Riverton rules PCHS’s cross country running meet

Park City Miner's cross country runners closing in on the last portion of their course at the meet at the Sports Complex on Thursday. Photo: Michele Roepke // TownLift

PARK CITY, Utah — The Miners hosted a cross country track meet Thursday evening at the Park City Sports Complex at Quinn’s Junction for hundreds of participants from all over Utah.

The Miners ended up fourth overall at the meet out of nine schools, however, Riverton dominated the races. The other schools in town were, Lehi, West, North Summit, Altamont, Olympus, Mountain Ridge, and Highland.

It was ideal weather for the 5k run, which was 90% on trail and 10% on the turf/grass fields.

Results

• Girls Junior Varsity

1. Riverton’s Anika Ludwig
2. Riverton’s Frida Tucker
3. Mountain Ridge’s Tracey Lewis

• Boys Junior Varsity

1. Riverton’s Caleb Sharp, finish time 17.07 
2. Riverton’s Gavin Alder
3. Riverton’s Issac Sharp

• Girls Varsity

1. Olympus’ Adrean Fromero, finish time 17:45
2. Park City’s Kaley Hale”
3. Mountain Ridge’s Kalie Bracken

• Boys Varsity

1. Riverton’s Samual Schield, finish time 15:29
2. Riverton’s Corbin Randal
3. Riverton’s Andrew Ludwig

Tory Hoffman is a junior at Park City High School, and one of a handful of athletes who compete in the winter in cross country skiing or nordic combined. Before the gun went off, he told TownLift, “Well, I guess I’m a little nervous. It’s my first 5k race. So, as we’re gonna see how it goes, we’re gonna do a little test tonight and then later in the season, our team’s gonna pick it up, and take it home.”

Head Coach and English teacher Steve Cuttitta told TownLift after the race. “It was great having so many kids running tonight, We had some JV girls who ran very well and some freshmen too. Ella Stoughton finished fourth in a had a good race as well as Phoebe Zaniello who finished fifth. For the first race of the year, everything went smooth.” 

Jennifer and Scott Johnson’s daughter Kate, who’s a junior, ran in her fist varsity grouping, this is her third year on the Miner’s team.”She loves it,” Mom told TownLift. It was a one-stop shopping for many families as Kate’s twin sister, Olivia, was there too playing for the Miners in a soccer match, winning against Hillcrest High. “We’re not runners, quipped Dad, “So, where she got the running gene from, we don’t know.”

It’s not uncommon that runners who join the cross country team show up for that first practice where they’re running 5k or more and may not think they’ll be able to do it, let alone like it. More often than not, when parents go to pick them up, not only do they not hear, “I hated that,” they hear, “I loved that, it was so fun!”

Katie Coccaro, Librarian at Trailside Elementary, volunteered on course even though her Park City High Schooler son no longer participates in the sport, and her daughter, Ava, already graduated from Park City High School and is in Colorado Springs attending Colorado College and running on the cross country track team.

The next meet is on September 8 at the same place and course, but with even more athletes.

On Thursday, the Sports Complex was bursting at the seams as PCHS hosted soccer on the City Fields, this running race around the perimeter of that, and also mountain biking around the perimeter of the running course.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.