City-County track: Distance runners stack personal bests to begin annual event
Ogden's Barton sets personal best with first-place finish in the girls 1,600-meter
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- Ogden High’s Avery Barton barrels toward the finish line in the 1,600-meter at the 2026 Burchell-Armstrong City-County track meet on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at Roy High School in Roy.
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- Bonneville’s Laurynn Citte scales the bar at the 2026 Burchell-Armstrong City-County track meet on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at Roy High School in Roy.
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- Roy High’s Henrik Hulbert barrels toward the finish line in the 1,600-meter at the 2026 Burchell-Armstrong City-County track meet on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at Roy High School in Roy.
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- Fremont’s Claire Hall barrels toward the finish line in the 1,600-meter at the 2026 Burchell-Armstrong City-County track meet on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at Roy High School in Roy.
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- Ogden High’s Clara Geddes, left, and Fremont’s Kennedy Hansen, right, battle it out in the 1,600-meter at the 2026 Burchell-Armstrong City-County track meet on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at Roy High School in Roy.
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- Roy High’s Henrik Hulbert barrels toward the finish line in the 1,600-meter at the 2026 Burchell-Armstrong City-County track meet on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at Roy High School in Roy.
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- St. Joseph’s Mason Keith, left, and the rest of the boys 1,600-meter line up at the 2026 Burchell-Armstrong City-County track meet on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at Roy High School in Roy.
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- West Field’s Amiya Durain scales the bar at the 2026 Burchell-Armstrong City-County track meet on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at Roy High School in Roy.
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- Ben Lomond’s Brinley Carrier scales the bar in the girls high jump at the 2026 Burchell-Armstrong City-County track meet on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at Roy High School in Roy.
ROY — It’s the distance runners, your typical cross country transplants, that kick off the annual City-County meet, largely composed of Northern Utah track and field teams. Multiple local stars set or flirted with personal bests as the meet kicked off its two-day event at Roy High School.
On Tuesday, the girls and boys 1,600-meter and a handful of field events produced final results while the majority of track events set preliminary times ahead of Wednesday’s schedule.
Avery Barton, Utah’s defending 3A girls cross-country state champion, set a personal best of 5:01.69 in the 1,600-meter, the first race of the afternoon, for Ogden High. Fremont’s Kennedy Hansen finished second with a final time of 5:25.98.
It’s Barton’s first season on track with the Tigers since transferring from Bonneville, where she first blossomed as a distance competitor. Her trajectory has surprised her in recent months, especially as she continues shaving big numbers off her personal bests.
“It’s actually insane,” Barton said. “Getting faster was obviously a goal, but I wasn’t expecting to get this fast. … I’m honestly just so grateful to be here and be able to do all of those things.”
This winter, Barton’s talents took her across the country to the Brooks Cross Country Championships in San Diego, as well as the New Balance Nationals Indoor in Boston earlier this month.
“A lot the girls I actually knew across the country,” Barton said. “I saw so many people at Brooks and just so many people I’ve known, and that was super exciting to like talk with the girls that are the same speed as me or faster and just hearing their opinions on things.”
Barton is running the 1,600-meter and the sprint medley this season for Ogden.
Fremont’s Hansen, Hall ready for big things
Roughly 24 seconds behind a first-place Barton, Fremont senior Kennedy Hansen checked into the event’s runner-up spot with a final time of 5:25.98. She’d beat out Ogden’s Clara Geddes (5:28.53) inside of three seconds to give the Silverwolves their first podium of the week.
Teammate Claire Hall, a junior, slipped into the top-10 after winning her heat with a final time of 5:57.45 for 10th overall. It’s Hall’s first race of the season after warming up in the 800-meter with the team at Pine View earlier this month.
“I thought I was going to win my heat, so I just came out with the expectation to dominate a little bit,” Hall said.
Hall is running the 1,600-meter and 800-meter alongside Hansen this season.
“I’ve been really close with (Hansen),” Hall said. “Me and her, we’ve been side-by-side in training and it’s been great working with her.”
Weber’s Rich claims boys 1,600-meter; Roy’s Hulbert eyeing state
On the boys end of the 1,600-meter, Weber High senior Wyatt Rich claimed first overall with a final time of 4:24.18 in the second race of the day. Fremont’s Beau Jenkins finished runner-up inside with a close finish of 4:26.79.
Rich would lead four different top-10 finishes by Warriors in the event: junior Erik Bryant (3rd, 4:31.50), senior Aiden Bindrup (7th, 4:37.59), and senior Spencer Jackman (8th, 4:40.17).
Earning Roy High’s best 1,600-meter time, senior Henrik Hulbert captured his heat with a final time of 4:48.36. Hulbert’s chasing the big dogs this season after missing state for the event in seasons past.
“The main goal is making state,” Hulbert said. “I haven’t been able to do it individually yet, so that would be awesome and I’m trying to put in the work. But mostly, I mean this is my first big (personal best) since sophomore year, so it’s nice to kind of break through that barrier.”
Hulbert is competing in the 1,600-meter, 800-meter, 400-meter and the 4×800 relay this season.
DAY 1 FIELD EVENTS CHAMPIONS
Girls javelin: Halle Brown, Ogden
Girls high jump: Sophie Sparrow, Weber High
Girls shot put: Abigail Hall, Weber High
Boys discus: Asher Kluge, Weber High
Boys long jump: Davis DeGroot, Bonneville
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
