Bruin territory: Mountain View boys edge Orem for 4A cross country title, girls win too
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- The Mountain View boys and girls cross country teams pose for a photo after the each won their respective state titles at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Mountain View runners celebrate after the 5A boys race at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Mountain View and Orem runners compete in the 4A girls race at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Runners compete in the 4A boys race at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Runners start the 4A boys race at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Orem senior Austin Westfall crosses the line first in the 5A boys race at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Mountain View runners pose for a photo with the 4A girls title trophy at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- The Mountain View boys and girls cross country teams pose for a photo after the each won their respective state titles at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- The Mountain View boys cross country team poses for a photo with the 4A state title trophy at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Runners start the 4A girls race at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Timpanogos runners pose for a photo with the 4A girls runner-up trophy at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Mountain View junior Julie Moore wins the 4A girls race at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Runners compete in the 4A girls race at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Runners start the 4A girls race at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- The Orem boys cross country team poses for a photo with the 4A runner-up trophy at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Timpanogos and Orem runners cross the finish line in the 4A boys race at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Orem senior Austin Westfall competes in the 4A boys race at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Mountain View’s Kyle Steadman reacts after crossing the finish line of the 4A boys cross country finals at Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Orem’s Austin Westfall crosses the finish line as the winner of the 4A boys state cross country final at Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Orem’s Austin Westfall takes the lead in the 4A boys state cross country final at Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Timpanogos and Orem runners take off with the rest of the field at the start of the Class 4A boys state cross country final at Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- The Timpanogos boys cross country team gathers together before the start of the 4A boys race at Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Orem’s Ava Trimble reacts after crossing the final line of the 4A girls state cross country final at Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- Mountain View’s Julie Moore prepares to cross the finish line first in the 4A girls state cross country final at Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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- From left, Mountain View’s Julie Moore, Orem’s Ava Trimble, Green Canyon’s Hadlie Ballard, Timpanogos’ Molly Walton and Green Canyon’s Hailey Shakespear compete during the 4A girls state cross country final at Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
SALT LAKE CITY — The sixth runner in a cross country race is rarely the deciding factor in a victory, but that’s exactly what happened on Tuesday in the 4A Boys final at Regional Athletic Complex as Mountain View edged out city rival Orem.
The Tigers got the individual champion (senior Austin Westfall) but the Bruins backed up their 2022 team championship with another in 2023.
In the 4A girls race, Mountain View’s Julie Moore erased the disappointment of not even finishing the 2022 final by claiming this year’s individual championship by nearly 33 seconds, leading the Bruins to the school’s first team state title since 2011.
4A Boys
Westfall won his second straight state title by running 15:00.1 and watched as his next five teammates came in sixth (Tate James), eighth (Tyler Jensen), 11th (Takashi Shipp) and 30th (Peter Mecham). Mountain View, meanwhile, crossed the line in second (Kyle Steadman), fourth (Isaac Sohler), 12th (Maxwell Wright), 14th (Maverick Dutson) and 24th (Ammon Larson). Those finishes resulted in a 56-56 tie, so the sixth runners for both schools were counted.
That meant sophomore Wes Peterson, 27th for Mountain View at 16:32.4, broke the tie and was the difference in winning the state title. Orem’s No. 6 runner (Ty Jacobs) came in 39th.
“Something was burning inside of me that even though I was dead, I’ve just got to go for it,” Peterson said. “To just know that I was a part of the reason that we were able to bring it all the way in, it was amazing. I love running and that’s what it comes down to.”
The Mountain View boys have now won 18 state titles, but this may have been the most contested finish. Orem schools were 1-2-3 (with Timpanogos third).
“The fact that all three of us are in Orem is ridiculous,” Mountain View coach Mike Strauss said. “It’s been interesting because last we year, we just had a phenomenal team, but we graduated five seniors. So this year was a fresh, brand-new team that had to live up to the expectations. To take all that weight and have fun during the whole season, to see them do that has been fun. Their progression and their work, it’s just been fantastic to go through.
“Orem has been killing it all season, so we we knew it was going to come down to bits and pieces today.”
Westfall said he is planning on serving a church mission and wants to run in college, but winning the state championship back-to-back was a four-year goal for him.
“This is what I was looking forward to and I completed my goal,” he said. “I knew I needed to get out and stand out from the pack in this race. When I hit mile 1 I wanted to start creating a gap between me and the other runners. So I surged and tried to create as much space as I can between me and the other runners and beat the course.
“I focused on my pace and remembering that I was not just doing this for myself, I was doing this for my family and my team. I love my team and I love my family. With them, I can get anywhere.”
4A Girls
Last season, Moore had to withdraw off the course during the state championship race.
“I actually had to grab her,” Strauss said. “She was about a mile and a half, and it looked like she was about to pass out. And I’m like, ‘You’re done. We’re done.’ So at that point I just took her off the course and she didn’t finish. So to see her come back from that, that was big. That was real. It’s a real feeling that’s a real emotion. It’s really exciting to see her get past that, come here and come out a champion.”
This year, Moore was strong and finished in a time of 18:01.6, with Ava Trimble of Orem coming in second at 18:34.5.
“My strategy was to just pull back from the mile or two and then take it for the last mile,” Moore said. “I think I did that pretty well. I just tried to relax and treat this pretty much like any other race. I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself. I knew what I wanted in my head and I went out and tried to get it.”
Mountain View came in first (Moore), fourth (Abby Stone), 10th (Lily Waite), 11th (Sophie Waite) and 28th (Madelyn Pearson) to score 54 points, with Timpanogos second (92) and Orem third (101).
This is the Bruins’ 20th girls cross country state championship.
“It all comes down to who can get out on the grass and perform,” Strauss said. “It’s what makes running so fun, so it just ends up being who can show up on that day, stay composed and just go out and take care of business.”
4A State Cross Country Results
4A Boys Top 10
1. Austin Westfall, Sr., Orem 15:00.1
2. Kyle Steadman, Jr., Mountain View 15:22.5
3. Clark Peters, Sr., Timpanogos 15:33.9
4. Isaac Sohler, Jr., Mountain View 15:39.4
5. Walker Brinkerhoff, Sr., Desert Hills 15:44.2
6. Tate James, Sr., Orem 15:49.9
7. Carter Benson, Sr., Timpanogos 15:52.1
8. Tyler Jensen, Sr., Orem 15:59.6
9. Talmage Wright, Sr., Pine View 15:59.9
10. Deiderik Witt, Jr., Timpanogos 16:01.3
4A Boys Team Scores: 1. Mountain View 56 (won tiebreaker), 2. Orem 56, 3. Timpanogos 97, 4. Pine View 110, 5. Desert Hills 118
4A Girls Top 10
1 Julie Moore, Jr., Mountain View 18.01.6
2 Ava Trimble, Sr., Orem 18:34.5
3 Hailey Shakespear, Jr., Green Canyon 18:36.2
4 Abby Stone, Sr., Mountain View 18:52.2
5 Hadlie Ballard, Jr., Green Canyon 18:59.1
6 Sonja Preston, So., Park City 18:59.2
7 Molly Walton, Sr., Timpanogos 19:03.1
8 Madelyn Embley, Jr., Orem 19:08.5
9. Lucy Eckley, Jr., Cedar 19:08.6
10. Lily Waite, So., Mountain View 19:11.0
4A Girls Team Scores: 1. Mountain View 54, 2. Timpanogos 92, 3. Orem 101, 4. Green Canyon 128, 5. Pine View 147.
For complete scores and times, visit UHSAA.org or runnercard.com
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