By Catherine Garrett | [email protected]

The king is still the king. For the third year in a row, the Corner Canyon High boys track team retained its dominance in the 6A ranks running away from the field at the 6A state track and field championships May 19-21 at Brigham Young University. Senior Cody Hagen defended his 200 meters title from a year ago while also running a leg on the championship 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams.

Also on the winning 4x100 relay lineup was Brandon Eyre, Tate Kjar, Tre Kofe, Aiden McDonald and Cody Strong with Kjar, Kofe, McDonald, Strong and Preston Rasmussen as part of the 4x200 relay group. The 4x400 relay team of Kjar, Rasmussen, Owen Borg, Jackson Buehler, Carter Cutting and Spencer Kirkham also won their event at the state meet while the girls 4x400 relay squad of Addison Kjar, Sunny Meyers, Paris Rasmussen, Maia Rhay, Madelynn Taggart and Tess Werts were the girls’ lone winners in their fourth-place showing as a team.

The performances at the 6A state meet, which also included a third-place showing in the 100 meters, wrapped up a celebrated multi-sport career for Hagen, the son of Sean and Marci Hagen, of Draper. The 100-meter event showcased lots of speed with Roy’s Parker Kingston edging out Skyridge’s Smith Snowden in a photo finish with Hagen just behind them. “That race was so much fun,” Hagen said. “I love competing against those guys. They ran a great race. I stumbled at the end and finished third. I was pretty upset, because I felt like I did horrible.”

Hagen turned it around in the 200 and defended his 2021 title—just .01 seconds off the state record—crossing the finish line ahead of Kingston and Snowden. “I was able to talk to my coaches and my dad and get re-centered and allow that anger to fuel me in the 200 meters,” Hagen said. “In winning that one, I was happy to be back.”

The decorated wide receiver, who helped the Chargers to three of the last four 6A state football titles, had been honored with the Utah Gatorade Player of the Year award in December following his final football season. The recent CCHS graduate followed in his brother, Cole, and father’s footsteps who also won the award in 2019 and 1992, respectively. “I felt some extra pressure to keep the award in the family and felt like I had to get it or else I’d be disowned,” Cody Hagen joked.

Hagen has been instrumental in Corner Canyon’s three state track team championships while also collecting titles in three individual events and four relays over the past two years. He came late to the track this season after double hernia surgery in the winter, but quickly regained his form on the track.

Hagen said he is grateful for what he has learned so far on his athletic journey. “I’ve been able to develop a work ethic and really understand how important hard work is where nothing is given to you,” he said. He now plans to leave on a two-year Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission to San Bernardino, California this summer and then join his brother Cole in playing football at BYU.

Other All-State performances at the 6A track meet for Corner Canyon for the boys team were Cutting (second, 800 meters; second, 4x800 relay; fourth, 1600 meters), Kjar (second, 400 meters), McDonald (fifth, 200 meters; sixth, 100 meters), Strong (ninth, 200 meters), Jackson Ames (fourth, long jump), Cody Christensen (second, discus; sixth, shot put), Jackson Henstrom (second, 4x800 relay; fifth, 1600 meters), Dawson Jacobsen (fourth, shot put; fifth, discus), Kirkham (eighth, 300 hurdles), Jeffrey Lewis (second, 4x800 relay), Hugo Ortego-Sanchez (eighth, shot put), Tanner Partridge (second, 4x800 relay), Darren Randall (second, 4x800 relay), Preston Rasmussen (sixth, 400 meters) and Connor Whatcott (second, 4x800 relay).

On the girls side, those finishing in the top were Meyers (second, 4x100 relay; third, 4x200 relay; third, 400 meters; sixth, 200 meters), Taggart (third, 4x200 relay; sixth, 300 meter hurdles; seventh, 100 meter hurdles; seventh, 100 meters), Werts (second, 4x100 relay; third, 4x200 relay), Lezlee Crittenden (fifth, 4x800 relay), Lily Crofts (second, 4x100 relay; fourth, long jump), Emma Hamblin (sixth, pole vault), Liberty Henstrom (second, 4x100 relay; third, 4x200 relay), Addison Hoopes (fifth, 4x800 relay), Addison Kjar (third, 4x200 relay), Charly Murie (fifth, 4x800 relay), Anna Nelson (fifth, 4x800 relay), Allison Oler (fifth, 4x800 relay), Paris Rasmussen (second, 4x100 relay), Paige Rhoads (fifth, 4x800 relay) and Anna Ricks (second, 4x100 relay; third, 4x200 relay).