Lovell runners push through Worland heat

Lovell runners push through Worland heat

BY JOHN BERNHISEL

The Lovell High School cross country team battled warm temperatures and Homecoming week distractions Friday at the Worland Invitational, where Aaiden Walker and Isaac Sanders each ran personal records to lead the Bulldogs’ varsity boys.

“It was hot in Worland, so our times were a little bit slower because of the heat,” Lovell head coach Caleb Sanders said. “But I was proud of our girls and really all of our kids for pushing through that, especially with some of the distractions that come with Homecoming. I thought we did a really good job.

“Our top boy runners were junior Aaiden Walker and sophomore Isaac Sanders. Walker placed 22nd in 18:33, and Sanders finished 25th in 18:39, both personal records. They have noticed that they are running faster because they can push each other faster. They’re competitive with each other, so this friendly competition between them is really helping both of them out. It was awesome just to have two runners again in the 18-minute range.”

Sophomores Ethan Hendershot and Grant Rose followed closely in the varsity race. Hendershot placed 64th in 21:50, and Rose was 65th in 22:02. Senior Hudsen Mickelson rounded out the Lovell varsity lineup, placing 72nd in 23:56.

“I thought our other runners there on the varsity boys, particularly Ethan Hendershot and Grant Rose, ran good races,” Sanders said.

Senior Candace Walker led the Lovell varsity girls, placing 55th in 28:53. Sanders said Walker has been balancing cross country with dance, a demanding combination during a busy fall season.

“I’m really proud of Candace,” Sanders said. “She’s balancing both dance and running, and that can be a challenge, and she’s handling it well. She runs better when it’s a little bit cooler, so it wasn’t her best meet, but she’s balancing both activities nicely.”

The girls varsity and junior varsity runners competed together at Worland. Freshman Macee Winterholler led Lovell’s JV girls with a 10th-place finish in 26:14. Junior Caylee Herman was 13th in 26:29, sophomore Bonnie Buchholz finished 16th in 27:09, and freshman Rylee Mayes placed 23rd in 28:53. 

“Our top girl runner was Macee again,” Sanders said. “It was nice to have her run another solid race. She’s starting to run better and better, and Bonnie Buchholz ran a pretty good race.”

Mayes earned Lovell’s runner-of-the-week recognition after cutting more than 30 seconds from her personal best and breaking 29 minutes for the first time.

“One of the girls that really stood out to me is Rylee,” Sanders said. “She got a PR, breaking her previous PR by over 30 seconds, and this is the first time she’s gone under 29 minutes. She ran a 28:53.”

Lovell’s JV boys were led by freshman Dagan Reuter, who placed 44th in 23:23. Freshman Jackson Sanders was 58th in 25:38, sophomore Connor Grant placed 61st in 26:32, sophomore Taevan Henton was 68th in 29:16 and junior Gage Pillow finished 70th in 30:44.

On the JV boys side, Sanders said he was pleased to see Henton and Pillow reach new milestones.

“I was happy for Gage Pillow. He ran under 31 minutes, and that was good,” Sanders said. “Taevan Henton ran under 30 minutes. Some of the back-end runners are showing some improvement, and that’s good.”

The Bulldogs may adjust their schedule this week as they look to give runners a different kind of challenge before the season’s stretch run.

Lovell will not compete at the Cody meet Friday, as Coach Caleb Sanders has decided to give his runners a break from racing.

“We decided not to go to Cody this week,” Sanders said. “We want to do our Five Springs Challenge instead. We need something different to mix things up so we don’t burn ourselves out from so much racing. I feel like we’ve been racing quite a bit.”

With the weekend free of competition, the Lovell Bulldog cross country team should be fresh and ready for the Powell Invitational on Friday, Oct. 9, with races beginning at 1 p.m.