Ogden High's Avery Barton completed a City-County threepeat on Wednesday, Sept. 22, at the Weber County Fairgrounds. Barton recorded a course-best time of 17:46.11, cutting nearly 11 seconds off her previous winning time from last year.
Barton finished roughly two minutes ahead of teammate Clara Geddes, who took second place with a time of 19:41.70. While five Ogden Tigers finished in the top 15, Weber took the team lead with McKell Jensen and Laney Tolman finishing third and fourth, respectively. Weber secured the team victory after having six runners finish among the top 30.
Barton noted that the reconstructed course was difficult due to unpredictable hilly terrain and multiple laps around the Weber County Softball Complex. She stated that the layout included more hills this year and expressed frustration with the difficulty of navigating the back side of the fence multiple times.
Barton, a former 3A state runner-up, is a prominent recruit who has recently visited BYU, Utah, Utah State, and Weber State. During her junior year at the annual meet at BYU, she won the 3A 3,200 meters and finished second in the 1,600 meters.
Her running legacy is linked to her mother, Alydia Barton, who competed for Weber State in the late 1980s. Alydia Barton led Ogden High School to five cross country state titles and six individual titles, and instructed 20 different track and field state champions between 2006 and 2014.
Barton mentioned that she plans to finalize her college decisions in mid-October. She added that while balancing difficult classes and recruiting visits is challenging, she enjoys the racing process. The state championships are scheduled for Oct. 27-28 at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City.
