HS Cross Country competes at Gunnison and BV
by Amy Peters
The high school cross country team divided their forces last weekend and competed in 2 different meets. Half of the team traveled to Gunnison on Friday, the 18th, while the other half participated in the Buena Vista Invitational on Saturday the 19th. Both courses offered the Panthers relatively flat terrain and the chance to run fast times.
Keira King dominated the 2A competition in Gunnison, winning the 5 kilometer race by 1 minute 40 seconds. Her time of 22:01 was a personal best for her by over 1 minute. Clara Kirr set a new personal record (PR) of 24:17, which was over 3 minutes faster than her previous best time, and she out-sprinted an opponent into the finish to snatch 4th place. Brynna Lenhard ran her best 5K ever, slashing her previous PR by 4 ½ minutes, completing the course in 24:45 and placing 6th.
Jace Peters led the Lake County boys team in Gunnison. He finished 4th in a season-best time of 19:26. Josiah Horning earned a Top 10 t-shirt by coming in 10th with a new PR of 20:49. Jordyn Garcia ran an excellent 2nd lap of the race to win his wave and improve his former PR by almost 2:00, placing 16th in 21:36.
In Buena Vista on Saturday morning, the Horning sisters pushed each other to times under 21 minutes. It was the first time that Rose had ever broken that barrier and only the 2nd time in Adele’s career that she has accomplished the feat. Rose’s time of 20:53 earned her 3rd place in the meet, and Adele was 4th in 20:56. Violet Hill left her wave of competition behind, finishing 9th overall in 24:01, 1:00 faster than she had ever run before. Aurora Marruffo ran her fastest time of the season- 32:43- and placed 26th.
Fabian Jimenez fought off a couple of runners from Manitou Springs to finish in 3rd place and a season-best time of 18:46. James Garrison completed the course in 20:35, his fastest time of 2020, and took 10th place. Shedding 1:16 off his PR, Abel Gonzales took 16th in 21:26.
