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Deseret News
High school track: Morgan boys and Union girls celebrate 3A state track titles
By Tom Ripplinger,
2024-05-19
High jumpers from Morgan celebrate during the final day of the 3A Utah state track meet at the Track and Field Complex in Provo on Saturday, May 18, 2024. | Marielle Scott, Deseret News
Big celebrations are in store for Morgan boys and Union girls track and field teams after winning state.
A parade and firetrucks await both the Union girls’ and Morgan boys’ track and field teams following their state championship victories Saturday at BYU. It marked the Trojans’ third such honor in the last four years and the Cougars’ first ever title in the sport for girls or boys.
“They deserved it,” Union head coach Levi Wise said about his girls team winning a state championship. “They’ve worked really hard all year and they’ve sacrificed a lot. … So just a bunch of really selfless girls that worked super hard and deserve it. I’m just excited for them.”
Junior runner Jaylie Jenkins is arguably the biggest reason the Cougars are heading home with their first state title in the sport. The speedster takes home three individual championships, winning the 800-meter, 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter races. Still, she takes the most pride in helping Union earn the team title.
“My team is amazing,” Jenkins said. “I’m just so glad I could be a part of it and help out. … (Individual championships) made me happy as a person but more as a teammate. I love being able to cheer on the victory with my team.”
In the end Jenkins aided the Cougars in nearly half of the school’s 94 points, picking up 30 on her own and running in two relay races that saw Union pick up 16 more.
However, Jenkins’ focus remained on her teammates.
“We all just have such a love for this sport,” she said. “Finally being able to show how much we care and how good we can be when we work together, I think that’s a win.”
The Cougars will be recognized all night long for a special ending to their season.
“We’re going to make the long drive home,” Wise said. “We’re going to get on a firetruck and they’re going to have a whole parade for us through Roosevelt, so it’ll be good.”
To the northwest, Morgan’s boys track team will be getting a similar welcome home.
“I think we’re getting pizza or something like that,” senior sprinter Brogan Garrett said after anchoring the Trojans’ 4x400 relay state championship winning team. “We’ll head back to Morgan. I think the firetrucks will meet us. We’ll get a little parade on through the town.”
The celebrations are becoming something of a routine as Morgan wins yet another track and field state title. Garrett was the school’s greatest contributor, with a fourth place finish in the 100-meter dash, a second place finish in the 200-meter dash, and a first place finish in the 400-meter dash.
Garrett praised the backing he and his team received.
“It’s just the best having this much support,” he said. “When you’re out there on the track all alone, it’s nice knowing you have people out there watching you and showing you love and support and it’s just the best.”
Trojan head coach Brennen Fuller has helped build something greater than the sport at Morgan.
“There’s just something about these kids; it’s all about family and culture and they do anything for each other,” Fuller said. “These kids come back as graduates and they come hang out and they come to practices and they promote the program. I think it just encourages these younger kids to keep working hard.”
That hard work has been paying off lately as the Trojans have started dominating their classification in recent memory.
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