The list of great athletes at Farmington High School is still in its infancy, but Marianne Barber has already put her name on it – in several places.

Since Barber has just finished her junior year, it still has a chance to grow. In May, she added to her impressive sports career with a series of personal records at the 5A state track and field meet at Davis High School. The three-sport star already set her apart last fall in soccer and cross-country and she accomplished much of it while battling injuries.

“You wouldn’t have thought all that she accomplished was possible,” said Farmington track coach Chris Brower.

What makes Barber stand out is her speed and the state meet was really her first chance to show off. She competed in four events – the 100 meters, 200 and 400, as well as the 4 x 400-meter relay, and helped Farmington earn points in each.

“And she had her personal bests,” Brower said. “She saved her best for state, and it showed she still has room to improve.”

In only the second time the school has competed at the state track meet, Farmington’s girls earned 47 points, which tied it with Springville. Timpanogos, which opened in 1996 (25 years ago), won its first-ever girls team title.

Barber was Farmington’s primary threat. She finished in third place in the 100 in 12.51 seconds; second in the 200 (25.40); second in the 400 (56.4) and the relay team took third in 4:02.11.

There are many athletes who can run the 100 and 200, or double as 400 and 800 runners, but Brower said Barber’s ability to be a standout in three events is rare.

The only other Farmington athletes to earn points for the girls team at state was Jayne Packer, who won the high jump with a 5-foot-3 leap, and Nicole Calvin, who claimed third in the 300-meter hurdles. Packer may have also had a chance to win the long jump but Brower said a scoring error reportedly prevented her from making the finals.

Barber was among the top stories among Davis County athletes, and she has been on the rise at Farmington, despite suffering a foot injury as a sophomore, and also having the coronavirus pandemic wipe away much of last spring’s athletic season. Barber, however, continued to work out and get ready for soccer. She followed a notable sophomore year, when she scored five goals in Farmington’s 15-2 season, with three goals and a team-high 11 assists as the Phoenix challenged Bountiful and Bonneville for the Region 5 title until the final day of the regular season.

They fell one game short of playing in RSL’s Rio Tinto Stadium with a 1-0 playoff loss to Skyline in the quarterfinals.

At the same time, Brower, who doubles as the cross-country coach, helped convince her to run cross-country and she blossomed there at the same time.

“It really helped me keep in shape, and I like it because it’s also more of a team sport,” Barber said. “We get to know each other, get to cheer for each other and cheer on the school.”

Farmington has quickly become one of Utah’s cross-country powers and, at the state meet last October at Soldier Hollow (near Midway), the girls rooted as the Phoenix boys team won its second-straight title. The boys then reciprocated by cheering on the girls to a fourth-place finish. In her first year, Barber finished third on the team and 33rd overall at state.

Barber is already attracting attention from college recruiters. She is also the oldest of four kids in her family and she said at least one – a younger brother – has a chance to develop and eventually help Farmington earn some more athletic trophies in the future.

In the meantime, she said she plans to play on her club soccer team for much of the summer and she hopes her senior year – without any pandemic or injury issues – will offer more opportunities to improve her athletic exploits.