Last weekend’s Joe I. Vigil XC Invitational in Alamosa showcased progress for the Pagosa Springs High School Pirate cross-country teams, and featured a number of personal records (PRs).
“What a fun race weekend in Alamosa at the Joe Vigil Invitational,” coach Rachael Christiansen wrote in the team’s newsletter. “It was one of those days where we had almost everyone racing, the weather was perfect, and we saw some major progress by every single runner!”
The Lady Pirates finished 16th out of 23 teams at the meet, with the Pirates finishing 24th out of 28 teams.
Both teams placed seventh of the teams in their region, according to the coach, who indicates that both teams can make large strides in the coming weeks.
Sienna Rose was the first Lady Pirate across the line, finishing 39th out of 257 runners with a time of 20 minutes, 58.07 seconds in what Christiansen noted was Rose’s first race of the season.
Christiansen adds Rose started her season “off right with a new PR and breaking the 21 minute mark for the first time.”
The coach adds, “Now, she’s eyeing potentially breaking 20 minutes, which would be the first time a Lady Pirate has done that in almost 10 years!”
Kaiya Lyons finished in 88th with a time of 22:39.85, breaking the 23-minute mark for the first time and setting a new PR.
Madisen Stretton finished 117th with a time of 23:35.02.
Christiansen notes Stretton was coming off an injury, but ran a “very strong race” and earned a PR.
“It has been a couple tough weeks for her and we are so happy to see her commitment to rehab and patience in the process pay off,” the coach wrote.
Stretton was followed by Adison Johnson in 119th with a time of 23:26.02, which the coach highlights was her first time breaking 24 minutes.
Bella Jackson crossed the line 122nd in 23:32.56, with the coach pointing out she took over 10 minutes off her race time in Durango the previous week, earning a sub-24-minute PR.
“As a new freshman runner, she’s learning what her pre-race food/water/etc should look like and we’d say it definitely paid off,” Christiansen wrote.
Hailey Sams finished 158th with a time of 24:46.86.
“Hailey Sams ran one of her best races as a Lady Pirate, finishing as our 6th runner,” Christiansen notes.
Vivy DavRem finished 182nd with a time of 25:21.13, which Christiansen highlights is more than five minutes faster than her time in Silverton.
Mila Miller finished 206th in 26:05.62.
“Mila Miller was our 8th runner, also taking almost 5 minutes of her previous PR from Silverton,” the coach wrote. “These freshman ladies are looking really strong to start and we’re excited to see what a little more experience can do for them.”
Gwen Tyler finished 246th in 30:39.49.
“Gwen Tyler was our final Lady Pirate, finishing off a strong race after battling being sick for a few weeks,” Christiansen wrote. “She even took over 5 minutes off her PR from Durango the previous week.”
Jesse Beck was the top finisher for the boys’ squad, finishing 92nd out of 304 runners.
Beck ran a time of 18:36.66, breaking 19 minutes for the first time.
“This has been something he had been trying to do for years, and crushed it with an 18:36 official time,” Christiansen wrote.
Connor Thomas finished 114th with a time of 19:09.82, with the coach noting he took 41 seconds off his prior PR and is “getting very close to breaking that 19 minute mark.”
Eli Nehring shaved 2:58 off his race last weekend to set a new PR to finish 162nd with a time of 20:28.96, with the coach adding she has no doubts he’ll break the 20-minute mark by the end of the season.
Merrick Tudor followed in 175th with a time of 20:40.43.
“Merrick ran almost 3 minutes faster than his debut race in Silverton and is looking strong as a freshman runner,”Christiansen wrote. “We also believe he will break that 20 minute mark this season.”
Dylan Dempster was the fifth Pirate to cross the finish line, finishing 188th with a time of 21:05.88.
Christiansen notes Dempster took 12 seconds off his PR from regionals last year and ran “a strong race from start to finish.”
Peyton Jackson and Weston Sweet finished at virtually the same time, with Jackson taking 192nd with a time of 21:16.71 and Sweet taking 193rd with a time of 21:16.71.
“Peyton Jackson returned to the team and was running his first race of the season. Peyton may not have gotten a PR, but for his first race after only a few practices, coming off an injury from last year, we’d say he ran great,” Christiansen wrote. “Weston Sweet finished at the exact same time as Peyton, running his first ever HS XC 5k! He is another freshman who has a lot of potential and room to grow before the end of the season. Keep an eye on this guy!”
Isaac Hanto finished 224th with a time of 22:02.32.
The coach highlights that Hanto also finished the day with a new PR, “besting his time from last year by a few seconds.”
Stetson Osborn was the ninth Pirate across the line, finishing 231st with a time of 22:18.58, which the coach notes is more than a minute faster than his first race in Silverton.
“Stetson had a strong final mile, but we think he has more in him, so we’re sure he’ll continue to improve and possibly even move up in the team,” she wrote.
Running his first race of the season after only a few practices was Asher Kurz, according to the coach.
Kurz ran a time of 23:51.34 to finish 254th, which Christiansen adds is almost two minutes faster than his PR from last year.
“He is looking strong and with some dedicated practices and time on his feet running, we think he’ll continue to take time off as the season progresses,” she wrote.
The coach acknowledges the teams have some work to do and indicated the Pirates will work to move up the ranks over the course of the season.
“It was exciting to have almost everyone race at such a big event,” she wrote in an email to The SUN. “While we had great performances from everyone, we definitely have some work to do in these upcoming weeks to move up into a better position for State. Our region is a very strong region and we have some major competition, so the focus now is staying healthy and working our way up the ranks. We’ll be doing that by incorporating workouts specifically designed to help us excel on the regional course in Colorado Springs.”
This week, the Pirate harriers will head to Bayfield for a Saturday meet.
The Lady Pirates are set to race at 10:20 a.m., followed by the boys’ squad at 10:50 a.m.
Christiansen describes the course as “a tougher, hillier course.”
She indicates that, while she doesn’t expect many new PRs, the Pagosa teams hope to see movement toward getting their third through seventh runners closer to their first and second.
randi@pagosasun.com
