Local harriers produce strong performances in Moab, Pagosa Springs
by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
Cross country teams representing San Juan, Monticello, Whitehorse, and Monument Valley high schools traveled to Moab on Wednesday, September 24 to compete in the annual Red Rock Invitational hosted by Grand County High School.
The San Juan boys led the way with a third-place team finish. Monticello was seventh in the team standings and the Whitehorse boys came home tenth.
Bronco senior Rosendo Martine had the fastest run among the local boys with his eighth-place overall finish in 17:31.2. Junior teammate Platte Lyman was three seconds behind in tenth place.
Eli Carling and Kooper Nielson carried the flag for the Monticello boys, crossing the line 12th and 13th overall in 17:54.1 and 18:01.6 respectively.
Whitehorse senior Elam Etsitty was 21st overall among the boys with a nice run of 18:14.7. It was a new personal record for Etsitty. Josiah Gipe finished 52nd for Monument Valley with his run of 19:54.9.
San Juan came home sixth as a team in the girls race, paced by junior Sincere Nez’s fifth-place overall run of 21:27.4.
The Monticello girls were seventh with sophomore Allie Carling crossing the line in 13th overall with a 22:49.9 performance.
Ada Lyman was 14th overall for San Juan in 23:00.8. Sophomore Summer Atene paced the Monument Valley girls with her run of 23:26.6 in 17th overall.
Sophomore Maria Yellowman was the fastest Whitehorse Lady Raider, crossing the line in 23rd with a run of 24:22.6, her best of the season.
The Monticello teams concluded a busy week at the McGinn Memorial Challenge in Pagosa Springs, CO on Saturday, September 27.
The Buckaroo boys took fifth in that race; the girls didn’t field enough runners to register a team score. Again, Eli Carling paced the boys with a seventh-place finish in 20:30.7.
Charlie Welch and Gabe Long were next across the line for the Bucks, separated by just two seconds in 17th and 18th. They finished in 21:36.6 and 21:38.1 respectively.
Linden English was 27th overall in 22:59 and Christian Hunt was 41st with his run of 26:00.5.
Allie Carling paced the Monticello girls with a run of 25:02.7 in fifth place overall. Mikaylah Gillette was 19th in 28:02.8, Brenna Baxter was 28th in 32:32.8, and Murryn Suttlemyre was 30th in 33:53.9.
The Whitehorse boys closed out their week at the Skyhawk Invitational in Newcomb, NM where they took fourth out of eight teams.
Ethan Begay paced the Raiders with a third-place finish in 19:02.2. Elam Etsitty was tenth overall in 20:07.2 and Hyatt Thomas was 28th in 22:08.8.
This week the Monticello teams will host San Juan in the Milk Run on Wednesday, October 1 while the Monument Valley and Whitehorse teams will compete in the Lake Powell Invitational in Page, AZ on Saturday, October 4.