Whitehorse runners sweep individual region cross country championships, Raiders and Cougars get solid performances in Green River

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
Nothing can stop Whitehorse cross country runner Keiarra Martin this season. She won the individual girls Region 19 Championship this past Wednesday, October 18 in Green River, pacing the Lady Raiders to a second-place team finish.
It was her sixth victory in seven races, and it came with a time of 19:32 which was 1:30 ahead of the second-place girls runner and would have been good enough for seventh place in the boys race.
This remarkable season for Martin is just her freshman year. It will be extremely exciting to watch this explosive young runner’s career as it develops.
Let’s not forget Ethan Begay, who isn’t too shabby on the boys side for Whitehorse either. He won the boys individual region title at Green River this past Wednesday with a time of 17:53.
It was his first outright victory of the season but he has paced the Raiders all year and his increasingly strong runs set him up for an excellent state meet this week.
In the girls race Whitehorse runners swept fifth through eighth places following three Monticello runners in second through fourth place.
Heidi Clark came across the line fifth with a time of 23:16, Hannah Clark got sixth place in 23:48, Lamyia Benally was seventh in 23:56, and Shunbaah Begay was eighth in 24:43.
Though five Lady Raiders finished in the top ten, Monticello squeaked by with a one-point victory in the region championship.
On the boys side Elam Etsitty accompanied Ethan Begay in the top ten with a ninth-place finish in 20:13. Riley Benallie was 11th with a time of 20:33.
Tyrone Farley and Lance Tsinigine took 13th and 14th overall with times of 21:46 and 21:58 respectively, rounding out the team score for Whitehorse.
The Raider boys finished in second place just like the girls, 28 points behind Monticello and 33 points ahead of third-place Monument Valley.
Speaking of Monument Valley, both the girls and boys teams finished third in the region behind Whitehorse. Josiah Gipe led the boys’ attack in seventh place overall with a time of 19:40.
Akecheta Shortman was 12th in 21:36, Braxton Goodshield got 21st with a time of 23:10, and Riley Stanley rounded out the team points for the Cougars with a 22nd-place finish in 23:23.
Precious Bedonie was first across the line for the Monument Valley girls, in 11th overall with a time of 25:11. Shilah Williams and Taylor Stanley took 13th and 14th within five seconds of each other. Williams ran a 26:29 and Stanley crossed in 26:34.
Yanabah Smith rounded out the scoring places for the Lady Cougars, finishing in 20th place with a time of 33:50.
Both the Whitehorse and Monument Valley teams competed in the 1A Utah State Cross Country Championship at the Salt Lake City Regional Athletic Complex in Rose Park on Tuesday, October 24. Results for the race will appear in the November 1 issue of the San Juan Record.