Rocky Mountain runners tackle tough Lander course

The Rocky Mountain High School cross country team ran in the Lander Invitational on Thursday, Sept. 18. With temperatures near 70 degrees and a light breeze, the Grizzlies faced a difficult course that included a punishing hill just a mile into the race.

The northwest corner of the state was well represented, with schools of all sizes taking part. Among the teams competing were Fort Washakie (1A), Burlington (1A), Arapahoe Charter (1A), St. Stephens (1A), Thermopolis (2A), Wind River (2A), Lander (3A), Riverton (3A) and Worland (3A).  

Standout performances

Sophomore Avery Thomas, competing in her first meet since transferring to Rocky Mountain, impressed in the junior varsity girls division. She surged to the front and never looked back, finishing in 25 minutes, 29 seconds, more than 30 seconds ahead of the runner-up.

“Avery showed a lot of toughness,” head coach Tim Jones said. “She’s been battling a nagging injury, but she ran with confidence.” 

Also in the JV girls race, Evynn Alvarez placed 11th at 31:00, and Ellie Alvarez finished close behind in 13th at 31:17.

“Evynn and Ellie ran well on a difficult course,” Jones noted. 

On the boys side, Rowan Hanusa earned 10th place in the JV race, clocking 21:48. Coach Jones noted that “Rowan did a good job in managing the hill, and he did a nice job with the flat areas once he got there.”

Teammates Zach Unruh (15th, 22:15) and Ethan Haslem (30th, 24:37) continued to build their consistency.

“Zach and Ethan are putting in the work,” Jones said. “They’re both improving every week, and you can see it in the way they attack the course.”

Freshman Grant Weierman completed his first-ever high school race, placing 46th in 41:11.

“Grant ran his first high school race. He was slow and steady, but he hung in there to finish,” Jones noted.

Looking ahead

Despite the challenges of the Lander course, Coach Jones was pleased with the team’s effort.

“This was a good test for us early in the season,” he said. “We learned a lot about where we’re at, and the kids handled it with a lot of heart.”

The Grizzlies now turn their attention to the Worland Invitational on Friday.

“We are looking forward to running a faster course in Worland this week,” Jones said. “Hopefully, our times will reflect the work that the runners are putting in.”

Running begins with middle school races at 1 p.m., high school at 3.