Lovell harriers shatter PRs
Personal records were the order of the day for the LHS cross country team as the Bulldogs ran at the Pinnacle Bank/Powell Invitational Thursday at the Powell Golf Course.
The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs set no fewer than 13 PRs Thursday at the final meet of the regular season, and coach Caleb Sanders attributed the success to athletes getting into shape, along with good weather and a fast, even course.
“It’s mainly the course, but it’s a mixture of everything,” he said. “The kids have been running really well in practice and are peaking at the right time.”
Sanders said the weather (70s) was warmer than he likes to run, but he added, “Compared to what we’ve had, it was just fine – not too bad.”
Among the personal records at Powell was the top time of the day run by junior David Durfee, who broke his personal record by 28 seconds, placing 22nd in the 63-man field in a time of 17:53.
“This was David’s first time under 18 minutes,” Sanders said. “That was a goal for him this season. He was very, very happy about getting it, and so were we (as coaches).”
Durfee likes to go out fast and has been holding his speed better this season, Sanders said.
“That’s a comfortable style for him,” Sanders noted. He’s running good times, so I’ve been happy to let him do that. It’s working really well for him.”
Also running strong Thursday was junior Jacob Thomas, who finished 31st and broke his PR by 21 seconds by running 18:42. It was Thomas’ first time running under 19 minutes.
“That’s been a goal of his,” Sanders said. “He was discouraged after his first race this year (after golf season), but now he’s happy with how he’s racing. He’s seen his progress.”
Senior Stetson Asay came tantalizingly close to breaking the 19-minute barrier, finishing 34th in a personal-record time of 19:01.
“That was both a happy and upsetting race for Stetson,” Sanders said. “It was a PR, but when you realize how close he was to 19 minutes, it was upsetting to him – in a good way. His goal this season was to run in the 18s.”
Senior Dino DeLaCruz cruised the course in 19:15 to finish 38th, his best time by a long shot.
“He’s never been under 20 minutes before. He ran 20 (minutes) flat last year, so this was a huge PR for him,” Sanders said. “It (running) just feels better for him this year.”
Running under 21 minutes for the first time Thursday was junior Damian Wagner, who finished 52nd in a time of 20:31, breaking his personal record by 46 seconds, and sophomore Sam Mayes finished 54th in 20:40.
“Damian and Sam are running together, and it’s good for Sam,” Sanders said. “I hope they push each other even more.”
JV boys
The top Bulldog in the junior varsity boys race was sophomore Hudsen Mickelson, who placed 16th in a personal-record time of 20:45, a PR by 25 seconds and his second straight strong run.
“Hudsen is coming on,” Sanders said. “We wondered if his time at Cody was a one-race type of deal, but obviously, it’s not. It’s two weeks in a row now where he’s run way faster than he has been training at.”
Junior Jaxen Clark improved his time for the fourth consecutive race and finished 25th in a time of 21:28, a PR by 28 seconds.
“He’s been impressing me,” Sanders said. “He continues to cut time.”
Also improving weekly has been senior Thane Zollman, who finished 32nd in the JV race in 22:34.
“Every race the whole season has been a season best, with the last two PRs,” Sanders noted, adding that Zollman won a team challenge to qualify as an alternate at State by running the most miles (other than the top seven runners) during the summer.
Close behind Zollman Thursday was freshman Rick Jensen, who chopped nearly three minutes off his previous best time set in Cody, running the course in 22:44. Sanders said coaches have seen Jensen’s potential in practice after golf season, adding, “We’re going to see some good things out of him in the coming year.”
Junior Hugh Carpenter finished 37th in 26:03, freshman Gage Pillow 41st in 28:27.
Girls results
Sanders entered just two competitors in the girls varsity race Thursday, and junior Elana Schilthuis placed 27th in a personal-record time of 22:02.
“She has been very surprising. I never would have expected this at the beginning of the year,” Sanders said. “She gets after it. Both Elana and Caylee (Herman) are really good finishers, and Elana is a top-tier finisher. She passes girls she maybe shouldn’t pass in the last half mile and does it convincingly. She’s a great finisher.”
Herman, a freshman, finished 34th in 22:51, also a PR.
“Caylee topped her PR by 10 seconds. I was happy for her,” Sanders said. “I want to start resting her the last two weekends and see if that gives her an extra boost. She ran 10 miles the previous Saturday.”
The top runner for the Lady Bulldogs in the junior varsity race was senior Danika Crumrine, who placed 23rd in 26 minutes, a personal record by more than a minute.
“Over the last week or so, Danika has practiced better and seems a lot more invested in improving,” Sander said. “We’ve seen some change in her the last week and a half. She’s more dialed in.”
Sophomore Candace Walker ran her fastest time of the season, finishing 26th in 26:40, and junior Atlee Sanders was 35th in 28:48. Both Walker and Sanders ran season-best times.
Freshman Juliette Caldwell didn’t obtain a bib number but ran in the 28s, finishing just ahead of Sanders, which would be a personal record.
“She’s running better than that in practice,” Coach Sanders said. “She’s been working through some injuries.”
Conference meet
The Lovell harriers will be off to Lander today (Thursday) for the Class 3A West Conference Championships, to be held at Lander Valley High School. Running begins at 1 p.m. with the girls conference race, followed by the boys at 1:45.