Riverton UT boys, Mountain Vista CO girls win team titles in Alabama
By Mary Albl of DyeStat
While the conditions were not ideal Saturday for a championship setting — rain and mud ruled the day at John Hunt Park — runners made the most of it at the third Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships in Huntsville, Ala.
Pre-race favorite Payton Godsey of Oaks Christian in California won the Girls Gold division race as she covered the 5-kilometer course in 17 minutes, 28.3 seconds. The junior, who recently won the CIF Division 4 state championship, finished in 157th place a year ago at RunningLane.
Sophomore Zariel Macchia of William Floyd, N.Y., was the runner-up in 17:34.2. Third was sophomore Juliet Frum of Northbrook (Glenbrook North in Illinois) in 17:44.8.
Mountain Vista from Colorado won the team championship with 124 points, edging out in-state rival Cherry Creek (130). Mountain View of Utah was third with 179 points.
In the boys race, Steven West of Sandia High in Albuquerque, the New Mexico Class 5A champion this fall, won his first national title, crossing the line in 15:09.3.
Wyatt Haughton Shawnee Mission East in Kansas was second (15:12,0). JoJo Jourdon of Olympus UT (15:12.2) was third.
Riverton of Utah won the team title with 144 points. Oakdale Mustangs, the California Division 3 state champions, were second (164) and Door 3 (Center Grove of Indiana) was third with 191 points.
Jesuit of New Orleans (Blue Jay Distance Project), the US#2 team heading into the weekend, finished fourth. Top runner Jack Des Roches did not finish the race.
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