The Mustangs had a very successful season in cross country. Running almost every day since the summer, they were in good shape for their meets.

Herriman held their own for every single meet as they compete with other cross country teams all across the state, with most of the races being 5k.

They came out with many wins and personal bests. The varsity girls team qualified for state, taking third at region.

Both varsity and JV took top 5 at most of the meets.

The girls on the varsity team that went to the state championships were Milee Enger (‘18), Marlee Peterson (‘16), Michelle Stanley (‘16), Becca Bronson (‘16), Emma Loftus (‘16), Meg Nielsen (‘18), and Kennady Bekmezian (‘16).

On the boys’ side, Adam Wood (‘17) qualified individually for state and represented Herriman well.

“I love to work with athletes and see them become better, not just in their sport, but better in other aspects of their lives too. I love to see athletes start to reach their potential and see their confidence grow because of achieving their goals. Championships are icing on the cake!” said Head Cross Country Coach James Barnes.

Having more than 11 meets, the Mustangs went through lengthy runs to speedy workouts in order to prepare their bodies for competition.

With all of the team’s accomplishments and hard work, there’s been a lot of reasons to be proud of every single athlete on the team.

“My most proud moments have been when I see athletes dig down deep and push beyond limits that they think they have to accomplish something for them and their teammates. Championships are won by doing this, but so are personal records, team goals, etc. Every State title,” said Barnes.

“We are all so close that we can all go and talk to anyone on the team about our problems. I love how we all help each other out,” Dallin Schut (‘1 ) said.

Everyone on the team agrees that there is a special bond on the cross country team.

“Everyone is friends with everyone,” Mikaela Jorgensen (‘1 ). Cross country is definitely a different sport than any other. When asked what other people say about the sport, these were the responses:

“No wonder you’re so skinny.”

“You’re crazy.”

“I could never run that long.”

“I love to see how close the athletes become and see their friendships build. I love to see kids go beyond limits and learn to be tough. I love when the athletes realize the rewards and lessons learned from doing hard things, especially when they don’t think they can,” Barnes said.

The cross country team runs countless miles and makes it really fun. It is also a very competitive sport, and has some of Herriman High School’s best athletes on the team. If you like running and making new friends, you should consider running for the Herriman High Cross Country Team.