Lyman wins first region title for San Juan XC in over a decade, leads teams to state meet

by Jessica Walker
Contributing Writer
It was a high-stakes meet for the Bronco Harriers at the Region 15 Championship in Moab on Tuesday, October 17. Their performances meant either the end of the season (and the end of high school careers for many) or a trip to the 2A Utah State Championship.
To qualify for state the team needed to place in the top three in the region meet and both the girls and boys accomplished that difficult feat.
The boys team was barely edged out by North Sevier and finished second while the girls team took third place behind North Summit and Grand (who are ranked 1-2 in the Utah 2A classification).
Edward Lyman led the boys with experience and skill in the final region race of his career. Skillfully overtaking North Sevier foes Emmitt Nielson and Cruze Hallows around the halfway point, Lyman finished in 16:54.
His perfectly-executed race gave him the impressive distinction of boys individual region champion – the first in over a decade from San Juan High School.
Next to finish were Abe Lyman and Ryan McCullough in seventh and eighth. They crossed the finish line with times of 18:14 and 18:20. Noah Begay finished next in 11th with an impressive time of 18:42.
Austin Pincock followed Begay in 12th with a time of 18:52. Pincock has proven to be a force of nature this season with consistent improvement and solid finishes.
Platte Lyman and Toby Ward rounded out the top seven runners with times of 19:06 and 19:18. They finished 18th and 20th.
Coming from behind to break into the top ten and lead the girls to their third-place finish was freshman Brittany Jensen. She masterfully executed her race to earn eighth place with a time of 22:01.
Sincere Nez was only 30 seconds behind Jensen in a strong 12th-place performance with a time of 22:32.
Brinley Jones and Ada Lyman ran much of the race together and finished within seconds of each other – Jones 15th in 23:41 and Lyman 16th in 23:47. Both were personal bests for those runners.
Sierra Black also earned a personal record on the course with her 27th-place finish and time of 25:30. Black, only a freshman, has decreased her race times by five minutes this season, an amazing feat.
Leah Johnson finished next in 28th with a time of 25:59, followed by Harmony Oshley in 32nd with a time of 27:17. Oshley also earned a personal record in the region meet and, like Black, has decreased her times by over five minutes this season.
The San Juan cross country teams closed out their remarkable season at the 2A State Championship at the Salt Lake City Regional Athletic Complex in Rose Park on Tuesday, October 24. Results will appear in the November 1 SJR.