RMMS runners open season with solid first meet

Rocky Mountain Middle School had their first cross country meet of the season last Thursday at the Foster Gulch Golf Course races hosted by Lovell. More than 200 runners were present with teams from Cody, Worland, Powell, Riverton, Lovell, Thermopolis, Rocky Mtn. and Burlington.

In the boys race, sixth graders Kaiden Adey and Canyon Weinand turned in solid first-year performances. Adey led the group, placing 72nd with a time of 17:57, while Weinand finished 99th in 21:24.

Seventh grader Mason Haslem, the team’s lone runner in his grade, turned in one of his best efforts, clocking 18:43 for 81st place and setting the tone for a strong season.

Among the eighth graders, Liam Anderson placed 79th in 18:26, with newcomer James Demers close behind in 85th at 19:16. Jasper Tippetts crossed the line in 25:21 for 104th, trimming several minutes off his Lovell Invitational time from a year ago.

The team will also welcome Jason Unruh to the roster this week.

“He has work ethic and grit,” Coach Gerry Burton said. “He is expected to be a valuable addition and a future leader.”

On the girls side, sixth grader Ava Weierman was the lone competitor, posting a promising opening time of 20:15 for 91st place.

“For a sixth grader, we couldn’t be more proud,” Burton noted.

Overall, Burton said he was pleased with the performance of his young squad. “We had some great first-year times,” he said.

The RMES runners will next host an invitational Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the Foster Gulch Golf Course, with this week’s scheduled meet in Big Horn cancelled.