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Region Cross Country Roundup: CSCS, TCA, Palmer Ridge, Cheyenne Mountain among strong performances

carson field, the gazette (colorado springs, colo.)
·5 min read

Oct. 22—The postseason began this week for Colorado high school cross country. From Class 2A to Class 5A, dozens of runners put together strong performances at their regional meets.

It marks the final competition before the State Cross Championships, held in Colorado Springs on Oct. 29.

Class 2A

Region 2

The Pikes Peak region dominated the Class 2A Region 2 cross country races.

Peyton's Nathan Schluessler won first place in the boys race with a time of 16:43.8. Andrew Bel of Colorado Springs Christian got second, finishing just 11 seconds behind Schluessler (16:54.80).

Peyton and CSCS also alternated for third and fourth. Peyton's Josh Kearse finished in 17:13 to win bronze, while Colorado Springs Christian's Grant Leigh finished fourth (17:21.80).

CSCS took first place in the boys team standings with 32 team points, while Peyton was second with 45.

In the girls race, Nadhia Campos of The Vanguard School took first place, crossing the finish line in 18:44.1.

A couple minutes behind Campos was Banning Lewis' Alexia Gonzales, who finished third with a time of 20:28. Gonzales' teammate, Olivia Bell, also cracked the top five, finishing fifth (20:46.3).

Denver Christian put together the best girls team performance with 43 points, while Banning Lewis got second with 47.

Region 3

St. Mary's excelled, as the Pirates placed first as a team in the boys race. The Pirates logged 45 points, one ahead of second-place Rocky Ford.

St. Mary's had three boys in the top five, including Lyndon Gotelaere, who finished first (16:60.6). Pirate senior Jackson Neppl finished second (16:37.90), while teammate James Beam got fifth (17:37.20).

Jay Wood of Thomas MacLaren also represented the region well, finishing fourth (17:19.90).

On the girls side, Thomas MacLaren had the region's best team finish, coming in fourth. Luvier Kipchumba was the Highlanders' top runner, placing seventh individually.

Class 3A

Region 2

Cody Kelley of Manitou Springs finished third with a time of 16:27.3, while Alamosa's Isaac Higareda won the race (16:11.9). Manitou Springs' Cody Wyman finished fifth (16:58.5).

Manitou Springs placed third as a team with 79 points, while Woodland Park got fourth (107).

Woodland Park had the area's top finishers in the girls race: Emma Graber finished eighth (20:09.4) and Stella Schroeder got ninth (20:41.6). The Panthers placed fourth as a team with 89 points.

Alamosa swept the team standings, winning the boys and girls races.

Region 5

The Classical Academy boys dominated their race, as their top six finishers — Chandler Wilburn, Matthew Edwards, Nathan Meister, Casey Golden, Logan Halla and Kieran Cameron — took the first six spots in the race.

Wilburn won the individual race, finishing in 16:07.4.

As a team, TCA easily earned first place, logging 15 team points. The Titans finished 47 points ahead of the second-place team, DSST Byers.

TCA's girls also ran well, finishing in second place (38). Kent Denver won the race as a team, as the Sun Devils had the top three finishers and posted 35 team points.

Makenzie Zachman of TCA finished fourth individually, crossing the line in 20:35.6.

Class 4A

Region 2

Palmer Ridge had the top two finishers in the boys race. Jacob Bach finished first (16:04), while teammate Lucas Bossinger finished only 15 seconds after him (16:19).

Coronado took the next two spots, as Parker Davidson placed third (16:44) and Boston Potts placed fourth (16:53). Lewis-Palmer's Sheppard Collier got fifth, crossing the line in 17:14.

Coronado had the best team score with 34 points and four runners in the top 10, while Palmer Ridge got third (122 points).

The Pikes Peak region similarly dominated the girls race.

Olivia Sheridan of Palmer placed first with a time of 19:24. Lewis-Palmer's Jade Allen got second, finishing in 19:39.

Palmer and Lewis-Palmer also alternated for third and fourth. Palmer's Adele Havlick got third (19:57), and Lewis-Palmer's Lily Poteet got fourth (20:06).

Reagan Massey of Falcon placed fifth (20:17).

Palmer won the team standings with 36 points, while Discovery Canyon, Lewis-Palmer and Falcon got second, third and fourth, respectively.

Region 5

Cheyenne Mountain had three top-five finishers in the boys race.

Brian Kerrigan won the race with a time of 16:17. Carter Bayer (16:43.2) and Brogan Collins (16:49.8) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

The Red-Tailed Hawks won the regional championship handily, tallying 32 team points. That was 28 fewer points than second-place Durango.

Cheyenne Mountain also had the area's best finisher in the girls race. Kelley Burchfield finished fifth with a time of 20:48.7.

The Cheyenne Mountain girls finished second as a team with 66 points, while Durango placed first.

Class 5A

Region 5

Air Academy's girls put together an impressive showing, as the Kadets won the team standings. With 35 points, they finished 10 points ahead of second-place Valor Christian.

Bethany Michalak of Air Academy finished first individually, crossing the line in 17:07. Air Academy's Tessa Walter also ran well, finishing in 18:29.2.

Air Academy finished fourth as a team in the boys race. Nate Lumaye was the Kadets' best runner, placing ninth with a time of 16:29.6.