Photos courtesy of Conner Mantz, Getty Images.
The Olympic Games are renowned for athletic excellence, with countries from all around the world bringing in only the best of the best to represent their home nations and compete to bring home the Gold. This year at the Paris Games, Smithfield native and Sky View High School Alumnus Conner Mantz competed for the United States.
Mantz, who competed in the Olympic Marathon, has a long history of running long distances. He started running at the age of 11 and completed his first half marathon at the age of 12 with a time of one hour, 37 minutes, 27 seconds. In high school, Mantz was a member of the Sky View cross country and track teams, where he won four high school state championships. He went on to run for Brigham Young University, winning back-to-back NCAA Division I cross-country titles in 2020 and 2021.
Jared Storrs, one of Mantz’s coaches on the Sky View cross-country team, said that he is an all-around incredible athlete. “His attitude, mental and physical toughness are something only the best of the best have,” Storrs commented. “No matter the outcome of the race in France, I know that Connor will leave everything he has on that course.”
Relating a story about Mantz, Storrs explained a conversation he remembers having with him after a race he won in 2016 at the BYU Invitational High School Elite Race. When Storrs asked him how he felt the race went, Mantz replied, “I started out, and I felt awful, and it didn’t feel like I was going that fast,” he explained. “So I went faster, and when I went faster, I hurt even worse. But still, I didn’t feel like I was going that fast! So I went harder.”
Mantz’s drive to push himself further and harder, even when it is tough, sets him apart as Olympic material in Storr’s eyes. “It brings tears to my eyes thinking about how profound that really was!” Storrs added. “I am so grateful to be able to be around such a fine group of student-athletes. What a blessing my job is.”
Sky View High School’s Athletic Director at the time, Missy Stuart, remembers Mantz stood out during his time on the Sky View Cross Country Team. “Connor Mantz was so fun to watch in High School. His work ethic and resiliency was unmatched,” Stuart recalled. ”He was always a very focused runner and an amazing teammate. High School sports can teach so many things beyond the sport. It teaches life skills that cannot be taught any other way. Individual sports like cross country are especially great at teaching mental toughness, work ethic, and perseverance.”
Before the Olympics, and in addition to his High School and College titles, Mantz recently took 11th in the 2023 Boston Marathon. He also respectively placed seventh and sixth at the last two Chicago Marathons, finishing the latter with a time of 2:07:47, making him the fourth fastest American ever.
Mantz's and other Cache County School District alumni's incredible accomplishments are a testament to the amazing attitudes and dedication to success and excellence that characterize district students. He competed in the Olympic marathon on August 9th, 2024, placing 8th overall out of 81 competitors and taking the top position for the United States in the race. Way to go, Conner!
