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The Park City High School girls cross-country team, shown here in October after winning a fifth-straight 3A state title, recently took fifth place in a regional meet against teams from Utah and six other states. Park Record file photo.
Individually, Ben Saarel has been getting the headlines for the Park City High School cross-country program. But cross-country is also a team sport, and that's where the PCHS girls have been winning kudos.

In October, the girls won their fifth straight 3A state championship and set a state record for the fastest combined time ever posted by a Utah 3A team. And on Nov. 17, PCHS proved that it was among the elite teams in the Intermountain West, finishing fifth in the Nike Southwest Regional in Mesa, Ariz. The meet attracted top teams from Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado and Oklahoma.

"We were the highest (finishing) small school," said Jeff Wyant, PCHS cross-country coach. "All the schools that beat us were in the largest classification in their (respective) states, and they didn't beat us by much."

Wyant said Park City was paced by seniors Annie Orr and Ali Walker, who each finished the 5-kilometer race in less than 18 minutes.