The Pagosa Springs High School Pirate cross-country teams finished first and third at last weekend’s Bayfield XC Invitational.
The Lady Pirates took first out of five teams and the Pirates took third out of nine teams.
“The race times were a little later than what we’ve been used to and the weather was warmer, but overall it was a very good day and we definitely got some gains out of the day,” coach Rachael Christiansen wrote in the team’s newsletter.
The Lady Pirates were led on the day by Sienna Rose, who finished first with a time of 23 minutes, 46.74 seconds.
“Sienna was first overall, beating out some tough runners from Dolores, Bayfield, and Farmington,” the coach wrote. “She started off in 1st for the first mile, lost the lead for a bit to Dolores for the 2nd mile, but she was patient and raced smart and ended up taking the lead for good with about 1k left in the race.”
Kaiya Lyons followed in third with a time of 24:36.47.
“This was a very strong day for her and she was only 50 seconds behind Sienna. Kaiya loves racing in Bayfield and it suits her strengths,” Christiansen highlights. “But we love seeing her so close to Sienna and know if we can continue that the team will get stronger and we’ll have a better shot at qualifying for State.”
The third Lady Pirate finisher was Bella Jackson, who ran a time of 26:39.83 to finish 11th.
Jackson was followed by Madisen Stretton in 12th with a time of 26:41.00.
“The two of them essentially raced the entire race together and finished 2 seconds apart,” Christiansen wrote. “They both looked strong throughout the race, and even though Madi has been dealing with some hip and IT band issues, she put in a solid effort! Having these two girls running together is huge for the team.”
The team’s final scoring runner was Mila Miller, who finished 24th with a time of 29:23.50.
The coach notes Miller “had a big role to fill” and filled it “perfectly” with Hailey Sams out of the race due to illness and Adison Johnson out due to traveling.
Vivy DavRem followed in 26th with a time of 29:42.58.
“Having her and Mila running close together is also a great thing moving forward. We hope to see them even closer next time and see if we can get the two of them moving up towards Bella and Hailey,” Christiansen wrote.
Gwendolyn Tyler finished 38th with a time of 34:18.31, with the coach noting Tyler has been working hard at practices and it is beginning to show.
“As a team, these Lady Pirates finished first out of 5 teams by one single point,” the coach points out. “We always try to emphasize placement in the races over times, and this is a great example of why. This course was hilly and dusty and resulted in slower times. However, not letting that slower time affect your mindset and to continue to push forward is huge. And these girls did just that. We are very proud of their effort out there and continue to look forward to the next few weeks and see what we can do.”
The meet was much bigger on the boys’ side than it’s been in the past with nine full teams racing, Christiansen indicates, adding the Pirates were running against some strong competition.
Jesse Beck was the first Pirate across the line, running a time of 20:43.72 to take sixth.
“He missed out on the top 5 by .24 of a second,” Christiansen wrote. “It was a strong effort by him and he put himself out there, trying to pressure those top 5 boys.”
Following in seventh was Connor Thomas, who ran a time of 21:09.76.
Eli Nehring finished 18th with a time of 21:56.59, with the coach noting he had a “very strong race” until calf cramping slowed him down.
Merrick Tudor finished in 22:03.42 to finish 21st, who had a “stand out race,” according to the coach.
“Merrick had been sick the past few days (that early season crud is certainly making its way through the team right now) and we weren’t sure if he was going to race or not. When he showed up and said he could, I’ll be honest I wasn’t expecting him to be in our top 5 finishers. But, he is tough! And pulled out a great race,” Christiansen explains.
Dylan Dempster took 32nd with a time of 22:52.51, with the coach pointing out he has been working on his form and it’s paying off.
Jacen Easling finished 39th with a time of 24:00.82 in his first race back following an illness that the coach notes took him out of racing and practices for about a week.
Isaac Hanto ran a time of 25:17.75 to finished 45th.
Asher Kurz finished 62nd with a time of 28:34.71.
Stetson Osborn, despite battling a stomach bug, finished with a time of 35:29.87.
“He was tough for attempting it, and even managed to finish the race very strong, but we know he will be excited to come back next time feeling much better,” Christiansen wrote.
Christiansen adds the team’s third-place finish behind Farmington and Bayfield was a solid placement with some good competition.
“And, our goal of closing the gap with Bayfield is progressing, as we were only 10 points away from them. The good news is that we will be racing against them again pretty much all season,” Christiansen wrote.
Next up for the Pirate harriers is the Boggy Draw Bear Chase in Dolores on Friday, Sept. 20.
The Lady Pirates are slated to race at 10 a.m., followed by the Pirates at 10:30 a.m.
randi@pagosasun.com
