Girls Cross Country: Regional Champions Crowned
Photo: Enrique Quintero
AURORA – All 20 of the girls cross country regional championships are in the books. State qualifiers will be announced on Monday.
The Cross Country State Championships will take place at Norris Penrose Events Center in Colorado Springs on Saturday, Nov. 2.
CENTENNIAL – Cherry Creek and Chaparral swept the top-five finishers at the 5A Region 1 Championship at deKoevend Park Tuesday, as the Bruins went 1-2 with Emily Cohen clocking a winning time of 17:42.6 and teammate Kinley Wolfe finishing second in 18:11.9.
Chaparral placed five of the next six finishers with Kapri Parry taking third in 18:25.5 and Kaylee Ellsworth (19:00.0) edging teammate Hayden Parry (19:00.1) out of fourth by one-tenth of a second. Sixth place went to Northfield’s Taylor Buese, who finished in 19:03.2, while Chaparral’s Sky St Louis (19:06.7) and Sutton Persichina (19:08.8) took seventh and eighth, respectively.
Cherry Creek’s Mattie Sheehan claimed ninth in 19:19.5 and Cherokee Trail’s Jade McDaniel rounded out the top 10 with a 19:32.3 finish.
Chaparral claimed the team title with 27 points, while Cherry Creek was second at 44 points and Northfield claimed third with 74 points.
CENTENNIAL – Led by Claire Guiberson, Mountain Vista put four runners in the top seven of the 5A Region 2 Championships at deKoevend Park on Thursday. Guiberson led all runners across the line in 17:44.6. She was followed by a pair of Heritage teammates – Caroline Fender and Emry Schwalm – as Fender took second in 17:50.0, while Schwalm was third at 18-minutes flat.
Keeghan Edwards took fourth for Mountain Vista, in 18:41.5, while Arapahoe’s Maeve Vancik rounded out the top five at 18:44.6. The next two finishers came from Mountain Vista, giving the Golden Eagles four runners in the top seven. Gabriela Boeckman took sixth in 18:50.0 and Juliet Frum crossed seventh in 18:54.1.
Maren Anderson, from Columbine, was sandwiched between a pair of Golden Eagles, as Anderson took eighth in 18:54.4, and was followed by Mountain Vista’s Peyton Adams, who took ninth in 18:55.7. Chatfield’s Cami McCauley rounded out the top 10 with a time of 18:56.8.
Mountain Vista claimed the team title with 27 points, while Heritage took second at 73 points and Arapahoe claimed third with 109 points.
BROOMFIELD – Niwot’s Addison Ritzenhein led the Cougars to the 5A Region 3 Championship by claiming the individual title in a time of 17:24.30.
Fairview’s Sierra Wall took second, clocking a time of 18:19.89, while Niwot’s Anna Prok crossed in third with a time of 18:35.50. Monarch’s Sofie Donker was fourth (18:58.94), while Broomfield’s Vilate Carwin took fifth in 19:00.09.
Sixth and seventh place went to Boulder’s Calia Vaughn (19:00.50) and Sophia Africa (19:08.91), while Niwot’s Elise Hagen claimed eighth in 19:10.74.
Boulder’s Rachel Tilton took ninth in 19:11.18 and Ralston Valley’s Waverly Puckett rounded out the top 10 with a time of 19:12.28.
Niwot won the team title with 41 points, while Boulder finished second at 50 points and Fairview was third with 106 points.
FORT COLLINS – Riverdale Ridge’s Payton Meineke won the 5A Region 4 title at Spring Canyon Park on Thursday, while Denver East’s Rosie Mucharsky and Fossil Ridge’s Tatum Berg finished second and third, respectively.
Erie’s Sabina Stroia took fourth, while Rocky Mountain’s Lindsey Kaines was fifth. Fossil Ridge’s Mia Williams and Avery Breitigam were sixth and seven, respectively, while Erie’s Vanicia Thomas took eighth, Fort Collins’ Delaney Johns ninth and Rock Mountain’s Nora Ebel 10th.
Fossil Ridge claimed the team score with 41 points. Denver East took second with 67 points and Rocky Mountain was third at 83 points.
COLORADO SPRINGS – Air Academy put together a perfect meet at Monument Valley Park, winning the 5A Region 5 Championship with a perfect 15 points.
Tessa Walter claimed the individual title with a time of 17:35.02, leading five teammates across the line and an Air Academy sweep of the top-six places. Chamorra Cooper (17:59.37) was second, Jordan Banta (18:13.88) took third, Mariah Hook (18:40.69) finished fourth, Lauren Myers (18:42.24) was fifth and Olivia Chura (19:02.44) finished sixth.
Castle View’s Ciara Baker finished seventh with a time of 19:09.01, while Rampart’s Leila Pizzimenti clocked in at 19:15.69, good for eighth. In ninth was Castle View’s Neev Lev (19:19.39) and 10th place went to Durango’s Lacy Ruggiero (19:20.49).
Castle View took second in the team race with 101 points, while Durango was right behind and in third with 107 points.
ARVADA – Summit’s Ella Hagen won the 4A Region 1 individual championship Friday at the North Area Athletics Complex, winning the race by more than one-and-a-half minutes, clocking a time of 17:25.7. Grand Junction’s Leah Siering took second with a time of 19:03.5 and Conifer’s Gianna Cicora was third in 19:08.9.
Conifer’s Kate Horneck took fourth and was followed by Rifle’s Ana Robinson in fifth, Battle Mountain’s Eden Demino in sixth, Summit’s Sophie Dinse in seventh and teammate Lily Benbow was eighth.
Ninth place went to Grand Junction Central’s Sage Siegrist, while Montrose’s Millie Crane was 10th.
Summit won the team title with 39 points, while Battle Mountain finished second with 59 points and Conifer took third with 74 points.
COLORADO SPRINGS – Discovery Canyon’s Griffin Stoughton won the 4A Region 2 Championship at North Monument Valley Park with a time of 19:03.92, leading the Thunder to the team title, as well.
Lewis-Palmer’s Delilah Cooley took second among the individuals, crossing in 19:36.88, while Ponderosa’s Zoey Foco was third in 19:40.09.
Discovery Canyon’s second runner – Anna Mulholland – crossed in fourth place with a time of 19:47.02, and Littleton’s Natalie Lueker took fifth in 20:01.87.
Palmer Ridge’s Savannah Mitchell crossed in sixth place with a time of 20:14.99, leading a slew of runners across the line, as Discovery Canyon’s Kate Morrow took seventh in 20:18.05, Wheat Ridge’s Nytia Adams clocked in eighth at 20:18.80 and Thomas Jefferson’s Kayla Braman took ninth in 20:18.82. Ponderosa’s Ava Barrett rounded out the top 10 with a time of 20:22.95.
Discovery Canyon won the team title with 39 points, while Ponderosa took second with 69 points and Palmer Ridge was third with 95 points.
BROOMFIELD – Silver Creek’s Cloe Ruth won the 4A Region 3 individual title, but Holy Family placed two runners in the top three to claim the team title.
Ruth completed the course in 18:45.49 to win, while Holy Family’s MacKenzie McIntosh finished second with a time of 19:23.45 and teammate Anabella Descalzo was third in 19:39.66.
Fourth place went to Mead’s Ava Mierau (19:44.92), fifth to Silver Creek’s Megan Bader (19:48.96) and sixth to George Washington’s Violet Eleson (20:30.37). Holy Family’s Liberty Ley took seventh with a time of 20:32.04 and Lutheran’s Addison Gauthreaux was eighth wtih a time of 20:35.32.
Holy Family’s Pyper Jones crossed ninth with a time of 20:37.72 and Lutheran’s Aeva Decker was 10th at 20:43.86.
Holy Family accumulated 34 points to win the team title. Luthern took second with 68 points and Silver Creek was third with 89 points.
JOHNSTOWN – Timnath’s Izzy Schimmelpfennig claimed the 4A Region 4 Championship with a winning time of 19:21.00, while Mountain View’s Madeline Clark (19:36.37) and Olivia Gurrini (19:37.21) rounded out the top three individual finishers at Johnstown Reservoir Thursday.
Fourth place went to Thompson Valley’s Alice Lehnher, who crossed in 19:50.73. Timnath’s Addison Geraets took fifth with a time of 19:51.42 and teammate Louisa Stribley was sixth in 19:53.67. Berthoud crossed seventh with Sydney Slauson completing the course in 20:01.80 and University’s Ellie Brown was eighth in 20:09.73.
Windsor’s Kendal Bach took ninth with a time of 20:22.03 and in 10th was Thompson Valley’s Delia Spadafora in 20:40.24.
Timnath came away with the team title, scoring 35 points, while Thompson Valley was second (73 points) and Mountain View was third at 84 points.
PUEBLO – Led by Raegan McRae, Cheyenne Mountain placed three runners in the top five to win the 4A Region 5 Championship at Elmwood Short Nine Golf Course. McRae clocked in at 19:50.05, while Coronado’s Olivia White took second in 20:23.10 and Falcon’s Grace Suerdieck took third in 20:29.44.
Cheyenne Mountain’s Mia Binnings (20:39.88) and Lily Dorpinghaus (20:47.19) rounded out the top five.
Canon City’s Alexi Till claimed sixth place, finishing with a time of 20:53.21 and Coronado’s Mila Stamper finished in 20:59.98, narrowly edging a slew of runners out of seventh place, including Palmer Ridge’s Leila Hanson (21:01.30, 8th), Cheyenne Mountain’s Ava Schile (21:12.64, 9th) and Coronado’s Evelyn Hackett (21:13.00, 10th).
Cheyenne Mountain took the team title with 35 points, and was followed by Coronado in second with 49 points and Palmer in third with 97 points.
FRASER – Coal Ridge’s Effie Fletcher captured the 3A Region 1 Championship on Friday at Fraser Valley Sports Complex, finishing the course in 20:20.40. Aspen’s Julia Diaz crossed second, in 21:09.60, and then Moffat County’s Sydney Wattles led a slew of runners across the line, taking third in 21:45.70.
Less than five second later, Aspen’s Annabelle Case crossed fourth in 21:50.60, beating Delta’s Paige Kehmeier (21:51.20, 5th), Coal Ridge’s Hailey Whitman (21:52.50, 6th) Basalt’s Isabella Moon (21:55.50, 7th) and Addison Raymond (22:02.20, 8th) and Middle Park’s Chloe Seppala (22:06.90, 9th), who all crossed within 16 seconds of each other.
Basalt’s Caroline Cole finished 10th with a time of 22:22.00.
Aspen came away with the team title, scoring 53 points. Coal Ridge took second with 64 points and Basalt was third with 70 points.
COLORADO SPRINGS – Alamosa’s Elizabeth McQuitty captured the 3A Region 2 Championship at North Monument Valley Park on Thursday, finishing the course in 18:25.08.
Gunnison’s Madelyn Stice finished second in 18:57.47 and led a trio of Manitou Springs runners across the line, as Chloe Bresnahan took third in 19:24.61, Elisa Karr was fourth in 19:25.68 and Keyaira Moore was fifth in 19:59.15.
Telluride’s Austin Cook finished sixth with a time of 20:10.74, which was less than one second ahead of Gunnison’s Catalina Schwab, who took seventh with a time of 20:11.66.
Woodland Park’s Landri Prahl (20:21.89) and Nora Scicluna (20:26.41) took eighth and ninth, respectively, while Salida’s Chloe Vallier took 10th with a time of 20:32.51.
Manitou Springs won the team title with a score of 47 points, while Salida was second at 78 points and Woodland Park was third with 90 points.
BROOMFIELD – Prospect Ridge Academy’s Emily Jones won the 3A Region 3 Championship at Broomfield County Commons on Thursday, while the Miners claimed the team title with 32 points.
Jefferson Academy’s Leyna Gibson finished second with a time of 20:27.60, while Peak to Peak Charter School’s Skye Williams was third in 20:54.50.
Fourth place went to Prospect Ridge’s Sarah Sellers (21:28.83) and Jefferson Academy claimed fifth and sixth place, as Kennedy Stadler finished in 21:31.67 and Nyla Delalio clocked a time of 21:32.86.
Stargate’s Averi McBride crossed seventh with a time of 21:42.11, while Prospect Ridge claimed the next four finishers, behind Camille White (21:49.06), Kinley Exner (21:54.67), McKenna Cook (22:00.83) and Haley Zuniga (22:09.38).
Jefferson Academy finished second among the teams with 40 points and Peak to Peak Charter School was third at 84 points.
JOHNSTOWN – Eaton’s Delaney Reuter captured the 3A Region 4 title in 17:25.49, while Liberty Common scored 42 points to come away with the team title at Johnstown Reservoir Thursday.
Resurrection Christian’s Joy Koole finished second in 20:04.70 and was followed by Liberty Common’s Grace Berkenhausen (21:09.12) and Joelle Knowles (21:18.76), who took third and fourth, respectively.
Fifth place went to Platte Valley’s Mariolita Garcia Jimenez (21:32.43), while Resurrection Christian’s Gwyn Kingry took sixth in 21:33.98.
Frontier Academy’s Natalie Bumgarner completed the course in 21:34.60, good for seventh, while Estes Park Brinley Betts took eighth (21:40.19), Liberty Common’s Ana Nazeck finished ninth (22:12.75) and Frontier Academy’s Monica Friedman was 10th (22:13.90).
Behind Liberty Common in the team race was Frontier Academy with 50 points and Resurrection Christian in third with 68 points.
CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE – The Classical Academy placed three runners within the top four to run away with the 3A Region 5 team championship. Vivian Jack won the individual title for The Classical Academy, completing the course in 19:49.26, while teammate Ellie Askew took second in 19:20.28.
St. Mary’s Academy snuck in third place, as Eleanor Graham finished in 19:59.32, less than 3-tenths of a second faster than The Classical Academy’s Lena Larsen who took fourth in 19:59.60.
Banning Lewis’ Alexia Gonzales and Olivia Bell ran together and crossed together, as Gonzales finished fifth with a time of 20:07.08 and Bell clocked in at 20:07.78. The Classical Academy claimed the next three spots, as Jana Yuschalk took seventh in 20:12.60, teammate Gabriella Harding was eighth in 20:16.51 and Brynlee Nygren was ninth in 20:30.36. Banning Lewis’ Kyla Kieffer was 10th, turning in a time of 20:36.38.
The Classical Academy recorded 22 points while Banning Lewis was second wtih 60 points and St. Mary’s Academy was third with 77 points.
LYONS – Behind an individual title by Mikaela Kendall, Heritage Christian swept the top three finishers at the 2A Region 2 Championship. Kendall completed the course at Lyons High School in 19:46.27. Teammate Lilly Lukens finished second on 20:07.95 and teammate Emma Lukens was third in 20:24.46.
In fourth place was Wray’s Addison Jones (20:33.48), while Nederland’s Amika Begin took fifth in 20:34.84. Heritage Christian’s Kate Lukens (21:05.66) and Faith Lee (21:30.43) finished sixth and seventh, respectively.
Lyons’ Leah Shelton claimed eighth in 21:42.24, and was followed by Loveland Classical’s Charlie Porter (21:43.11) and Juliana Beernink (21:54.95) in ninth and 10th, respectively.
In a race combined with 2A Region 2, Heritage Christian came away with the team title with 12 points. Loveland Classical was second with 50 points and Nederland was third with 58 points.
LYONS – Byers’ Reese West won the 2A Region 2 individual title at Lyons High School on Thursday.
Byers and Denver Christian traded spots at the top of the leaderboard with second place going to Denver Christian’s Teagan Fuller (20:56.70), third place to Byers’ Quincy Bowling (21:00.92) and fourth place going to Denver Christian’s Natalie Bohannon (21:40.72).
Denver Academy’s Hannah Goldberg-Butler took fifth in 21:50.72, while Denver Christian claimed sixth and seventh between Kamryn Peters (22:13.36) and Kamiree Fuller (22:20.11). Denver Academy’s Sophia Rago finished eighth in 22:37.19.
Golden View Classical’s Gianna Valanzuela finished the course in 22:39.47, good for ninth, and teammate Genevieve Elrod rounded out the top 10 with a time of 22:49.47.
In a race combined with 2A Region 1, Denver Christian came away with the best team score, with 17 points. Byers took second with 33 points and Golden View Classical Academy took third with 44 points.
ROCKY FORD – Colorado Springs Christian School’s Brooklyn Minihane won the 2A Region 3 Championship at Rocky Ford’s cross country course Friday with a time of 19:43.40. Rocky Ford’s Rio Jensen finished second to Minihane, crossing in 20:00.70, while Thomas Maclaren Charter School’s Piper Shannon (20:14.50) and Lucy Alvarado (20:42.30) took third and fourth, respectively.
Fifth place went to Swallows Charter Academy’s Ella Kottenstette with a time of 22:03.70. In sixth was Colorado Springs School’s Naomi White (22:29.50) and with a time of 22:34.90, Pikes Peak Christian’s Maddie Garcia took seventh. Atlas Prep’s Shayndell Duran took eighth in 22:52.50 and Swallows Charter Academy rounded out the top 10 with Sophia Clark taking ninth in 22:56.30 and Joanna Wietzke finishing 10th in 22:58.10.
Among the teams, Rocky Ford finished first with 46 points, while Swallows Charter Academy was second with 48 points and Colorado Springs Christian was third with 49 points.
SOUTH FORK – Ridgway put the first two runners across the line as Emery Cornell captured the 2A Region 4 Championship and teammate Natasha Hessler finished runner up. Cornell won in 21:00.3, while Hessler crossed in 21:03.8. Crested Butte’s Tazzy Pozner claimed third place with a time of 22:07.2.
In fourth was Del Norte’s Frannie Edelen (22:14.5), while Ridgway’s Ariel Hessler took fifth in 22:17.8, Crested Butte’s Eva Loflin took sixth (23:11.3) and Dolores’ Elia Lowe was seventh (23:12.7). Mancos’ Teagan Archer and Crested Butte’s Ali Johnson both crossed with a time of 23:20.9, while Ridgway’s Samantha Lizzio-Cammick rounded out the top-10 in 23:24.5.
With four runners in the top 10, Ridgway claimed the team title with 16 points and Crested Butte finished second with 29 points. Dolores took third with 39 points.
DELTA – North Fork’s Saskia Marlin won the 2A Region 5 Championship at Confluence on Friday, finishing the course in 19:10.0. Rangely’s Taya Wren took second with a time of 19:25.6, while Caprock Academy’s Grace Grossman was third in 20:20.8.
Fourth through sixth place went to Lake County, as Chloe King (20:44.3), Tal Sheleg (20:51.4) and Indigo Olsen (21:00.1) finished in that order. Soroco’s Lupita Jaconetta was seventh in 21:10.9 and was followed by Lake County’s Aimee Lenhard in eighth (21:31.0). Colorado Rocky Mountain’s Genevieve Vickers (21:54.2) and Kayla Steele (22:01.8) rounded out the top 10, respectively.
Lake County captured the team title with 23 points, while Colorado Rocky Mountain was second with 53 points, narrowly pulling ahead of North Fork (55 points).
