XC Update #8

Darts and Supporters,
It is hard to believe that the end of another cross country season is here. We had the Region Championships this last Wednesday on the course at Layton Park. It was an impressive sight as we dominated all 4 of the races. It was our best race of the season (so far) as a TEAM, and I was very proud of everyone for their mental focus, teamwork, and energy. Many people have told me how incredible the TEAM looked and how tough they ran. Full results can be found on the blog (www.davisxc.blogspot.com) but here are some of the highlights -
Girls JV - finished 1-9; perfect score. Megan Parker and Madi Holt ran in the lead from start to finish. Megan pulled away at the end for the win and Madi finished strong in 2nd. 9 of our top 10 girls in the race are coming back next year.
Boys JV - finished 1-11 and had 16 of the top 17. Our freshmen led the way with a 1-2-3 sweep (Brayden Cromar, Alex Hedquist, and Preston Johnson). All 3 of them are running times that would have put them in the varsity race last year. In fact, if you add Hayden Hansen and Jackson Sagers - our top 5 freshmen as a team would have qualified for state. I think this was the most dominating JV performance I have ever seen in a cross country meet. Only 2 of those top 16 graduate this year. Future looks bright. 11 of those 16 were rookies to cross country this year.
Girls Varsity - The TEAM ran patient and smart, and it paid off with 6 of the top 11 finishers. Meghan started to pull away with a strong move at 1 mile. She finished the race in 18:27. Jessie came on strong at the end to pull into 2nd place with 19:12. The group of Anni, Emily, Abby, and Brooke Stromberg ran right where they needed to and dug deep on the last mile to secure the victory. It was the girls 4th straight region title.
Boys Varsity - Once again, they ran smart as a pack. We were in control from start to finish, but it really showed over the 2nd half where other teams started to fade, we stayed together and strong. It was a huge individual victory for Logan Petty who covered Jake Rossmango's (Syracuse) strong move and then pulled away for the win in 15:56. Mike King had a surprise 3rd place finish in 16:10. He has been running strong from behind and really pulling our group along. Then we piled in 4 guys in 2 seconds for the 5th through 8th spots: Brad Nye (5th), Joe White (6th), Brian Alfaro (7th), and Austin Neuner (8th). We ran 81:00 for the top 5 team time which is our #3 all-time.
That leaves us with one big race to go. The State Championships are this Wednesday at Sugarhouse Park. We are currently ranked 2nd in both the boys and the girls. I think we are well prepared, and I think it is going to be a battle to the finish. There should be some great team competition as well as some fun individual races to watch.

Athletes of the Week:
Meghan Hedquist - Takes her first region xc title with a strong time. Has been a great leader and teammate all year.
Karaline Vandemerwe - Finishes 3rd in JV with a stellar race. Has worked hard and really improved - way to go 'Kar'
Brian Alfaro - Made a strong move that got our pack going at 1 1/2 miles. All-Region
Brayden Cromar - Led the freshman charge in the JV race. JV Champion.

Coming Up:
Tuesday, October 20 - Mandatory TEAM meeting in my room after school. Be there on time.
Wednesday, October 21 - State Championships @ Sugarhouse Park.
5A Girls - 3:30 - We are running Meghan Hedquist, Jessie Wilding, Emily Hansen, Anni Anderson, Abby Frodsham, Brooke Stromberg, and Brooke Gutzwiller, with alternates Anna Ward and Becca Albrechtsen.
5A Boys - 4:00 - We are running Logan Petty, Mike King, Brad Nye, Joe White, Brian Alfaro, Austin Neuner, and Jeff Taylor, with alternates Jason Thomas and Adam Mathias.

We appreciate the continued support of parents and former athletes and we invite you all to come and cheer on the Darts on Wednesday.
Thanks
Coach Talley