Mustangs represent Utah as first boys program outside of California to secure back-to-back sweepstakes titles in meet history, helping Soles secure sixth career Woodbridge boys win, along with 2014-15 and 2017-18 coaching at Great Oak

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

IRVINE, Calif. – When Doug Soles’ new team won one Woodbridge sweepstakes race, it was a triumphant return.

When his new team won a second sweepstakes race Saturday night, it restarted familiar talk of a national-level program that just did something no one else had done.

Only this time it was for a school closer to the Great Salt Lake than the Salton Sea.

INTERVIEWS | RESULTS

Herriman High from Utah won the Doug Speck boys sweepstakes team title again Saturday night with 93 points at the 42nd Woodbridge Cross Country Classic presented by ASICS America.

Southlake Carroll from Texas was second with 142 points and Great Oak, the Southern California team Soles led to multiple state titles a generation ago, was third with 155 points.

Ventura placed fourth with 179 points and San Clemente was fifth with 203 points.

“This group of boys is a smart group of kids, and they know what they want to accomplish and they set the goal to try to win the national championship,” Soles said. “And so that’s what we’re working toward.”

Then consider Saturday another example of that, with Soles earning his sixth career Doug Speck boys sweepstakes title, including in 2014-15 with Great Oak at Great Park, as well as 2017-18 with the Wolfpack at SilverLakes Sports Complex.

Senior William Steadman led them Saturday at Woodbridge, placing eighth in 14:07.9 on the 3-mile layout.

The Mustangs’ remaining four scorers placed between 27th and 37th, giving Herriman the needed depth for the victory against a strong field that included the top five finishers from the Doug Speck boys sweepstakes race a year ago.

Herriman also became the first boys team outside of California to win back-to-back sweepstakes titles at Woodbridge since the race was added to the schedule in 2003.

“It just feels really good to just have all your hard work pay off,” Steadman said. “The whole team’s been working throughout this summer and throughout these meets. We’ve been grinding it out and doing our best trying to be the best team in the nation.”

Soles pointed to the performance of junior Micah Tang as a pleasant surprise, as he was 27th in 14:19.8. His twin brother, Jonah Tang, was 31st in 14:24.3.

"Micah Tang yesterday told me, he goes, ‘Coach, I’m going to fly tomorrow,’ and sure enough, he did,” Soles said. “He ran 14:19, so we’ve got four junior boys that ran 14:36 or better today, so we’re going to be very good next year, as well.”

Junior Tayshaun Ogomo (34th, 14:26.9) and senior Jack Beckstrom (37th, 14:27.9) rounded out the Herriman scorers. The Mustangs’ team scores were better than a year ago; their team time of 1:11:46.8 was almost a half-minute better, as well, elevating to No. 3 in meet history, trailing only the victorious lineups of Newbury Park High from California in 2019 and 2021.

“This race just felt way faster than last year; they were really cookin’ and it was exciting to have the kids close as well as they did,” Soles said. “That’s what we're shooting for.”

The Herriman athletes are believing, too.

“We’re going to have a lot of confidence coming into the Bob Firman (Invitational; near Boise, Idaho) next week to compete with other teams around the nation,” Micah Tang said. “It will be really good.”

While Herriman turned everyone back, having Great Oak place third offered Soles the opportunity he got at last year's Nike Cross Nationals meet, making sure his former team knew how happy he was for them, with the Mustangs placing third and the Wolfpack sixth in Oregon last year.

When the top three teams met near the finish line for awards, Soles greeted the Great Oak lineup, one by one, offering a high five for each of them.

“Those guys are hard-working kids and very talented,” Soles said. “I’m so excited to see them finish that race off and put themselves in the conversation nationally.”