American Fork Grass Relays Results

Results
     We would like to thank everybody who helped out at the meet yesterday; especially the team parents who helped at registration, in the concession stand, in the finish chute, in the press box, and with the results boards. We had 35 teams and 1324 runners show up.

The Girls Varsity relay team placed 5th overall in a time of 64:11, with Maddie Bench earning a plaque for the 14th fastest leg in 12:33.

5.American Fork            64:11

    M.Bench            12:33

    S.Baird            12:54

    L.Green            13:16

    D.Leach            12:48

    M.Stepp            12:40

In The Girls Jr/Sr/ J.V. race, Nikki Smith was the individual champion (12:51), while Amber Bardin took home a tenth place medal (13:43).
They were followed on by:
33.Mallory Finch, 14:31
62.Andie Weight, 15:06
77.Hailey Heath, 15:23
88.Rachel Merrill, 15:34
93.Sabrina Thomas, 15:37
101.Abby McBride, 15:43
105.Megan Staten, 15:45
155.Candace Lundahl, 17:03
198.Heather Bergeson, 18:29
210.Ashlie Rymer, 19:03
212.Allison Lawrence, 19:10

Five Cavemen won awards in the Girls Frosh/Soph J.V. race. Hannah McKendrick won (12:48), just edging out here teammate Sophie Stewart (12:48). Katie Bradshaw placed 3rd (12:59), Sammy Hollingsworth 6th (13:12), and Payton Pryor in 8th (13:18).
They were followed by:
14.Anna Gunther, 13:45
20.Bonnie Schellenberg, 14:00
23.Rachael Brantley, 14:06
31.Kaylie Green, 14:26
33.Shelby Graves, 14:28
37.Camille Garrett, 14:35
43.Madison Marrott, 14:46
46.Kendra Heath, 14:49
68.Abby Lamb, 15:34
103.Autumn Kelsch, 16:22
106.Courtney Cox, 16:24
190.Taylor Hodges, 24:20

The Boys Varsity Relay team just missed setting a new Grass Relays record by only 2 seconds, running a time of 51:48. Connor McMillan ran the 2nd fastest time ever (9:52), only 4 seconds off of the record. He was the fastest leg by 11 seconds. Zac Jacklin also won a plaque with a 4th place leg in 10:06.
1.American Fork           51:48
     C.McMillan               9:52
     Z.Jacklin                   10:06
     T.Bell                       10:36
     N.Tracy                    10:41
     C.Thompson             10:33

In the Boys Jr/Sr J.V. race, the Cavemen swept the first 5 places and 7 of the  10 medals. Daniel Bentley was the individual champion in 10:34. He was followed by Spencer Herzog (10:35), Jace Jensen (10:41), Jacob Chase (10:52), and Luke Gunther (10:52).  Connor Hoopes placed 7th  in10:57 and Ashton Jensen 8th in 10:58.
They were followed by:
82.Dillon Stone, 12:15
84.Tyler Schow, 12:19
90.Parker Rasmussen, 12:26

Four Cavemen took home top ten awards in the Boys Frosh/Soph J.V. race. Casey Clinger was the individual champion in 10:40, followed by runner-up McKay Johns in 10:45. Joe Simmons placed 6th in 10:58 and Hagen Harmer 7th in 11:02. In total, the Cavemen had an astounding 16 boys under 11:00!
They were followed by:
13.Adam Juchau, 11:20
19.Jonah Hickman, 11:27
21.Tony Jeffs, 11:35
44.Jared Anderson, 12:00
49.Jason Manning, 12:06
110.Mark Carlisle, 12:53
123.Ben Schellenberg, 13:01
209.Collin Nielsen, 13:48
238.Nate Baird, 14:11

Southwest US Region

How tough is it to be in the Southwest US Region with Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada?  Rob Monroe (Watchout) who does the National Rankings for Dyestat and previously for ESPNHS compiled these statistics from Nike Cross Nationals since the advent of Regional qualifying races in 2007:

NXN History update

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Here is a little update on how programs and regions have fared at NXN since regional qualifiers began (2007) based on average points scored (adjusted for teams that haven’t qualified all six years). Note that these numbers are NOT weighted towards more recent years, this is just a simple average… a look including recent trends would also be a valuable tool, and I will probably reference it at some point over the next year.

 Top Eight Boys Programs –

1.       197.33 North Central WA

2.       264.67 York IL

3.       294.33 Arcadia CA

4.       305.17 American Fork UT

5.       316.67 Fayetteville-Manlius NY

6.       325.33 Christian Brothers NJ

7.       327.33 The Woodlands TX

8.       343.67 Southlake Carroll TX

 

Top Eight Girls Programs –

1.       60.67 Fayetteville-Manlius NY

2.       156.67 Saratoga Springs NY

3.       218.33 Fort Collins CO

4.       221.17 Saugus CA

5.       258.33 Tatnall DE

6.       362.50 Jesuit OR

7.       363.17 Carmel IN

8.       368.33 Southlake Carroll TX

 

Average Region Score – Boys Auto-Qualifiers

1.       222.50 Southwest

2.       241.75 Midwest

3.       241.92 Northwest

4.       252.83 Northeast

5.       270.75 California

6.       274.50 South

7.       293.83 New York

8.       344.00 Heartland

9.       399.83 Southeast

 

Average Region Score – Girls Auto-Qualifiers

1.       109.92 New York

2.       252.75 Southwest

3.       279.42 California

4.       282.67 Southeast

5.       293.42 Midwest

6.       331.08 Northwest

7.       354.92 Heartland

8.       383.25 Northeast

9.       390.33 South 

Average Region Score – Boys Top 2 Finishers (and # of At-Large bids received)

1.       222.50 Southwest (1 At-Large)

2.       227.33 Midwest (5 At-Large)

3.       241.92 Northwest (1 At-Large)

4.       251.33 California (9 At-Large)

5.       252.83 Northeast (5 At-Large)

6.       274.50 South (3 At-Large)

7.       293.83 New York (0 At-Large)

8.       344.00 Heartland (0 At-Large)

9.       399.83 Southeast (0 At-Large) 

Average Region Score – Girls Top 2 Finishers (and # of At-Large bids received)

1.       108.17 New York (9 At-Large)

2.       252.75 Southwest (1 At-Large)

3.       263.25 California (6 At-Large)

4.       267.83 Southeast (3 At-Large)

5.       288.08 Midwest (2 At-Large)

6.       331.08 Northwest (0 At-Large)

7.       354.92 Heartland (0 At-Large)

8.       375.08 Northeast (1 At-Large)

9.       387.58 South (2 At-Large)

You can follow his blog at WatchoutXCRanknings

American Fork Grass Relays Information

     

Next Saturday, August 31st, we are hosting the 18th Annual Grass Relays at American Fork. Below is the schedule. Girls need to be at AFHS at 7:15 AM, Boys at 7:30 AM. If you do not have racing spikes yet, Don Bentley from Fleet Feet Sports will be selling them (first come first serve) at the meet. He has a deal on spikes for $35, or spikes and trainers for $100.

Parents if you would like to help in the Concession Stand, with Registration, or with the Finish Chute/Results Boards, please contact Parent Booster president Jill Bardin at 369-7813.

To be eligible to race, athletes need to have all their paperwork (Physical, Tryout Checklist, and Concussion Paper) handed in and their Activity Fee paid. They must also have been regular attendees at practice.

Race Schedule:
7:30 AM - USATF Jr. Olympics race (1 mile) for 9 yrs. to 8th grade. Coach Phil Olsen of Provo HS is putting this race on.
8:00 AM - Girls Frosh/Soph JV
8:25 AM - Boys Frosh/Soph JV
8:40 AM - Girls Jr/Sr JV
9:00 AM - Boys Jr/Sr JV
9:15 AM - Girls Varsity Relay
10:35 AM - Boys Varsity Relay
11:45 AM - Varsity Awards

The athletes in each race should warm up together. After each race, they must do their cooldown run together before leaving. The boys should stay to dismantle the course and take the hay back to Hoggard's Farm. We are usually done by 1:30 PM.

 



Boys Preseason 2 Mile Time Trial

The boys had their Preseason 2 mile time trial today on the Grass Relays Course. It was 92 degrees and mostly sunny. (Time trial record - Clayton Young 10:00 in 2011)
Place, Name, Time (2012 Time)
1.Connor McMillan,10:04 (10:28)
2.Zac Jacklin, 10:11 (10:42)
3.Caleb Thompson, 10:24 (10:34)
4.Nathan Tracy, 10:25
5.Tyler Bell, 10:39
6.Daniel Bentley, 10:40 (12:01)
7.Luke Gunther, 10:53 (11:18)
8.Jace Jensen, 10:55 (11:40)
9.Jacob Chase, 10:57 (11:18)
10.Spencer Herzog, 10:59 (11:12)
11.Connoe Hoopes, 11:01 (12:01)
12.Hagan Harmer, 11:13 (13:05)
13.Casey Clinger, 11:19
14.McKay Johns, 11:24
15.Joe Simmons, 11:30
16.Adam Juchau, 11:35
17.Jonah Hickman, 11:45
18.Ashton Jenson, 12:05
19.Tony Jeffs, 12:30 (13:23)
20.Jared Anderson, 12:35
21.Jason Manning, 12:49
22.Dillon Stone, 13:00
23.Tyler Schow, 13:18
24.Mark Carlisle, 13:20
25.Nathan Springer, 14:05
26.Parker Williams, 14:35 (17:28)
27.Ben Schellenberg, 15:09
28.Nathan Baird, 15:50
29.Collin Nielsen, 16:05
Top 5 cumulative - 51:40 (2012 - 53:05, 2011 - 53:12)

Southwest Region Preseason Rankings

Milesplit Rankings

The boys start the season with their backs painted with big targets. The girls begin the season with their highest preseason ranking ever: #5.

Milesplit Utah Preseason Rankings

Milesplit Utah has posted their 2013 Preseason Rankings.
Both the girls team and boys team will start the season at #1 in 5A.
Girls Rankings and Preview
Boys Rankings and Preview

The Grinder Week 13

Congratulations to Maddie Bench for being the 2nd girl in AF history to break 9:30 up The Grinder this morning with a record time of 9:25. She earned a new pair of spikes as well as Nathan Tracy, who became the 14th boy in school history to break the 8 minute barrier in 7:58. Adam Juchau became the 3rd freshman boy to break 9:00 this summer with a time of 8:54 to earn a t-shirt.

A Message to Garcia

This morning, after our capillary run, I ran into a colleague from AFHS. We began discussing literature that had influenced us in our lives and I brought up a once-upon-a-time famous tract called "A Message To Garcia". He had never heard of it, but was intrigued and said he would look it up online when he reached his office. Not having read it in a few years, I decided to do likewise today. How was this publishing from 1899 so influential to me and to millions of people worldwide?  Read it and we'll discuss it at practice on Monday.
A MESSAGE TO GARCIA

Special Speaker at AFHS on Monday Night

Parents,

On Monday, Aug. 19th, at 7:30 PM, Justin Su'a will be speaking on "The 10 Must Have Mental Skills You Must Have to Succeed in Sports, School, and Life".   He will be speaking in the AFHS Auditorium.  Justin is the Head of Mental Conditioning at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.  IMG Academy is the the world's leading provider of athletic and personal development training programs.  Justin has and continues to work with NFL players, Olympic athletes, Division 1 Athletes, and the cast of Dancing with the Stars.  The cost is free to AFHS athletes.  A very generous donation has covered the cost for Justin to speak to American Fork athletes.  Please join us on Monday night.  This is open to all athletes, not just football.

Coach Behm

Highland Fling Results

We finally got results from the Highland Fling 5k held 2 Saturdays ago.
Tyler Bell was 2nd overall in 16:24.
Jace Jensen was 4th overall in 17:21.
Parker Rasmussen was 8th overall in 20:07.

Lexie Wright was the 2nd female in 20:55.

Girls 2 Mile Time Trial

The girls team held their pre-season 2 mile time trial this morning on the Grass Relays Course. Last year's time are in parentheses:
1.Makayla Stepp, 12:37 (12:31)
2.Maddie Bench, 12:43
3.Diane Leach, 12:53 (12:58)
4.Lexie Green, 13:03 (13:09)
5.Sophie Baird, 13:05 (12:54)
6.Sophie Stewart, 13:14 (13:54)
7.Nikki Smith, 13:24 (15:36)
8.Sammi Hollingsworth, 13:26 (15:10)
9.Katie Cornell, 13:27 (13:34)
10.Katie Bradshaw, 13:48 (14:41)
11.Hannah McKendrick, 13:49
12.Payton Pryor, 14:09
13.Anna Gunther, 14:1 (15:12)
14.Rachel Brantley, 14:17 (16:19)
15.Bonnie Schellenberg, 14:25 (15:41)
16.Malorie Finch, 15:01 (16:27)
17.Camille Garrett, 15:10
18.Kaylie Green, 15:16 (15:12)
19.Shelby Graves, 15:52
20.Madison Marrott, 16:05
21.Hailey Heath, 16:10
22.Abby McBride, 16:11 (16:00)
23.Kendra Heath, 16:13
24.Scout McMillan, 16:16
25.Sabrina Thomas, 16:23
26.Megan Staten, 16:30 (19:05)
27.Autumn Kelsch, 16:34
28.Abbi Lamb, 16:35
29.Rachel Merrill, 16:36 (14:39)
30.Courtney Cox, 18:25
31.Ashlie Rymer, 19:25
32.Tayloe Hodges, 25:48

Parent Booster Meeting

We will have our Parent Booster Meeting this Wednesday August 14th at 6:00 PM at Evergreen Park  - 700 East, 200 North.

You can pay activity fees at the AFHS Financial Window or online at myschoolfees.com

Participation Fee - $100
Girls Uniform (new) - $43
Boys Uniform (new) - $30
Team T-shirt (optional) - $8
Ball-Cap (optional) - $15
Winter Beanie (optional)  - $13
Warmup Jacket (optional) - $43
If ordering a warmup jacket, get an order form with size and embroidery to Coach Mostert asap.

The Grinder Week 12

Makayla Stepp became the first AFHS girl to break the 9:30 mark up The Grinder this morning (9:28) to earn a pair of spikes. Hannah McKendrick earned her t-shirt with a 10:07 clocking.

Connor McMillan became the 13th AFHS boy in school history to break 8:00 (7:55) up The Grinder this morning, and earned a pair of spikes for his effort. 27 boys made it to the top of Mountain Dew Hill: a school record.

Sub 8:00 Grinder
1992-Chris Merkley
1993-Dave Bell
2008-Jeff Harmon
2009-Robby Lee, Austin West
2010-Clayton Young, Nafe Richardson, Derek Day, Mack Morrison
2012-Brayden McLelland, Tyson Green, Caleb Thompson
2013-Connor McMillan, Nathan Tracy, Casey Clinger, Zac Jacklin,  McKay Johns, Hagen Harmer, Daniel Bentley
2014-Jacob Chase
2015-Patrick Parker

Sub 9:30 Grinder
2013-Makayla Stepp, Maddie Bench, Lexie Green, Katie Cornell, Diane Leach,\
2014-Lexie Wright, Cami Squires, Sammy Hollingsworth
2015-

National Preseason Rankings

Marc Bloom has mention of both our boys and girls teams in The Running Times  XC Season preview.
Girls National Preview
Boys National Preview

Several running websites have their preseason rankings up already.

Bill Meylan at Tullyrunners has the Boys 4th and the Girls 30th in the Nation.

XCNation has the Boys ranked 7th in the Nation.

Milesplit and Dyestat  have not yet released their preseason rankings.

Friday Mandatory Concussion Training



All Fall sports will have mandatory concussion training this Friday at 4:00 PM at the AFHS cafeteria. Both boys and girls teams will have their practices directly after the training instead of at 5:00 PM (boys) and 5:30 PM (girls). Athletes missing the training need to make arrangements with our athletic trainer Becky Bailey for a make up session. Athletes cannot compete until training is completed. This a requirement from the NFHS. All states and sports have this requirement.

The Grinder, Week 10

Both boys and girls teams had a great morning up The Grinder today.
Maddie Bench broke the girls record with a time of 9:33. Makayla Stepp also broke the old record with a time of 9:37. Nikki Smith earned her Grinder t-shirt with a time of 10:20.
On the boys side, Casey Clinger earned his shirt with a time of 8:38, while Jonah Hickman earned his shirt with a time of 8:56. 

XC CAMP Dates 2014

We have been able to secure Timpooneke Campground up American Fork Canyon for the dates of July 1,2,3 next year for Cross Country High Altitude Camp. Start planning now!

How fast do I have to run?

Some statistics on the State Course I've compiled :
All-State 10th place by classification(5A-1A), # Sub 16:00,                                                         Winning Time Overall, Top 25, Top 50, Top 100, Top 150
1998,16:24, 16:30, 17:09, 17:50, 18:46, 6, 15:37, 16:30, 16:50, 17:19, 17:43
1999, 16:23, 16:20, 16:48, 17:45, 17:51, 9, 15:07, 16:30, 16:47, 17:11, 17:29
2000, 16:28, 16:30, 17:10, 18:02, 17:50, 4, 15:36, 16:30, 16:58, 17:28, 17:50
2001, 16:27, 16:20, 16:41, 18:04, 17:24, 7, 15:24, 16:26, 16:45, 17:19, 17:39
2002, 16:16, 16:22, 16:57, 18:08, 18:07, 5, 15:36, 16:22, 16:48, 17:19, 17:41
2003, 16:26, 16:39, 16:56, 18:11, 18:14, 0, 16:06, 16:36, 16:53, 17:25, 17:45
2004, 16:42, 16:25, 16:39, 17:38, 18:10, 6, 15:34, 16:29, 16:46, 17:19, 17:37
2005, 16:28, 16:52, 16:57, 18:11, 18:10, 2, 15:34, 16:39, 16:54, 17:23, 17:42
2006, 16:16, 16:35, 16:50, 17:34, 18:05, 4, 15:43, 16:32, 16:50, 17:15, 17:35
2007, 16:25, 16:26, 16:57, 17:39, 17:52, 7, 14:54, 16:25, 16:46, 17:11, 17:33
2008, 16:06, 16:08, 16:25, 17:36, 17:50, 13, 15:17, 16:08, 16:26, 16:53,17:11
2009, 16:02, 16:18, 16:43, 18:32, 18:09, 11, 15:23, 16:15, 16:30, 17:01,17:24
2010, 15:53, 16:22, 17:00, 18:00, 18:24, 13, 15:23, 16:14, 16:39, 17:05,17:23
2011, 15:57, 16:15, 16:24, 17:54, 17:58, 14, 15:22, 16:10, 16:27, 16:55,17:10
2012, 15:59, 15:58, 16:07, 17:34, 17:41, 27, 14:56, 15:57, 16:14, 16:43,16:59