By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA January 17, 2024   

Success for the boys of American Fork (Utah) High School and the girls of Air Academy (Colo.) High School during the 2023 cross country season would be earned – not given. That could be said for any program in the nation, but especially so for the Cavemen and the Kadets.

Both American Fork and Air Academy expertly navigated tough state and regional competition on their way to national prominence. By the end of the season, both the Cavemen and the Kadets stepped up on countless occasions and, because of that, their respective coaches – Timo Mostert (American Fork) and Chuck Schwartz (Air Academy) – were named the USTFCCCA National High School Cross Country Coaches of the Year Presented by the United States Marine Corps on Thursday.

Mostert and Schwartz will be feted in December at the annual USTFCCCA Convention in Orlando, Florida.

Competition was downright fierce in Colorado, Utah, and the Southwest Region as a whole. Colorado and Utah were two of only three states with multiple teams ranked in either top-10 of the Preseason MileSplit50 Top-25 Team Rankings (Texas was the other). Fast forward to this past December at Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) and teams from Colorado and Utah swept the podium in the girls race (1-2-3-4) and took three of the top-5 spots in the boys race (1-2-5).

No girls team soared higher than Air Academy on a muddy day at the Glendoveer Golf Club in Glendoveer, Oregon. The Kadets, led by an individual runner-up finish by Bethany Michalak, won the national title by a score of 61-72 over in-state rival Niwot High School. Air Academy is the first Colorado program, regardless of gender, to reign supreme in Nike Cross Nationals history.

That capped a near undefeated season for the Kadets, who entered the season ranked fourth nationally. Air Academy proved its mettle with a commanding 69-point victory at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic and then steamrolled to victory at both the Colorado 5A Region 5 and Colorado 5A State Championships by scoring 17 points and 26 points, respectively.

Expectations realistically couldn’t have been higher for American Fork in 2023. The Cavemen entered the year tabbed first nationally in the MileSplit50 Top-25 Team Rankings and owned the nation’s top returning speed rating average of 182.6 and the nation’s second-fastest returning average time of 15:31.62 behind Southlake Carroll (Texas) High School.

American Fork made quick work of the UHSAA Region III Championships (18 points) and UHSAA Class 6A Divisionals (21 points) before turning its attention to a heavily-anticipated heavyweight bout against rival Herriman High School – ranked second nationally in the preseason – at the UHSAA Class 6A State Championships in Salt Lake City.

Fans witnessed a masterclass in championship racing orchestrated by the Cavemen and the Mustangs. Both teams put four athletes in the top-10, but American Fork’s front-end depth with its 1-2-3 finish by Daniel Simmons, Kaden Evans and Chase Pack proved to be the difference as the Cavemen won by three points. Notably, American Fork turned in the nation’s highest speed rating average to date in 2023 at 184.2.

The Cavemen continued their strong run through the postseason. American Fork ran roughshod at the NXR Southwest Regional Championships, where it won by 42 points over Herrmian. Then, the Cavemen finished a close runner-up to the Mustangs at Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon.