We had some legendary performances at the state championships on Wednesday. It was such a fun and rewarding way to end our regular season. All of the hard work and sacrifices paid off as we worked as a TEAM and had a very strong state meet for both the boys and the girls. I really want to thank our entire TEAM for believing in each other, for trusting your coaches, and for doing everything we could to race our best throughout the season. I also want to thank each of you for bringing so much energy and excitement to the state meet. Those of you who didn't race were still very valuable and were as awesome as ever at cheering on your teammates on the course. Those of you who did race did an outstanding job putting your whole heart into the race and running very close to our race plan. I was inspired by your teamwork and the guts you showed in the race. Also a special thanks to all of the parents who have done so much for us this season - by bringing treats to meets, sending food to dinners, sacrificing family time, keeping your sons and daughters healthy and strong, and for coming to so many of our meets to cheer us on and share in the excitement. And lastly - thanks to Coach Brad Anderson and Coach Paul Timothy for their time, expertise, and inspiration to each of us.
The girls completely owned the day. All 7 of our girls finished in the top 18 in the race. It is the first time on the current state course (1998-2013) where a 5A team has had all 7 runners finish under 20. We scored 27 points to finish ahead of American Fork (90), Jordan (120), and Bingham (132). And our top 5 team time of 92:27 was the all-time record for the course - beating the old record by 1:23. We were led by a great 1-2 punch of Aubrey Arygle and Taylor Cox. They worked together through most of the race. Aubrey had a great final 400m to finish 2nd in 18:09. It was the 6th fastest time from any division, the Davis High record (old record was 18:27 by Natalie Haws), and the 2nd fastest time ever run by a freshman on the course (from any division). Taylor also broke the old Davis record with her time of 18:18 which was good enough for 4th place in the race. Our next trio of runners was Ashley Tyndall, Kenzie Weir, and Sierra Graham who finished 8-9-10, all three earning all-state status. Ashley and Kenzie worked very well together moving up through the teens and running very strong over the second half of the race. Sierra was a little farther back, but made a very strong push over the final mile to move up to 10th. The 3 of them ran 18:37, 18:38, and 18:43 - giving us the team time record and a very solid :34 gap for our top 5. Hannah Albrechtsen and Aimee Vance rounded out our top 7 with their 17th and 18th place finishes. Hannah ran 18:58 (Davis #19 all-time), and Aimee ran 19:05. They would have been the top runner on 8 of the 16 teams in the race. Overall, we ran a gutsy, smart race. All 7 of the girls put themselves in position over the first half and then raced tough over the second half.
The boys went into the race ranked 4th in a very competitive field - probably one of the deepest team fields in state history. We had a young group in the race - with only Skylar and Stokton having previous state meet experience. I feel like this group has really proven their toughness throughout the season, and they showed it again at the state meet. Skylar led the way for us. He ran the course in 15:45 - the #5 all-time mark from Davis. It was good enough for a 7th place finish and his first all-state award. I was most proud of the way Skylar dug deep over the final 600m of the race. He found a way to finish strong at the most grueling section of the race. He has done an incredible job for 4 years - and was very worthy of this all-state finish. It was very fun to watch Josh Ward as he moved up from 25th at 1 mile to 17th at 2 miles and 12th at the finish line. He is a fighter. His time of 15:50 was our #8 all-time and the 2nd fastest junior time we have ever had. Colton Rimann has been pure strength for us all year. He has worked extremely hard to get to where he is. Colton ran 16:18 to finish 28th and was the #4 sophomore in the race, and the #3 sophomore ever from Davis. Logan MacKay has really come through for us in big meets this year -and his finish at state proved once again that he can kick with the best. With about 800m to go, he was sitting in 45th - he passed 15 guys to finish 30th with 16:22 - the #6 sophomore in the race and #4 all-time sophomore from Davis. Kimball Potter has also worked really hard to be in our top 5. He came through big for us in the 2nd half of the race - moving up through the pack to finish 41st in 16:35. Ethan Stuart was 51st in 16:53 - beating nearly every team's 6th man. He had to fight hard for it over the final mile - but really showed toughness down the stretch. And Stokton Smith finished 67th in 17:10. It may not have been Stokton's best day - but he showed once again that he is a fighter. Even though he was having flu-like symptoms and is coming off of a nagging hip injury - Stokton still gave his all - which is all that we would ever ask of any of you. Our boys TEAM really showed a lot of heart and really showed that they are champions. Their team time of 1:20.51 is our #3 fastest all-time on the course - faster than the 2010 team that went on to qualify for and finish 11th at NXN, and faster than the 2002 and 2007 teams who won the state championships. And the best part is that we have even more in us - and we are going to prove that at NXR and NXN.
Full Results can be found at www.runnercard.com
Newspaper Articles can be found at:
I put this quote up on the board on Thursday - but I think it really applies to our state meet: "Never let a win go to your head, or a loss go to your heart." I hope that you boys are as hungry as ever and really ready to work extra hard and earn a chance at racing in Portland. It is totally a possibility - we have done what we needed to in getting to this point - and if we do what we need to over the next 4 weeks, we give ourselves a chance. I hope you girls are ready to put in the work that could prepare us to race for a national title. It is going to take our best efforts - not just in the final races - but in everything we do for the next few weeks. We need to stay humble, keep working, keep having fun, and stay very focused on preparing ourselves and becoming as tough and confident as we can be at the starting line in Tempe (and in Portland).
Athletes of the Week: Skylar Williams, Kimball Potter, Kenzie Weir, Sierra Graham
Upcoming Schedule: For those who are going to NXN Southwest, we will start practice again tomorrow (Monday) - and we might even start with a hard day. Be prepared. I will hand out the schedule for the next 4 weeks at practice. For those who are not going to NXN Southwest - I would still invite and encourage you to work out with us over the next 4 weeks. It will help you prepare for indoor track, outdoor track, and next year's cross country season.
24 Hour Run: We are hoping to pull off the 24 hour run this week on Friday-Saturday (November 1-2). There is a football game (state playoffs) on the field, so we are going to have to get creative for about 4-5 hours of the 24 hours. We will probably be running at Fiesta, on the treadmill, or on the indoor track to keep the run going. We use the 24 hour run as an opportunity to raise money for the NXN Southwest trip. I will explain more on Monday and I will pass out your pledge sheets. All of the team should participate in the 24 hour run - even those who are not attending the Nike Southwest trip.
TEAM Banquet: The tentative date for the banquet is Thursday, November 7th. Please let me know ASAP if you can see any conflicts with that date. It will probably go from 6-8pm.
Please keep Rachel Clouse in your thoughts and prayers. She was in a 4-wheeler accident this past weekend and is currently in the ICU at Primary Children's Hospital. We will update you on her status throughout the week.
Thanks for each being a part of such an incredible TEAM and family. I appreciate all of you and what you have given. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with each of you.
Sincerely,
Coach Talley
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