Lovell middle and high school harriers run well in Riverton

This past week, the Lovell middle school and high school runners traveled to Riverton to compete on Thursday, Sept. 11. It was a little breezy, but overall the weather was good.

High school coach Caleb Sanders said the location was beautiful, noting, “It was a great sight. We ran on a historical course that was a lot of fun.”

The varsity and JV girls ran at the same time in the same race. Elana Schilthuis was the only varsity runner for the girls this week, and she placed an impressive sixth overall with a time of 22:15. This was the first time in a while that a Lovell girl has placed in the top 10, and the coaches were very excited for her.

Caylee Herman placed fourth overall on the JV side and was named Runner of the Week for her strong performance. She finished with a time of 25:27.

Candace Walker also ran well, finishing seventh overall in JV with a time of 26:57.

Toree Herman accomplished her goal of breaking 30 minutes, finishing in 13th place with a time of 29:34. Atlee Sanders placed 16th in 32:17.

The coaches were proud of the girls and their accomplishments this week.

High school boys

On the boys side, David Durfee was the top runner again. He was named Runner of the Week for the second time after placing ninth overall in varsity with a time of 18:36, breaking into the top 10 — something that hasn’t happened for Lovell in a while.

Isaac Sanders placed fifth in the JV race. Although he didn’t run varsity, he was the third-fastest Lovell boy overall, finishing in 20:38.

Coach Sanders was excited to see Gage Pillow meet a major goal this week by breaking 29 minutes. He finished in 43rd place with a time of 28:29, showing big personal improvement. Pillow was one of the few runners who improved his time this week, which made the coaches especially proud.

Coach Sanders said he is happy to see how competitive the boys team is with each other because it pushes everyone to improve and fight for a varsity spot. This week, the runners will continue working on finding the racing style that suits them best in preparation for the end-of-season meets.

“I’m excited to see improvement, even if the times don’t always show it. I’m hoping our understanding of each runner’s personal style keeps progressing,” Sanders said.

Other varsity boys results:

Owen Hill 25th, 20:21; Sam Mayes 30th, 21:44; Hudsen Mickelson 32nd, 21:47; Jaxen Clark 34th, 22:16; Jay Mayes 35th, 22:42.

Other JV boys results:

Ethan Hendershot 20th, 22:24; Grant Rose 25th, 23:20; Rick Jensen 27th, 23:25.

The high school team will travel to the Community and Convention Center Golf Course in Lander on Thursday, today. It will be a good chance for the runners to get comfortable with the course they’ll run at conference. The girls race begins at 12:30 p.m., followed by the boys race at 1 p.m.

Lovell Middle School

The middle school cross country team ran their shortest race of the season — a mile and a half instead of the usual two miles. Coach Joshua Sanders said the kids were excited at first, until they realized they had to run faster since the course was shorter.

“In the end, it helped us because it challenged them to work on their speed,” he said.

Coach Sanders was especially impressed with Treleah Two Two, who placed fifth overall and beat several girls who had finished ahead of her in earlier meets. He said she is finally starting to discover her pace and racing style. Two Two finished with a time of 10:35.

Other top girls results:

Macee Winterholler 33rd, 11:59; Kashlyn Collins 61st, 12:53; Hailey Ballard 81st, 14:02;

On the boys side, James Sanders was the fastest Lovell runner, placing 29th with a time of 10:40.

Other top boys results:

Hayden Harshman 52nd, 11:22; Jackson Sanders 53rd, 11:22; Jamen Crosby 57th, 11:30.

Rocky Mountain meet

The team had another meet on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at the Foster Gulch Golf Course near Lovell, hosted by Rocky Mountain Middle School.

For the girls, Two Two was again the top Lovell runner, finishing 10th with a time of 14:36. Coach Sanders also highlighted Wyatt Hendershot and Kashlyn Collins, noting, “They have both come a long way since the beginning of the season.”

Hendershot placed 46th with a time of 17:45, while Collins placed 35th with a time of 16:45.

Other top girls results:

Macee Winterholler 19th, 15:31; Hailey Ballard 44th, 17:36; Rylee Mayes 51st, 18:29.

On the boys side, James Sanders was again the top Lovell runner, placing 15th overall with a time of 13:57.

Coach Sanders said Brock Butler and Jackson Sanders both ran exceptional races, with Jamen Crosby also right up there. Jackson ran one of his best races yet, making it two meets in a row where he has found his rhythm. He finished 24th with a time of 14:45. Butler placed 29th in 15:18, just ahead of Crosby in 30th at 15:19.

Other top boys results:

Hayden Harshman 23rd, 14:44; Lionel Two Two 33rd, 15:52; Dagan Reuter 39th, 16:05.

Coach Sanders said many of the runners are in a strong position to improve their times in the final three meets of the season. He is especially proud of the eighth graders and is eager to see the younger sixth and seventh graders continue working toward their goals.

The middle school team will not compete again until Friday, September 26, at Worland.