Seniors Brett Ballard, Joseph Gregory, Tabitha Brady and Olivia Smith were awarded Academic All-State awards by the Utah High School Activities Association. The Copper Hills runners were nominated by their coaches and the school administrators. Senior students must be contributing members of the varsity team and maintain a 3.5 or higher cumulative grade point average throughout their high school careers. All four Grizzlies have a 4.0 GPA.

The Grizzlies and Jaguars competed in several events this fall including the Highland Invitational and Grass Relays in August and the Nebo Invitational in September. Many of the top runners are scheduled to compete in the Footlocker Regionals in Anaheim, California Nov. 30–Dec. 4. Winners of the regional event advance to the Nationals one week later in San Diego, California.