Utah State Winners: Cedar City Canyon View girls claim first State 3A Title |
Utah 3A cross country results |
For years, Canyon View’s girls were close enough to picture a state cross country title, but not quite close enough to bring one home to Cedar City.
At the 2026 3A cross country championships, the Falcons finally closed that gap.
Canyon View won its first girls state championship with 55 points at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City, holding off Ogden’s 61.
Union finished third with 93, making every place in the leading pack matter.
For the Falcons, the six-point margin made a long-awaited breakthrough feel especially hard-earned.
Coach Mariam Steffensen’s team had finished third last season and had also come within reach of the title in earlier years.
This time, Canyon View arrived prepared to compete throughout the race rather than count on its standing entering the meet.
The Utah 3A cross country results show how much the championship depended on five runners working together.
Ember Sorenson led Canyon View in third overall, finishing in 19:05.54.
Taylee Hall placed eighth, Emeline Fife took 11th, Briley Orton finished 15th, and Eliza Rice completed the scoring five in 18th.
No Falcon had to win the individual race for Canyon View to win the team title.
That depth gave Cedar City a result its runners had been chasing for years.
The 3A girls cross country results also brought an individual first for Ogden senior Avery Barton.
Barton won in 17:49.88, ahead of Emery’s Gentry Christiansen in 18:43.61 and Sorenson in third.
After placing second a year ago, Barton pulled away on the course’s hills and secured the state championship she had wanted.
Her finish gave Ogden a major celebration, even as Canyon View claimed the team trophy.
Ogden had another reason to celebrate in the boys race, winning the 3A team championship with 58 points.
Carbon finished second with 71, followed by Grantsville with 96.
Manti’s Paul Gardner defended his individual boys title in 15:45.21, while Canyon View’s Jarom Findlay placed second in 16:03.18.
Those performances made it a strong day across the classification, but the biggest change for Cedar City was unmistakable. |
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Nobody had to win the individual race for the team to win. That depth is what separates good programs from great ones.
Sugar House Park is a tough course with those hills. The fact that Barton pulled away on the climbs shows she was ready for it.
Paul Gardner defending his individual title and Canyon View's Findlay taking second on the boys side made it a really good day for 3A running overall.
TrishHansenFindlay running a 16:03 and still finishing second tells you how good Gardner is. That kid must be fun to watch race.
Coach Steffensen has done a great job building that program. Coming in third last year and then closing the deal this time says a lot about how she prepares them.
Six points is so close. Ogden was right there. Would have been a very different headline with just one runner swapping places.
Avery Barton winning after coming in second last year is a great story too. Ogden had plenty to cheer about even without the team trophy.
JennaPSeriously, finishing second one year and coming back to win it is such a great arc. And running a 17:49 to do it? That's a fast time on that course.
My daughter ran against Briley Orton at a meet earlier this season. That girl is tough. Makes sense she was part of the scoring five.
canyon_localThat's so cool! Did your daughter have a good race that day? Always fun when you can look back and say you ran against someone who made the state scoring five.
Ember Sorenson finishing third overall while her teammates packed in behind her is exactly how you win a team title. Really smart racing.
Mike TalbotYep, packing runners in positions 8, 11, 15, and 18 is the whole game in team scoring. A lot of coaches overlook that. Steffensen clearly didn't.
So proud of these girls! Cedar City has been waiting for this for a long time.
Debbie R.My family has lived here forever and I honestly teared up a little reading this. Long time coming for those girls.