Platte Lyman win leads San Juan boys to 2nd place in Bayfield Invite

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
San Juan High School senior cross country runner Platte Lyman won the overall championship at the Bayfield, NM Invitational on Saturday, September 13, leading the Bronco boys to a second-place team finish behind event champion Farmington.
Lyman completed the course in 18 minutes, 35 seconds, nine seconds ahead of the second-place runner, Lincoln Bagwell of the host Bayfield Wolverines.
Jack Kartchner was the next San Juan boy to finish, in eighth place overall with a 19:40 run. Rosendo Martine was 13th in 19:52.
Keegan McCullough dug deep to take 18th place overall with his 20:27 performance. Peter Lyman rounded out the scoring members of the boys team just two seconds behind McCullough in 19th.
Other Broncos finishing in the top 25 included Jeraden Hurst (20th, 20:30), Cannon Kartchner (21st, 20:30), Noah Begay (24th, 20:49), and James Gosney (25th, 20:58).
While San Juan’s top nine runners all came home under three minutes apart, the team’s fourth- through ninth-place runners finished within 30 seconds of each other.
For the girls, Sincere Nez continued her outstanding season by finishing in ninth place overall, leading the Lady Broncos to a fifth-place team result.
Nez crossed the line just five seconds behind the seventh- and eighth-place finishers with her run of 24:18. She was less than two minutes off the race winner’s pace.
Ada Lyman was the second-fastest Lady Bronco, coming home just 40 seconds behind Nez in 13th overall with her run of 24:57.
Brinley Jones was 16th overall in 25:55. Harmony Oshley crossed the finish line in 29:25 in 42nd overall, and Rose Kartchner was the final scoring member of the team with her 30:50 run in 49th place.
The San Juan cross country teams are gearing up to host their only home meet of the season. They’ll welcome local teams and distant visitors to Blanding for the annual John Thornton Invitational on Wednesday, Sept. 17.