Utah runners finish among top 30 in race

SAN DIEGO — Danielle Menlove capped off a sensational debut season in high school cross country in style on Saturday.

The Jordan freshman carved out a 15th-place finish at the 2008 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in San Diego. Menlove completed the 3-mile race in 18 minutes and 14 seconds — 52 seconds off the pace set by first-place finisher Jordan Hasay, a runner from Arroyo Grande, Calif.

She was joined in the top 30 by Skyline runner Shayla Kipp. Kipp, a senior, placed 28th overall with a time of 18:37. Menlove and Kipp were the only local runners to qualify for the national championships.

For Kipp, it felt like a perfect way to cap her high school career.

"I wouldn't change anything," Kipp said. "It's a good way to end things."

Both Kipp and Menlove qualified for a spot in the national Foot Locker meet after placing in the top 10 at the West Regional qualifying meet in Walnut, Calif. on December 8th.

In that previous race, Menlove finished third with a time of 18:23 and Kipp clocked in at 18:44. Both runners trimmed substantial amounts of time from the regionals to the nationals, but comparing the two races is a little like comparing apples and oranges.

"It was like a whole new level of competition," Kipp said. "It was totally new to me."

Both Menlove and Kipp have previously earned state titles in high school competition in Utah. Kipp claimed a 5A girls title in 2006, while Menlove captured top honors in the 5A cross country championship this past October.

— John Coon