Cross Country Cougars hit Kayenta, Mancos

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The Monument Valley boys cross country team finished fourth at the Mustang Invitational in Kayenta, AZ on Tuesday, September 26.
The Cougars were led by a 12th-place finish by Josiah Gipe when he crossed the line in 21:34. Akecheta Shortman was 25th overall with a time of 24:35.
Riley Stanley was next for Monument Valley in 30th with a 25:34, Joshua Hicks came across 33rd in 26:30, and Braxton Goodshield was 37th in 27:11.
Shilah Williams paced the Lady Cougars in 15th with a time of 28:31. Precious Bedonie got 19th place in 29:18, Taylor Stanley was 23rd in 30:06, and Yanabah Smith came home 31st in 41:27. The Monument Valley girls did not register a team score in the event.
Following the trip to Kayenta, the Cougar harriers took a smaller group to Mancos, CO for the annual Chicken Creek Challenge on Saturday, September 30. Neither team had enough athletes to score team points.
Josiah Gipe again led the team with a 17th-place finish in the boys division with his time of 20:20. Akecheta Shortman came across the line 45th with a 22:58. And Riley Stanley was 58th in 24:30.
Precious Bedonie was the top Lady Cougar in 19th with a time of 27 minutes even. Taylor Stanley was just 35 seconds behind in 21st. And Yonabah Smith rounded out the Monument Valley performance in 44th with a 34:17.
It’s a busy week for the Cougars this week. They’ll take a short trip north to Blanding for the John Thornton Invitational on Wednesday, October 4. Then they close the week in Page, AZ at the Lake Powell Invite.