State Championships

Darts & Supporters,

Yesterday was an incredible day at Sugarhouse Park. The weather was perfect and the times were fast. The girls ran strong and dominated the competition for their 2nd straight state title. And the boys ran a focused and determined race to finish 3rd behind 2 of the better teams in the state's history. The highlight of the boys race was Seth Gutzwiller's individual state championship - the first one for Davis since Kurt Black in 1985 (23 years ago for those of you who need help with the math).

I think it is important to point out how awesome our TEAM and fans were at supporting the runners. I loved the face paint, body paint, the sparkly hair, the capes, and all of the brown and gold. It was the most excitement and energy I have seen from a TEAM at a meet since I have been here (last year was pretty good, but I think we topped it this year). There weren't very many points on the course where our runners didn't have teammates, family members, and even some members of our student body cheering for them. I think it helped the runners tremendously and some of the credit for their success belongs to the fans. I know it fired me up when I was running from point to point on the course while being followed by a mob of Davis fans. Janae overheard one person saying "These Davis kids are really annoying". I know he only meant that because we were everywhere and we were loud.

In the boys race, we had another solid TEAM performance. I was pleased with their efforts and with the way they approached the race with focus and confidence. This team would have competed for a state title a lot of years, but Alta was just too strong for us this year. I don't think we can base the success of our season on this one race because the entire year has been a great journey and we have come a long way, but one thing I did learn from the race is that we have the ability to race with determination. Seth finished off his successful career with his 3rd cross country all-state performance, and this time it just happened to be a 1st place finish. We can learn a lot from the way he set the goal and did everything he could to accomplish it. I think he has not stopped smiling since his 15:36 yesterday. Logan ran an aggressive race and finished as our 2nd man for the first time this year; the way he hung on really showed his strength - which came from having a great summer of training. Leland didn't feel his best, but didn't let that affect him too much; he has showed a lot of consistency for us the 2nd half of the season, and he always races with a full effort. Michael is really showing improvement, and he ran over a minute faster than he did last year; he ran a tough race and really stayed in it over the final mile. Jason rounded off our 3 juniors in our top 5, and in talking with him I know that he is going to come back next year and help lead our team to another shot at a state title. Jason always races with toughness. Derek wasn't too pleased with his final race, but I was really proud of his season as a whole. He learned to race with consistency and he has found the secret to finishing with a monster kick. He has been a good leader for us this year and has shown a lot of desire to get better and help the TEAM. Carston struggled with some injury the last 2 weeks of the season, but was still able to put together some solid races. He wasn't feeling his best, but he gave his all in the race, and I think he has learned a lot that will help him going into his senior track season.

1. Seth Gutzwiller 15:36
24. Logan Petty 16:30
27. Leland Stenquist 16:31
30. Michael King 16:37
37. Jason Thomas 16:50
44. Derek Gallacher 16:55
57. Carston Feigleson 17:06

TEAM SCORES
1. Alta 38
2. American Fork 75
3. Davis 111
4. Hillcrest 171

The girls had another great race. They have been a lot of fun to watch these last two years. They run hard and they run smart and they bring passion and teamwork into everything they do. The group of seniors we have this year has been amazing and we will miss them like we miss the girls from last year. We went into the race with experience and confidence and each girl did her part. Meghan looked almost effortless as she led our group up through the lead pack and made a strong move with a mile to go putting her into 3rd place - which ended up as 2nd with the unfortunate dq of Shalaya Kipp. You can really attribute Meg's improvement to 3 great months of summer miles and then consistent training through the season. Candace ran one of her best cross country performances of her career as she finished in the top 5 for the 4th straight year. To conquer this course and conquer her fears and doubts about coming back from her injury was a great victory. Emily has also been consistent all season long (after a great summer as well). She ran a very gutsy race to finish with all-state for the 2nd year in a row. I have really learned from Em's example to always stay positive and to bring a lot of energy to the race. Katie has had a rough finish to the season with tendinitis in her lower leg, but has continued to come through for us. Without the injury she would have been battling for 2nd with Meghan. She gave it her all, and really ran for the TEAM. Jessica has also come a long way in the past year. She went out and ran with a lot of confidence. Finishing in the top 20 was a huge accomplishment. Jessie keeps getting closer and closer to our top 4, which is going to help us out in Tempe and help us next year. Hollie finished her cross country career with another spectacular state performance. It is her 4th year running at the state meet - she has learned a lot in the process and has meant a lot to the TEAM. I remember her freshman year when she was so nervous she was throwing up before the race. This year she was beaming with excitement and she really helped set the positive pre-race tone for her teammates. Talya has had an incredible senior year and has worked hard to earn her spot among our top 7. She has been a great leader this year, and has been an example of persistence and patience with running for the past 4 years. It is interesting to see how far these seniors have come. We were missing one of our top runners, Julianne, because of a stress fracture, but she has also been a huge part of our success and deserves the state title with the rest of her teammates.

2. Meghan Hedquist 18:34
3. Candace Eddy 18:44
5. Emily Hansen 18:47
14. Katie Swanson 19:25
19. Jessica Wilding 19:39
29. Hollie King 19:56
47. Talya Kussee 20:21

TEAM SCORES
1. Davis 43
2. Jordan 85
3. Timpanogos 111

Combined 1A-5A TEAM Scores:
Davis 121
Mountain Crest 132.5
Park City 140

For full results go to www.runnercard.com

A special thanks goes out to all of the parents for the support they have given and for the sacrifices they make to allow you to run and be a part of this great program. I love how involved your parents are getting - make sure they know how much you appreciate them. Also, thanks to each of the coaches for the tremendous work they have put in this season - from the summer training to camp to Bob Firman to the championship meets, we have had some great coaching this year (not referring to myself). I am talking about Janae, Brad, Steve, Lisa, and some extra help from Spencer Anderson and Dave King. And thanks to each of the athletes for your hard work, your commitment to the TEAM, your character, your different strengths and personalities, your leadership, your examples, your friendships, and for putting so much effort and energy into making this another successful season and for continuing to strengthen the program.
I think we have a bright future, and I look forward to coming back again next year and continuing our strong tradition. I hope many of you are thinking the same thing.

Information & Dates & Stuff
TEAM PICTURES: Tuesday, Oct. 28th at 3:10 (just enough time to get the freshmen here). Bring your uniforms to wear and then turn in.
NIKE COMMITMENT LETTER DUE: I would like to have a count by Tuesday, October 28th. Pay the $50 in the office and bring me the parent letter. Let me know if you need another copy and if you have any questions.
RUNATHON FUNATHON FUNDRAISER: Thursday, October 30th at 7:00pm. This will be our workout for the day. Plan on a lot of fun competitions. This is also used as our fundraiser for the Nike trip. I will let you put 75% of all the money you raise to go to your trip to Tempe.
TEAM BANQUET: Friday, November 7th. More details later. This year will be just the athletes. Even though last year was fun with the parents, the school is not going to provide something like that for us again this year, so with limited spacing it will just be the athletes.
NIKE TEAM REGIONALS, TEMPE, AZ: November 20-23. The cost will be $225. The commitment is that you continue to train with the team for the next 4 weeks in preparation. Once again, let me know if you have any questions (580-8713)

Thanks again for another great year. I have loved being a part of it.
Coach Talley

ps. Happy Birthday today to Steve Petty :)
pps. Brad's fantasy football team is going to lose this weekend and mine is going to win :)