Race Review

That was a fun race. We were really impressed with the enthusiasm and the great teamwork, with some faster runners running with and encouraging teammates to faster paces. That was really helpful and helped several team members jump up to higher levels of performance.

XC is a fantastic team sport, and the team aspect is especially highlighted when teammates help each other to improved performances. 

And it was our first win! In at least two years. Not just that, but the girls won with Adaline sitting out due to illness and Lauren, Darby, Paige and Claire running at least part of the race at a "tempo" effort. Ella wanted to rest up a bit for Regionals, so her plan was to run with multi-time 3A State Champion Katelyn Maley from Basalt for two miles and then race for the win. That didn't last long though and she moved out into the solo lead half a mile in, finishing with a 15 second course record while going a bit short of max the first two miles. Lauren held back for most of the first mile to help pull along Cece and Avery. When Lauren took off, she quickly moved up several positions, ultimately finishing a great fifth. Avery and Cece held strong and also continued to advance, placing 10th and 13th. Darby, Paige and Claire wanted to hold back early to stay fresh for Regionals while working on a fast finish. They did just that, running shoulder to shoulder in a nice pack fairly far back for the first two miles. When they let it rip at the two mile mark, they quickly advanced, passing scores of runners, to finish 15th, 16th and 19th.

The boys placed 4th, same as last year, but that was without Dom, Zach, Lando and Will and with Josh and Carter running tempo for two miles. Josh did a fantastic job of guiding and pushing Cain to a breakthrough effort and time. When Josh finished the tempo effort on the short hill before the two mile mark he was in about 15th place. Less than two minutes later he had moved up to second! That was thrilling and very impressive to see. Cain kept on moving up even when Josh took off, ultimately placing a very impressive ninth. Considering that Cain has, until this point in the season, usually been our 6th or 7th runner, that shows 1) tremendous improvement and 2) the great depth we now have. Likewise, Carter sacrificed his own potential placing to guide and encourage Gavin through two miles of pacing. When Carter took off, he moved up rapidly to 18th place, while Gavin held strong and finished 24th.

The above recounts the race tactics of our runners that will be toeing the line at Regionals in our attempt to advance both teams to the State Championship. We are allowed to race 9 runners at Regionals, with the normal top 5 scoring and 2 additional displacing. Our other runners also did very well. Jens ran a very aggressive first 1.5 miles and was right up near the front. That was very impressive and he made a very strong case to be our first back up should one of the top 9 not be able to run at Regionals. Bryce, Liam and Donovan actually ran season bests, even faster than Liberty Bell. For Liam, that was a fantastic way to wrap up his high school XC career. Now on to track, where he will excel in his specialty, the sprints. Likewise, Maisy completed her high school XC career in nice fashion, doing well despite battling with stomach issues.

All in all it was a fun and exciting and encouraging meet where we had successful experiments with different racing tactics. The butterburgers and ice cream at Culver's on the way back were well deserved and enjoyed. 

Lots of photos are here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fCfkCGWmxg81swihKtxPaHD99TKLy6BU?usp=sharing

Summit Daily Article

Summit cross-country team preserves its legs for regionals while placing first and fourth in Rifle

Colorado High School Sports Article

This Week's League Meets, And More - We get a short but insightful mention - hinting at our team depth - here.

Team Scores

SHS Times

Mile Splits

Photos

Top SHS Times at the Rifle Meet

WHEN:  Wednesday, 12 October 2022

WHERE:  Rifle Creek Golf Course, Rifle, CO

TRANSPORTATION: Release from class at 12:45, depart at 1:00. 2 hour drive time. Estimated return time is 9:30.

OUR RACE TIMES:

Girls Varsity 5K - 4:40 p.m

Boys Varsity 5K - 5:20 p.m.

Course: The race is run on the Rifle Creek Golf Course front 9 with the entire course run on grass or gravel/pavement cart paths. The course is gentle rolling terrain, no significant climbs.

Directions to Course: From South: Take Highway 13 north through Rifle (you will leave town) until you reach Highway 325 (signs pointing to Rifle Creek Golf Course and Rifle Gap Park). The turn has a bowling alley on the corner. Follow 325 for approximately 3 miles. Golf course parking will be on the right.

Scoring/Awards: Runners 1-3 will be awarded a medal, runners 4-15 will be awarded a ribbon in the chute. Teams are allowed 15 entries into varsity races, top 5 members score. Top 2 teams in each gender receive plaques.

Course Map

2021 Rifle Results and Photos

10/14/21: Summit Tigers cross-country teams finish strong in 2nd and 4th places in Rifle