Orem girls finally win in 4A, Fremont in 5A

Finally. That's what Orem High coach Scott Houle and senior Amber Harper were thinking after Wednesday's 4A girls' state cross country championships. Like Judge Memorial's boys, the Lady Tigers finally broke through and captured the state title that's eluded them for years.

Orem last won a state crown in 1992. For the past two years in particular they've been close but not able to pass Fremont in 2000 or Mountain View in 2001. This despite the two-straight state championships won by the Tiger's Amber Harper. But Wednesday, they were second to none.

While Harper was winning her third consecutive medalist honor with a time of 17:52, teammates Jenn Buss, Heather Melia, Katie Burgon, and Jenn Blackburn were putting it together behind her, helping the Tigers edge talented Mountain View by three points, 48-51. Thus, Houle had his first state championship victory over his brother, Dave, the Bruins' coach.

"He was about the first person to congratulate me," Houle said. He laughed when asked if it was the water in Orem that seems to produce such prolific runners each year. "Honestly, I think the success that he's had at Mountain View has worked as an inspiration to us the last few years. The girls were very confident that we could win this year."

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Fremont, Park City, Richfield and St. Joseph also won team championships during a soggy afternoon at Sugarhouse Park. The Orem team victory was sweeter for Harper than her three straight individual wins.

"This is the happiest day of my life as a runner," she said. Harper encouraged her teammates to each write the number "1" on their hands before the race.

"We're a lot closer as a group this year, and I knew we could do it today," she said. Mountain View junior Heidi Magill was second at 18:00.4, while Lone Peak sophomore Katie Bowen was third.