High school track: Bobcat claims 3 events at Y. meet

PROVO — Once Trac Norris heard the gun signaling he had reached the final lap of Friday's 1,600-meter race, he unleashed an extra burst of speed akin to a racehorse barreling out of the starting gate.

Norris had made a goal of setting a 2A state record and realized he needed to complete his final lap in 60 seconds to get it.

"That's why I took off there," Norris said. "I didn't know where the other kids were behind me at all. I was just going for the time."

He crossed the line in 4:21.12, just a second away from the state record.

But that final burst delivered Norris the first of three event victories at the BYU Invitational on Friday afternoon.

The race marked the second part of a fantastic duel between Panguitch's Norris and Richfield senior Josh Monsen. Norris held the lead for much of the way when the two went up against one another in the 3,200 meters earlier that morning. But Monsen pulled ahead in the final 200 meters and claimed victory with a time of 9:45.03.

Once Norris turned on the afterburners in the final lap of the 1,600, he knew his chances of duplicating the feat were non-existent.

"Trac is one of the best in the state," Monsen said. "I highly doubted I could beat him in that race. The only one I thought I had a chance in was the two mile (3,200), so that's when I got him."

Norris ultimately added to his victory tally with first-place finishes in the 300-meter hurdles and the 800. He edged Monsen again in the 800 with a clocking of 1:56.81 — a time that put him just 0.12 seconds shy of claiming a state record in that event. The Bobcat senior claimed the 300 hurdles top spot with a time of 40.21 seconds.

While Norris was clearly the top individual performer, it was Richfield that claimed the team title. The Wildcats racked up 131 points to slide past Parowan for first place. The Rams tallied 101 points for second.

Richfield ended up being unexpectedly shorthanded in a couple of events, which contributed to the closer-than-normal team race. Dane Whittaker was disqualified from the 400 — despite winning his heat — after committing a lane violation. On top of that, JD Michaelson sat out the long jump with a hamstring injury.

The Wildcats' ability to withstand those losses spoke well to their overall team depth.

"We have enough guys that can still get the job done even when our top performers go down or struggle," Monsen said.