10 Utah high school cross country athletes to watch in 2015

Utah produced several of the nation's best cross country teams last fall. There's no reason to believe the Beehive State will take a step back in 2015. Several gifted runners have graduated and moved on to the college ranks, but the talent pool remains deep throughout the state.


Girls

Aubrey Argyle, Davis (Kaysville)
Argyle burst onto the running scene in spectacular fashion as a freshman and showed an even more dominant form as a sophomore last fall. She pushed eventual Class 5A champion Lucy Biles to the limit before finishing second with a time of 17:43.4 – just 2.4 seconds behind Biles. With two top 10 finishes at the state meet on her resume, Argyle is the clear title favorite in 2015.

Kate Hunter, Provo
No other runner could touch Hunter in the final 800 meters a year ago, as she coasted to a Class 4A title to cap off her sophomore season. Hunter crossed the finish line with a time of 18:09.7 – more than 20 seconds ahead of her closest competitor. With her speed, it will surprise no one to see the junior atop the podium once again this autumn.



Ally Geisler, Davis
Depth gives Davis a good chance at retaking the Class 5A crown from American Fork this season. Geisler is one of those standout runners that will help make the Darts tough to beat. She enjoyed a breakout sophomore season in 2014 and capped it off with a top-three finish at the state meet. Geisler finished third overall in the Class 5A race with a time of 18:04.3.

Courtney Wayment, Davis
The best runners in Davis County don't all run for the Darts, but it does seem like that's the case at times. Wayment adds depth to the team after transferring from Northridge. She has posted Top 10 finishes in consecutive Class 5A meets and could be poised to take another step forward in 2015. Wayment finished in the Top 50 at the Nike Cross Nationals to cap off her junior year.

Sammy Hollingsworth, American Fork
One thing is certain: American Fork has a seemingly endless supply of distance runners. Hollingsworth headlines a group that includes talented runners like Cami Squires and Katie Bradshaw. She finished off her sophomore season a year ago with a sixth-place finish at the Class 5A meet. 

Boys

Casey Clinger, American Fork

Will Clinger be the latest Class 5A champion from American Fork this season? The odds are definitely in the junior's favor. He offered a glimpse of his potential with his Class 5A runner-up finish last season. Clinger posted a time of 15 minutes, 12.1 seconds in the state meet at Sugar House Park. His time was third-best among all finishers in all classifications. Clinger followed up with an eighth-place finish at the 2014 Nike Cross Nationals.

Christian Allen, Copper Hills (West Jordan)
If there's a runner who has the skills to break the string of individual Class 5A champions from American Fork, Allen is the one. He crossed the finish line in 15:16.8 to take second as a junior last fall. This means Allen enters his senior season as a realistic state title threat and a dangerous distance runner.

Alek Parsons, Ogden
It is runners like Parsons who keep Ogden in the mix as a Class 4A power from one year to the next. Parsons took third place in the Class 4A meet a year ago, finishing with a time of 15:29.8. The junior built on that podium finish with a strong performance in the Nike Cross Nationals, where Parsons secured a Top-25 finish.



McKay Johns, American Fork
Johns could offer stiff competition to Clinger with how things played out for him in 2014. The junior finished fourth overall at the Class 5A meet with a time of 15:25.2. He also earned a top-50 finish at the Nike Cross Nationals. Johns forms a nice one-two punch with Clinger that will help the Cavemen in their quest to repeat as Class 5A team champions.

Jaiden Melendrez, Desert Hills (St. George)
Melendrez demonstrated what he is capable of when he set a state record a year ago. He helped Desert Hills capture a Class 3A team title with a time of 15:44.3. It set a record for sophomore runners at the state meet. Given that his teammates Joshua Thatcher, Spencer Ford and Sage Ducote also return, Melendrez can easily help his team repeat as champs in 2015.

John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. He can be contacted at john_coon@hotmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports