Bountiful senior, who ran fastest time last year at Sugarhouse Park to capture 5A boys title, one of many athletes seeking impressive repeat at Soldier Hollow Course after event was split into two days and different sites this season 

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Dalton Mortensen was hoping to have an opportunity this season to join an elite group of athletes in Utah prep cross country history by eclipsing the 15-minute barrier at Sugarhouse Park.

But when the Utah High School Activities Association decided to split its state championship meet over two days at multiple venues this year as a result of construction at the usual Highland High facility, along with safety guidelines and protocols because of COVID-19, the Bountiful High senior decided to focus on making the 5A boys final memorable for many other reasons.

Mortensen, who competes Thursday at Soldier Hollow Course in Midway, is looking to become the first 5A champion to repeat since former American Fork standout and two-time Nike Cross Nationals winner Casey Clinger, now a sophomore at Brigham Young, achieved the feat in 2015-16.

“I’m excited to race at Soldier Hollow even though I was really looking forward to Sugarhouse before they moved it,” Mortensen said. “I think I’ve prepared very well with my team for a course like this because we incorporated some hill training throughout the summer.”

Mortensen is also trying to elevate Bountiful, which placed third at both the Region 5 championship Oct. 2 and the 5A divisional meet Oct. 9, to its best team performance in state history.

Bountiful finished fifth last season and has twice secured fourth in its division, both in 1976 and 1989, but has never placed in the top three. Mortensen, who won both the regional and divisional meets, hopes facing Farmington and Timpanogos multiple times on their way to the state final will prove beneficial Thursday for the Braves.

“For our team to have our best day we would really need to focus on staying mentally engaged the whole race and using our effort evenly throughout, while saving enough to finish strong the last mile,” Mortensen said. “There has been extra emphasis on preparing for state this year, though, because my team really wants to do the best we can to compete.”

Even though he wasn’t considered the pre-race favorite to win the title last year – that distinction went to Skyline senior Thomas Boyden, who fell early in the race, was unable to recover and didn’t finish – Mortensen wound up being the fastest male athlete regardless of division last year at Sugarhouse Park when he ran 15:14.2 to edge 6A winner Creed Thompson of Skyridge, who clocked 15:14.3.

Both athletes went on to place in the top 20 in December at Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego, Calif., with Skyridge’s Davin Thompson achieving 23rd. Boyden, now a Stanford freshman, rebounded well from his disappointing performance at the state meet to earn All-America honors with a 12th-place finish.

Mortensen and Thompson are both looking to repeat as boys state champions, with Grand County senior Kylah Ricks and Woods Cross senior Carlee Hansen each seeking their third consecutive girls crowns – in 3A and 5A, respectively – and Lone Peak senior Eliza Arrington pursuing back-to-back 6A girls titles.

Mortensen is motivated to produce the top overall mark again, but knows that both Thompson brothers have the advantage of competing in the final race of the meet on the 5-kilometer course, in addition to Skyridge squaring off against American Fork in a 6A showdown featuring two of the top teams in the country.

“It would mean a lot to be the fastest guy on the day over the new course, even though it’s tough to know there will be another race with great runners pretty soon after I finish,” Mortensen said. “I always want to be in the same race with the best competition. I race best when I’m racing with guys that can push me, but it will still be fun to see if a 5A or 6A guy has the fastest time, considering the difference in depth for the competition.”

With all Foot Locker and Nike regional and national meets canceled this year as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, Mortensen is optimistic he will race again this fall. But with no set schedule beyond Thursday, he is even more inspired to add to his legacy, not only at Bountiful, but in state history.

“For the most part training has been pretty similar to last year, even though there’s no Foot Locker or NXN to look forward to after state. That’s mostly because there will hopefully be some other postseason races with good national-level competition,” Mortensen said. “I’m excited to race because I’m ready to run hard and have a great time racing with everyone else.”