ETV News stock photo by Jeff Barrett
Teams gathered at Rose Park on Wednesday to compete in the Pre-State Meet. It was a great opportunity for the runners to get a feel for the exact course where state will be held, though this go around, there was a mix of classifications. Local racers Jess Christiansen (Emery) and Kobe Cruz (Carbon) impressed, finishing first (16:14.8) and second (16:45.8), respectively.
The Dinos ended up with a better team score as Braxton Ware (27th, 18:11.3), Pierce Bryner (33rd, 18:21.6), Garrett Black (57th, 19:03.9) and Sean Stromness (81st, 19:38.6) rounded off the top five.
Meanwhile for the Spartans, Merritt Mecarriello came in 36th (18:24.7) followed by Bryon Christiansen in 78th (19:30.9), Sid Christiansen in 170th (23:55) and Gregory Suwyn in 171st (23:57.7).
Westlake claimed the top spot as a team with 63 points. Viewmont (119) ended in second and Tooele (128) in third. Carbon (185) took eighth, one point ahead of Ridgeline. The Spartans ended the day in 11th with 304 points.
In the girls’ 5,000 meter race, Beverly Lancaster (8th, 21:06.8) and Ambree Jones (13th, 21:26.7) each had great races for the Dinos. Lindsie Fausett (64th, 25:16.2) and Kaylie Metzger (106th, 28:11.6) rounded off the shortened Dino team.
Emery, on the other hand, fielded a full team and took 10th with 267 points. The Spartans were led by Kallee Cook in 22nd with a time of 22:51.9. She was followed by teammates Adaley Lester (27th, 23:23.4), Ryleigh Mecarriello (101st, 27:30), Kadrianne Bird (119, 30:19.9) and Daicee Ungerman (122nd, 31:19.9).
In the team standings, Layton (46) took first, Ridgeline (53) second and Westlake (95) third. Full results can be found here.
Up next, the two teams will meet again at the Carbon Invite in Price on Wednesday.