PREDICTIONS: Utah Track & Field State Championships (6A)

Donald Speas
May 15, 2024
7 min read

Predictions & analysis by Donny Speas, additional edits & commentary via Garrett Zatlin

Seemingly every weekend, we open up social media and see that a different Utah athlete produced some incredible time, broken a new meet record or announced a big-time college commitment.

That's why it's no wonder that, during a weekend packed with exciting state championship meets across the country, we return to the current gold standard of high school distance running: The Utah 6A Track & Field State Championships.

Here's how Utah native Donny Speas sees this weekend's races play out...

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Girl's 800 Meters

Addie Meldrum (Lone Peak) - 2:10
Boston Bybee (Lone Peak) - 2:10
Brecklyn Bugnet (Fremont) - 2:12
Tori Stratton (American Fork) - 2:13
Rachel Crosby (Herriman) - 2:13

Analysis: Addie Meldrum comes into this weekend with the fastest 800-meter time in Utah's 6A division -- a 2:10.91 effort from two weeks ago at the BYU Invitational. Of course, Meldrum certainly wasn't the only 6A athlete who raced well at the BYU Invitational as we saw Tori Stratton (American Fork), Brecklyn Bugnet (Fremont) and Rachel Crosby (Herriman) all finish the distance in 2:15 or faster. All three of those athletes should certainly be contenders for a top finish on Saturday.

In addition to the previously mentioned athletes, there's one more contender who I think is worth mentioning: Boston Bybee of Lone Peak. Bybee comes into this race with the third-best 800-meter PR of any athlete (2:13), but also one of the best aerobic engines of anyone else. Bybee is the Utah 6A leader over 1600 meters with an excellent 4:47 mark, making it impossible in my eyes to not view her as a contender for the state title.

Boy's 800 Meters

Zach Hillhouse (Pleasant Grove) - 1:51
Noah Nielson (American Fork) - 1:52
William Steadman (Herriman) - 1:52
Tayshuan Ogomo (Herriman) - 1:53
Danny Simmons (American Fork) - 1:54

Analysis: I've continually underestimated Zach Hillhouse and I will try my best to avoid making that same mistake again. Right now, Hillhouse has arguably the most momentum of anyone in the state after winning the 800 meters at the BYU Invitational in 1:50 (and running 4:04 over 1600 meters for good measure). In turn, I'm picking him to keep his hot streak going and bring home the state title this Saturday.

Of course, that isn't to say that this will be an easy race for Hillhouse. That's because 1:49 (800) runner and Notre Dame commit, Noah Nielson, has a wealth of championship experience as well as the resume to prove it, highlighted by multiple All-American honors.

Interestingly, long distance star Danny Simmons is also entered. And while I'd be surprised if he pulls off the win, his entry in this field certainly adds an element of team tactics that could benefit Nielson (or any of the numerous other American Fork athletes entered).

Girl's 1600 Meters

Boston Bybee (Lone Peak) - 4:51
Addie Meldrum (Lone Peak) - 4:53
Skye Jensen (American Fork) - 4:57
Skye Siddoway (Farmington) - 4:59
Tori Stratton (American Fork) - 5:00

Analysis: The girl's 1600 meters looks to be a clash between two powerhouse programs: The Lone Peak Knights and the American Fork Cavewomen. Collectively, these two programs hold seven out of the top-eight fastest seeds in the event (shoutout to Farmington's Skye Siddoway for breaking things up and giving us some parity).

The fastest of the bunch is Lone Peak's Boston Bybee, the only athlete who can claim a sub-4:50 (1600) seasonal best. However, since running her 4:47 mark in early April, Bybee hasn't looked quite as sharp, only running 5:03 for 8th place at the BYU Invitational a couple of weeks ago. However, I don't think it would be a surprise for anyone if she pulled off the win on Saturday

The more I look at this race, the more I view it as wide-open. Addie Meldrum has run 4:53 (1600), but got beat by Skye Jensen and Skye Siddoway at BYU. We never quite know what we'll get from Avalon Mecham, but when she has a good day, she's among the very best in the entire country.

Throw in some team title implications and you've got one amazing event.

Boy's 1600 Meters

Danny Simmons (American Fork) - 4:02
Zach Hillhouse (Pleasant Grove) - 4:05
William Steadman (Herriman) - 4:06
Ben Jaster (American Fork) - 4:08
Kaden Evans (American Fork) - 4:09

Analysis: Danny Simmons is fresh off a 1600-meter win at the BYU Invitational where he lowered his state record to a blistering mark of 4:01. I don't see a reason why he shouldn't win the state title. Conveniently for our purposes, the four fastest-seeded athletes in this race all squared-off against one another at BYU a few weeks back, giving us a nice preview of what we may see on Saturday morning.

The best of the rest looks to either be BYU commit, Zach Hillhouse (Pleasant Grove), or Utah State commit, William Steadman (Herriman). Both these athletes ran 4:04 (1600) to take 2nd and 3rd place behind Simmons at that aforementioned BYU battle.

Between those two men, I'm giving the slight edge to Hillhouse on the virtue of his phenomenal kick.

A handful of talented athletes round out the field highlighted by the American Fork duo of Ben Jaster (5k All-American) and Kaden Evans (4:09 seasonal best). With so many American Fork athletes at the front of the race, I won't be shocked if the Cavemen's team tactics have a sizable affect on the race.

Girl's 3200 Meters

Skye Jensen (American Fork) - 10:42
Avalon Mecham (American Fork) - 10:44
Millie Robinson (Westlake) - 10:44
Cailey Bracken (Mountain Ridge) - 10:47
Maya Bybee (Lone Peak) - 10:48

Analysis: The biggest question that we have about this race is, what is Avalon Mecham's ceiling in a field like this? When at her best, Mecham is the most talented runner in this field with a 15th-place finish from NXN to prove it. She is the most proven, aerobically, compared to her opponents. However, when it comes to the oval, there are a handful of girls in this field who have been just as good as Mecham.

The fastest seed time in this event belongs to Millie Robinson of Westlake who ran her 10:38 (3200) personal best in this event at the Arcadia Invitational in April. Another legitimate contender for the title is American Fork freshman Skye Jensen who recently won the 3200 meters at the BYU Invitational where she defeated a number of the other athletes in this race.

Lastly, I'd be remiss not to mention Mountain Ridge's Cailey Bracken, a Foot Locker national meet qualifier in cross country who has been quietly building momentum and is undefeated in her last 11 races over 1600 meters and 3200 meters.

Boy's 3200 Meters

Danny Simmons (American Fork) - 8:55
Ben Jaster (American Fork) - 8:58
Jack Beckstrom (Herriman) - 9:04
Ben Bradshaw (American Fork) - 9:05
Kaden Evans (American Fork) - 9:06

Analysis: Just like in the boy's 1600 meters, Danny Simmons is the overwhelming favorite in this event and I'd be shocked if anyone else besides the BYU commit crosses the finish line with the victory.

Simmons won't be the only American Fork runner in the front of this race as his teammate Ben Jaster, whose personal bests of 8:38 (3200) and 14:19 (5k) would make him the headliner in almost any other meet nationwide, is also entered. He has the best chance at pulling off an upset.

One another athlete worth noting is Jack Beckstrom. The Herriman product comes into this race with an 8:56 (3200) PR and has some solid championship credentials including an All-American finish during cross country.

Finally, if the race runs slower than expected, keep an eye on Kaden Evans, an American Fork athlete whose personal bests of 4:09 (1600) and 1:55 (800) should make him a factor in a sit-and-kick affair.

Girl's 4x800-Meter Relay

Lone Peak Knights - 9:10
American Fork Cavewomen - 9:16
Herriman Mustangs - 9:33
Riverton Silverwolves - 9:41
Pleasant Grove Vikings - 9:42

Analysis: Stop me if you've heard this one before, but it looks like it's going to be a battle between Lone Peak and American Fork for the top spot in the girl's 4x800-meter relay. At this point in the article, I've mentioned just about all the major players on both relays, so I'll keep this one a bit more brief.

American Fork comes in with the top seed (9:20) via their win at the Utah County Invitational where they comfortably beat Lone Peak by eight seconds. However, this time, I think the results will be flipped as the Knights are adding Addie Meldrum (2:10 PR) and Boston Bybee (2:13 PR) to their lineup. And while I do respect the talent of American Fork's girls, I simply don't think the Cavewomen are capable of matching that level of middle distance firepower.

Boy's 4x800-Meter Relay

American Fork Cavemen - 7:45
Herriman Mustangs - 7:49
Skyridge Falcons - 7:59
Corner Canyon Chargers - 8:02
Layton Lancers - 8:03

Analysis: Every time we see the American Fork Cavemen and the Herriman Mustangs square off, we see something special. In their most recent showdown at the BYU Invitational, the Caveman and the Mustangs lit up the track, running 7:31 and 7:34, respectively, in the 4x800-meter relay. Those are also the two fastest times in the country...

...by five seconds.

While I think that this race will still be a fast one, I don't think this edition will be quite as fast as the previous one. Almost all of the athletes on both American Fork's and Herriman's "A" teams are entered in other events. Plus, with American Fork expected to contend for the overall team title, I wouldn't be shocked if this race runs a little tactical.

Unfortunately for us, this looks like it will be the last showdown in this chapter of the American Fork vs Herriman rivalry as both squads will lose many top athletes to graduation. So if at all possible, take the opportunity to watch this race on Thursday afternoon.