No. 1: Daniel Simmons
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School: American Fork (UT)
Year: 2024
2022 Notable Finishes: 2nd at Nike Cross Nationals in 14:51.70; 1st at NXR Southwest Regional in 14:44.80; 1st at Utah State XC Championships in 14:49.80.
Analysis: The reigning Gatorade National Player of the Year is the top returner to Nike Cross Nationals and the prohibitive favorite to claim a fourth national title for a Utahn since Casey Clinger and Aidan Troutner went back-to-back-to-back in 2015-16 and 2017.
Simmons broke 15 minutes three times to finish 2022 season, clocking times of 14:49.80 at the Utah State Championships, 14:44.80 at the NXR Southwest Regional and 14:51.70 at NXN. On top of those performances, he went 14:31.80 for three-miles at Pre-State and 14:02.58 for 2x miles at the TwiKnight Invitational. Moreover, he ran 14:37.00 for 5K at the RunningLane XC Championships as a sophomore while he was still competing in Idaho
Already, he's won two straight races to begin his 2023 campaign.
Simmons is the guy to beat, and almost everyone knows it.
RANK | DATE-TEAM |
|---|---|
| 25 | Aug. 21 -- Aden Bandukwala |
| 24 | Aug. 21 -- Anthony Provenzano |
| 23 | Aug. 21 -- Andrew Hauser |
| 22 | Aug. 21 -- Jack Meier |
| 21 | Aug. 21 -- Connell Alford |
| 20 | Aug. 22 -- Ryan Pajak |
| 19 | Aug. 23 -- Brayden Marshall |
| 18 | Aug. 24 -- Jason Parra |
| 17 | Aug. 25 -- Sage Wilde |
| 16 | Aug. 26 -- Joe Barrett |
| 15 | Aug. 27 -- JoJo Jourdon |
| 14 | Aug. 28 -- Marcelo Parra |
| 13 | Aug. 29 -- Seth Norder |
| 12 | Aug. 30 -- Ty Steorts |
| 11 | Aug. 31 -- Josiah Tostenson |
| 10 | Sept. 1 -- Adam Burlison |
| 9 | Sept. 2 -- Byron Grevious |
| 8 | Sept. 3 -- Paul Bergeron |
| 7 | Sept. 4 -- Jake Liebert |
| 6 | Sept. 5 -- Cameron Todd |
| 5 | Sept. 6 -- Drew Griffith |
| 4 | Sept. 6 -- Clay Shively |
| 3 | Sept. 6 -- Patrick Koon |
| 2 | Sept. 6 -- Landon Heemeyer |
| 1 | Sept. 6 -- Daniel Simmons |