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Provo • As lightning threatened in the vicinity of the Clarence F. Robison Track and Field Complex on the campus of BYU, halting action on the first day of the BYU high school invitational on Friday, four American Fork sprinters posed for pictures.
After they finished embracing one another, one Cavemen supporter quipped, "We'll come back for the awards. It would be pretty empty without you guys."
The weather, which momentarily delayed all activities, didn't affect what many referred to as "the deepest field" ever assembled for the boys' 3,200-meter race in the history of the BYU Invitational — one that would see three Cavemen finish in the top four spots.
"It definitely helped me finish knowing I had my teammates behind me," said American Fork's Casey Clinger, the 2015 Gatorade Cross Country Player of the Year for the state of Utah after capturing the individual national championship last year.
Clinger held off teammate Patrick Parker, with a winning time of 9 minutes, 2.58 seconds. Parker crossed the finish line seconds later, at 9:04.51. Timpanogos' William Handley finished third, with a time of 9:07.28, and American Fork's McKay Johns placed fourth at 9:10.43. Ogden's Garrett Barton rounded out the top five, with a time of 9:11.57.
With 750 meters remaining, the top four placers were on pace to break the nine-minute mark, prompting the PA announcer to notify spectators that they "were watching history," but none could sustain the pace.
Clinger didn't establish his personal record in the event, but said he has energy stored in the tank to compete in Saturday's 1,600 race on the final day of the BYU Invite.
Clinger, however, was the second runner from American Fork to drape the tape from the finish line across their shoulders. In the preceding girls' 3,200 race, Sara Musselman blazed past the competition and finished with the fastest time in the event this season, at 10:40.94. Bingham's Whitney Rich was nearly six full seconds behind in second, with a time of 10:46.41. Olympus' Olivia Hoj (10:56.85), Skyline's Camille Winterton (10:58.90) and West's Isabella James (11:06.55) completed the top five.
"I knew that Whitney was super-fast, so [I] was going to sit behind her," Musselman said of her strategy. "Then, I got super-tired on the sixth lap, so I just went all out. I just went for it, and it worked."
Although her first thought after crossing the finish line with a personal record was "Ow, it hurt," she certainly didn't display any signs of weakness. As fellow runners were vividly ill and being carried off afterward, Musselman walked gingerly to the sideline, swigged some water, and appeared ready to run another race. She attributed her endurance to her workout regimen.
"I'm super happy because I work so hard every day," Musselman said. "I love seeing what I accomplish on the track.
Facilities open at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, with events sporadically taking place until 2:05 p.m. before golden hour opening ceremonies kick-start final events at 2:50 p.m.
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
BYU Invitational Day 1 highlights
• Three American Fork boys' runners – Casey Clinger (1st), Patrick Parker (2nd) and McKay Johns (4th) — finish in the top four of the Class 5A-3A 3,200-meter event. Timpanogos' Williams Handley (3rd) and Ogden's Garrett Barton (5th) round out the top five.
• American Fork's Sara Musselman establishes the fastest time this season, with a time of 10:40.94, in the Class 5A-3A 3,200 event. Bingham's Whitney Rich (2nd), Olympus' Olivia Hoj (3rd), Skyline's Camille Winterton (4th) and West's Isabella James (5th) complete the top five.
• Shelly's (Idaho) Austin Stewart and Mark Crandall place first and second in the boys' Class 2A-1A 3,200 meters, with Millard's Conner Cox crossing third. North Summit's Sadie Sargent wins the girls' 3,200 for Class 2A-1A.
• Riverton's Tyler Smart takes first place in the boys' long jump for Class 5A-3A.
• Jordan's Justin Cobbley wins the boys' Class 5A-3A shot put event, while Salem Hills' Miley Houghton wins the discus throw for the same classes.
• Maple Mountain's Cameron Bates takes first in the boys' javelin for Class 5A-3A.