Monticello wants to return to the dominant cross country team that ruled both 1A and 2A for a number of years.

"We used to be a powerhouse," said coach Jeff Hunt. "We have 12 championships and we are slowly getting back there."

Freshman Macee Nielsen did her part by claiming first place at this year's state cross country championships held in Sugarhouse Park. She eclipsed the entire field by more than a minute and looks to break the state record sometime in the next three years, needing only to shave off about a dozen seconds off her time to do so.

"She broke the course record nearly everywhere she ran this year," said Hunt.

Hunt sees the team improving from this year's third-place finish as junior Shantel Musselman struggled with an injury the entire year and hopes to return next year at full strength. As a sophomore, Musselman finished fourth at state. She slipped to 21st this year as her hip popped out and she was never able to heal how she wanted. But if it heals properly during the offseason, she'll likely be back in the top 10.

Also returning as a senior will be Aleesha Wells, who finished 20th this year. Hunt hopes she'll work hard in the offseason to regain the all-state status she earned two seasons ago.

Sophomore Mariah Harrison will return and although she focuses more on the track season, she will contribute in cross country. Graduating will be Lydia Ryan and Kayla Holyoak.

Hunt laments the fact that cross country courses in the southern part of the state are not similar to the course in Sugarhouse Park where state is held.

"We rarely, if ever, get to run on grass," he said.

He did say his team traveled to Orem earlier this year where they competed with high schools from multidivisions and finished a respectable sixth.

Hunt summed up his team's prospects for next year: "If we can stay healthy, we can be right up there."

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E-mail: wjewkes@desnews.com