RIVERTON
Cross Country & Track
Previous Coaches
Coach Talon Rodriguez
Coach Noah Sorenson
I am a 2x Academic All-State recipient - once for Cross Country and once for Track. I graduated from Riverton High as a Valedictorian in 2017. Running Cross Country and Track was an integral part of my high school experience so I figured what better career could there be than helping to provide that experience for future student athletes. I am planning on attending Utah Valley University with an academic merit full ride scholarship to study Exercise Science after which I plan to go to grad school at the U of U to become a certified physical therapist.
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Even though I trained for distance in high school I was significantly better at the shorter events in Track than I was at Cross Country and longer events but I developed a love for the gritty team culture that the distance squad had. Having a hard working, positive team culture is something that I strive to help develop as a coach.
Personal Records
400m - 52.6
800m - 2:04
1600m - 4:50
5k - 16:12
10k - 37:06
Half Marathon - 1:23
Marathon Pending
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Coach Erin Worthlin
Erin Wirthlin is a teacher at Oquirrh Hills Middle School and has been teaching there and coaching at Riverton for the last two years. Erin grew up with a great love for sports, including running. He ran cross country and track while in high school and remembers the time very fondly. He believes that running is much more than just competition or sport, but that it is a good foundation for a physically, mentally, and emotionally happy life. He believes that running provides a strong work ethic and even more importantly a strength of character. He loves to run with the athletes and to encourage them to succeed and seek personal improvement, both in running and in life. Although Erin is only 30 he is seen as a type of "dad" to the team (a nickname given to him last year by many of the runners). This fits him well as it directly reflects his love for the team as well as his family. He and his wife Josie live in Kearns and have four very fun children who love interacting with the team, including running/biking with them on occasion.
Coach Melanie Steere
Melanie Steere is a graduate of Kearns High School in Salt Lake City, UT, where she was State Champion in the 400m and a member of the State Championship 4x400 m relay.
She received her A.A.S. Degree from Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, and was a member of two NJCAA National Championship cross-country teams there. In outdoor track, she was NJCAA Champion in the women’s 800m as a freshman, and placed 2nd women’s 800m as a sophomore.
After transferring to Brigham Young University, Melanie was a member of the 1999 NCAA National Championship cross-country team. She placed 17th at the 2000 NCAA Cross-Country Championships, earning All-American honors. Her track accomplishments at BYU include a 6th place finish at the 2000 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, with a time of 2:03.40, and a 5th place finish in the women’s 1600m at the 2001 NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, with a personal best of 4:43.76. She qualified for and competed in the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the women’s 800m.
Melanie holds a B.S. Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from BYU, and is a Registered Dietitian. When she’s not running or experimenting with produce concoctions in her awesome new blender, she enjoys gardening, skiing, reading, and spending time with her family.
Personal Records
400 m: 57.22
800 m: 2:03.4
1600 m: 4:43.76
Half Marathon: 1:30:23.7
Marathon: 3:07.02
