| After their remarkable win at the 1999 Great American Cross Country meet in North Carolina, some were calling the Bingham HS (UT) girls cross country team the best ever. Against some of the fastest teams in America, Bingham cruised to victory, easily outscoring the former number one-ranked team, Saratoga Springs (NY), 45-81. |
| Although it may be a stretch to call Bingham the best team in history, head coach Jeff Arbogast feels that the label fits. “Last year we could see it coming,” he says. “These are the fastest girls that have ever existed. People have said that this team is the fastest they have ever seen.” |
| Arbogast may be a little biased, but he definitely knows about winning. During his time at Bingham, the girls program has won state titles and sent dozens of athletes to college programs. And in 1995, his boys team was ranked number one in the country. |
| Arbogast feels the key to his program's success is its overall focus. “Distance running is a huge deal at our school,” he says. “We have a large website (www.binghamxcountry-track.com), which many programs don't have. We run a year-round program. Our main goal is college prep. We try to prepare our kids for a post-high school career both academically and athletically.” |
| College preparation includes twice-a-day practices, with the morning workout beginning as early as 4:30 a.m. The team also frequently travels around the country to run against the best teams. With all the time and travel, it takes a great deal of dedication from both the athletes and their parents. |
| "We always have good parent support,” says Arbogast. “We have a parent barbecue in the summer, and our parents help plan our schedule over the summer.” |
| Many wonder how the athletes respond to such a busy travel schedule and 4:30 a.m. practices. Bingham senior Charity Catmull says, “Once you do it for a while, it becomes a habit. You start to have fun at it.” Senior Jessica Winters adds, “We are such a close team. We do everything together. We don't complain; we just get the job done. We also all have the same goals. Our goal is obviously to win the national championship and the state meet.” |
| Regardless of this season’s results, one thing is certain: the Bingham cross country program has become a dynasty. And with four sophomores on this year's squad, next year has the potential of being just as amazing. |