More than a dozen members of the Pagosa Springs High School Pirate cross-country team set new personal records (PRs) at the Eric Wolff Invitational on Oct. 18.
The meet was the final regular-season competition for the team.
“What a race in Monte Vista,” coach Rachael Christiansen wrote in the team’s newsletter, explaining the weather was chilly, but the team luckily didn’t encounter much rain. “It was really quite perfect.”
She adds, “On top of weather wins, we had a lot of highly successful races for our runners.”
The Lady Pirates placed third at the meet, with the coach noting there was even some sunshine during the girls’ race.
Sienna Rose led the Lady Pirates with a fifth-place finish and a time of 20 minutes, 57.20 seconds.
That, according to Christiansen, is a new PR for Rose — by one second.
“She also improved by 47 seconds from last year’s race in Monte Vista. She is heading into regionals ranked 20th and is looking to clinch that 15th or better position to make it to state,” the coach wrote.
Kaiya Lyons finished 10th with a time of 22:02.40 — also a PR and 1:30 quicker than her time in Monte Vista last year, according to Christiansen.
Adison Johnson took 21st with a time of 22:46.30.
“Adi had a great day as well, taking 50 seconds off her PR from Joe Vigil,” Christiansen highlighted.
With a time of 23:02.10, Madisen Stretton finished 24th.
Christiansen wrote that Stretton “also ran a great race,” taking 40 seconds off her PR and exactly a minute off her time from Monte Vista last season.
Bella Jackson followed in 35th with a time of 24:15.10.
The coach notes Jackson’s day didn’t go as planned, but that she “still had a good day and is primed and ready for a PR heading into Regionals this week.”
Hailey Sams ran a time of 24:24.00 to finish 37th — 31 seconds quicker than her race on the same course last season.
“She looked strong at this race and we are looking forward to seeing her race in Colorado Springs,” Christiansen wrote.
Mila Miller took 49th with a time of 25:55.30.
“Mila came back for her first race since being injured in the Dolores meet and ran well considering her missing a lot of practices. She even PR’ed by 10 seconds, which is honestly quite impressive and shows her will and determination,” Christiansen wrote.
Vivy DavRem followed a fraction of a second later to finish 50th with a time of 25:55.60.
“Vivy was our 8th runner, who essentially tied with Mila (less than 1 second behind) which was enough to invite her along to regionals. So, we have 8 girls coming along to race this week,” Christiansen highlights.
Gwendolyn Tyler finished 70th with a time of 31:54.80, with the coach noting she ran well and highlighting her sportsmanship by stating Tyler helped another girl run her first-ever cross-country 5k.
“And honestly, that is why we love this sport so much,” the coach adds. “We might be competing against others, but we are also rooting for them as well. Gwen showed a lot of compassion for a stranger and helped her do something she had not yet done. Love it!”
Of the meet, the coach adds, “It was a good day and we are ready for what the week brings us at regionals!”
The Pirate boys finished fifth at the event, with Christiansen highlighting the team also saw “some big growth.”
Connor Thomas was the top finisher for the Pirates, taking 16th with a time of 18:27.30.
“Connor was our first runner through, breaking 19 minutes for the first time (and by a lot!),” the coach wrote, adding Thomas also took 1:54 off his time from Monte Vista last year. “That is tremendous growth! He has had a few breakthrough races recently and is ready for big things this Thursday.”
Jesse Beck finished 23rd with a time of 18:57.90 — his second time breaking 19 minutes.
Christiansen notes Beck spent the entire previous year working toward breaking 19 minutes, and improved on his time from last year by 28 seconds.
Eli Nehring followed in 33rd with a time of 19:41.80 — his first time breaking the 20-minute mark.
According to Christiansen, Nehring improved his PR by 47 seconds.
With a time of 19:42.10, Dylan Dempster took 34th.
“Dylan also broke the 20 minute mark for the first time, taking 56 seconds off his PR time and improving from last year by 1:59,” the coach highlights. “We think he is finally realizing his potential and we are so excited to see what he can accomplish Thursday.”
Peyton Jackson logged a time of 19:48.60 to finish 38th — his first time breaking the 20-minute mark this season and one second short of his PR.
“He has had a very balanced season this year, and he is ready to let it go for his last race,” Christiansen wrote.
Merrick Tudor took 41st with a time of 19:57.40.
“Merrick was our 6th runner and also finished under 20 minutes with a new PR,” the coach highlights. “This is the first time in many years that we have had 6 runners under 20 minutes.”
Weston Sweet finished 50th with a time of 20:39.30.
“Weston was our 7th runner, earning a PR by beating his previous time by over 37 seconds. Merrick and Weston are our 2 freshmen who have qualified for regionals,” Christiansen notes.
Isaac Hanto took 52nd with a time of 20:46.00 — setting a new PR and beating his time from last year at Monte Vista by 1:24.
The coach adds that, because Hanto was so close to being the team’s seventh runner, he’ll also be traveling to regionals with the team.
Stetson Osborn followed in 53rd with a time of 20:51.90.
“Stetson was only 5 seconds behind Isaac, earning himself a big PR, taking 1:27 off his previous best,” Christiansen wrote. “While we wish we could bring him along as well, we can’t. However, we know he is capable of much more and are looking forward to seeing what he has in him next season.”
Jacen Easling finished 62nd in 21:49.90.
“Jacen was our 10th runner, earning himself a huge PR, taking 2:34 off his previous best! Even though he was going through some stomach issues all season and race day, he came out big and did so well,” Christiansen notes.
Asher Kurz logged a time of 29:58.40 to finish 85th.
Of Kurz, the coach wrote, “Asher was our final runner on the boys team. His season has been full of ups and downs, but he stuck with it and finished out the season. While this was not his best race, he did earn a PR this season and we are glad he was a part of the team.”
Christiansen notes the boys’ squad is heading into regionals this week as an underdog, but adds, “but are just starting to truly see and feel their potential so anything is possible!”
The Pirate squads are slated to race at regionals on Thursday, Oct. 24, at North Monument Valley Park in Colorado Springs.
The Lady Pirates are set to race at 1:30 p.m., followed by the Pirates at 3 p.m.
Pagosa will be one of 13 teams competing at the regional.
The top four teams and all athletes that place in the top 15 of each of the regionals will advance to the state championships.
randi@pagosasun.com
