San Juan boys cross country team wins Grand Junction Tiger Invitational

by Jessica Walker
Contributing Writer
With almost 20 hours of bus travel, two races, plus a regular school week, the San Juan High School harriers didn’t have much time to spare this past week.
The Broncos first traveled to Redmond, UT to compete in the North Sevier Invitational. They represented well with a third-place finish for the girls team and a second-place result for the boys.
The individual placings for the girls consisted of Brinley Jones (14th), Braylyn Eddie (15th), Sierra Black (16th), Brittany Jensen (18th), Rose Kartchner (19th), Sincere Nez (23rd), and Leah Johnson (25th).
The individual placings for the boys consisted of Edward Lyman (third), Toby Ward (tenth), Ryan McCullough (12th), Jack Kartchner (13th), Oren Bradford (15th), Noah Begay (17th), and Ethan Francom (18th).
But the real action happened later in the week at the Tiger Invitational in Grand Junction, CO. Every single member of the boys and girls varsity teams along with many of the junior varsity runners set career bests on the grassy 5K course.
The boys varsity team edged out Grand Junction High School by a narrow margin of just two points to earn a first-place team finish. The boys JV team also won their race, besting Grand Junction by five points.
Edward Lyman blazed through the course with a time of 16:17, earning a second-place overall finish. Close behind was Abe Lyman with a 15th-place finish and a time of 17:59.
Next across the finish line was a sea of blue in 21st through 25th places: Platte Lyman in 18:15, Ryan McCullough in 18:17, Austin Pincock in 18:20, Rosendo Martine in 18:22, and Noah Begay in 18:25.
This consistent pack of five has continued to knock time off their personal bests. The tightness of the group of runners and their ability to push each other will undoubtedly continue to be an asset through the remainder of the season.
The girls teams also performed well with the varsity team earning a seventh-place finish and the JV team taking fifth.
Brittany Jensen and Sincere Nez were neck-and-neck throughout the race and finished only two seconds apart. Jensen placed 18th with a time of 21:55, while Nez placed 21st with a time of 21:57.
Brinley Jones followed Nez in 43rd with a time of 23:46. Ada Lyman came next, crossing the finish line in 61st with a time of 25:02.
Rounding out the varsity runners were Leah Johnson in 63rd with a time of 25:07, Braylyn Eddie in 72nd with a time of 25:58, and Sierra Black in 79th with a time of 27:15.
The Broncos will enjoy a much-needed break from traveling for the next couple weeks. Their next competitions are set for Wednesday, September 27 at the Red Rock Invitational in Moab followed by the Chicken Creek Challenge in Mancos, CO on Saturday, September 30.