Hillcrest cross country season off to a running start

With school just around the corner, Hillcrest’s cross country team is taking advantage of free time during the summer to start the conditioning process before the season starts. Coach John Olsen said both the boys and girls teams are young this year but are filled with talented runners.

“This year isn’t really a rebuilding year but we do have very young runners. From an experience stand point, they are lacking. But the team is talented,” he said.

The team has been meeting at 5:50 a.m. most of the summer. Olsen said it shows the dedication level of the athletes. Each run varies in length but he said the average boys varsity runner logs about 55-60 miles during the summer.

The girls team has more experienced runners but is smaller. Lead by captains Jordan Kennedy, Taylor Reich and Lisa Snyder. the team has good leadership which Olsen said will help develop the younger runners.

The boys side is captained by senior Kevin Lynch, who has suffered some minor health problems this summer. Olsen said he’s confident Lynch will be able to get back to a competitive level soon and provide the experience and leadership the young team needs.

In cross country, the top seven runners make up the varsity team. Olsen said this year the top spot on the boys side is held by Lynch, but the other six spots haven’t really been decided yet. Chase Oesch, Brian Landeen, Jake Westover, Larson Trelease, Jared Croft, and Dylan Smith are all showing strong potential this year.

“Any one of these boys can claim a spot on varsity, the sky is the limit for this group of juniors and sophomores,” he said.

Hillcrest’s change to 4A and a new region will likely have little effect on the cross country. Olsen said some of the best cross country teams in the state are already in 4A. The change to Region 7 will bring new competitors and Olsen said Skyline and Herriman have particularly good teams this year.

For now the team is working hard and running together nearly every day. The team might pick up a few more runners once school starts, but Olsen said the best cross country athletes have spent the summer dedicated to getting better.

“This is a sport with very little recognition but the runners put in a lot of time,” he said. “These kids are up and finishing a run before most high school kids wake up during the summer.”