Utah high school track has become a distance events powerhouse. It’s catching the field in speed events, too
The state is seeing a surge of sprinters and hurdlers that match up well on a national scale.
Bonneville’s Davis DeGroot celebrates after winning the boys varsity 400-meter dash during day one of the 2026 PACS BYU Invitational high school track meet at the Clarence F. Robison Track in Provo on Friday, May 1, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News Something is happening among Utah high school athletes, something that can be measured objectively.
They’re getting faster. Much faster. Roger Buhrley has been around the Utah track scene for five decades and is pretty much the unofficial commissioner/overseer of the sport.
Thirty years ago, he dug through old records, interviewed coaches and started a top 100 list for every event in Utah high school track and field. At the end of every track season, he sits at his computer and goes through the painstaking process of updating each event. Recently, he has noticed a dramatic shift in performances.
“Starting about 15 years ago, I was having to make more and more updates to the top 100 list for the distance races,” says Buhrley. “The sprints and hurdles remained pretty much the same. But in the last five years that’s changed a lot.
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