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On a chilly Saturday morning, Timpview's Jon Nelson and Mountain View's Ashleigh Warner brought the heat as they finished first in their respective races at the Region 7 championship meet at Scera Park in Orem.
Nelson, who is the reigning 4A state champion, was neck-and-neck with Orem's Ben Johnson during the majority of the three-mile course. Once they reached the home stretch, Nelson turned on the jets and sprinted past Johnson to place first with an impressive time of 14:42.
Chase Nelson of Provo finished third in the race, while Orem's Adam Jenkins and Timpview's Raphael Devonas rounded out the top five.
The strong finish by the Timpview boys propelled them into first place in the team event, while Mountain View and Orem took second and third, respectively.
On the girls' side, it was Warner who kept pace with Orem's Kendy Christiansen until the end when she pulled away to finish first with a time of 17:41.
Warner, who is just a freshman, said she just kept running hard and is excited to compete at state.
"I just kept going until there were no more girls in front of me," she said. "I want to run as well at state as I did today."
Fellow Bruins Ashley Robison and Jennica Redd joined Warner in the top five. Hillary Troutner of Timpview finished fourth overall.
Predictably, Mountain View won the girls' team event, while Springville took second. The Orem girls matched their male counterparts with a third-place finish.
The qualifying runners will gear up for the state championships, which takes place on Oct. 22 at Sugarhouse Park in Salt Lake. |
