Lovell boys place fourth at state cross country meet

The Lovell High School cross country team found the elevation, as well as top competitors, to be a challenge at the Wyoming State Cross Country meet in Cheyenne Saturday.
But the team turned in a strong performance, especially the Lovell boys, who placed fourth in Class 2A at the championship meet.
Coach Caleb Sanders said he loved the course at the Cheyenne Country Club, and the weather was excellent for running.
“It was beautiful – mid-60s while racing. I have no complaints,” Sanders said. “The course was fairly flat, and it was a beautiful course, absolutely gorgeous. Times were slower for a lot of the schools, like those for which Cheyenne was 2,000 feet higher.”
Cheyenne is just over 6,000 feet in elevation.
“The elevation slowed us down,” Sander said. “People tend to run PRs at lower elevations.”
Sanders said that, while his team does train in the Big Horns, they can’t spend enough time on the mountain to make a big difference.
“Unless you spend a ton of time up there, it doesn’t do you any good,” he said. “An hour running on the mountain doesn’t help you. The schools that thrive in this setting are the ones already at that elevation or higher.”
Boys team strong
Sanders was pleased with the performance of his boys team, with all seven runners performing well.
“We didn’t have any all-staters (top 10), but there were 85 runners, and almost all of our runners finished in the 20s (for placing) – top third of the race. We have a good, solid team. We just didn’t have any all-staters.”
The Lovell boys placed fourth behind only Five Rivers Conference teams, Burlington (champion), Wyoming Indian and Thermopolis, and ahead of Sundance, Saratoga, Wright, Glenrock, Tongue River, Wind River, St. Stephens and Rocky Mountain.
Sanders said he is pleased with the team finish, especially considering that the Bulldogs lost five of their top runners to graduation after last season.
“We averaged 20:37 per mile at State last year and 20:07 this year,” Sanders noted, “which is interesting considering that we lost all of our top runners except David (Durfee).”
The lead runner for the Bulldogs was sophomore Jacob Thomas, who ran 20 minutes even to place 20th, just under a minute slower than his personal record time at Powell but only 17 seconds off his conference meet time in Ethete last week.
“This was Jacob’s first time as our lead runner. I think he went into the race hungry to perform well,” Sanders said.
Three Lovell runners placed 23rd, 24th and 25th on Saturday. Junior Stetson Asay placed 23rd in 20:06, three seconds faster than his time in Ethete, senior AJ Clark 24th in 20:10, seven seconds faster than his time a week ago, and sophomore Durfee 25th in 20:12.
“In practice, AJ, Jacob and David are three guys who come in together, and I was a little surprised to see Stetson move up as far as he did,” Sanders said. “He’s been a very consistent runner this year. I don’t think he’s had a bad race.
“They moved up (during the race). AJ led us for the first couple of miles. He was happy with his race. It obviously wasn’t the time or placing he wanted, but he felt he gave it his all … The boys team all came in within 40 seconds of each other.
“It was a fast start, and maybe we got sucked into that a little bit. Several runners went out fast, not just our team.”
Not far behind the Lovell top five was sophomore Owen Hill, placing 29th in a time of 20:19. Junior Dino DeLaCruz finished 32nd for the Bulldogs in 20:25, 22 seconds faster than his time at the conference meet, and sophomore Jay Mayes finished 37th in 20:40 as the Lovell seventh runner, with 48 runners finishing behind him.
“I was happy with how Owen and Dino raced,” Sanders said. “They moved up. For first-year runners they raced like they were experienced. For Jay, his PR last year was in the low 21s and this year was 19:59. From last year to this year they all improved.
“It wasn’t a disappointing season. I thought they’d take a step back with all of the runners we lost, but the boys didn’t take a step back. We had 18 runners on the team this year (boys and girls), and nine of them were new (including freshmen).”
Sanders also said he was pleased with how the boys team supported the girls team when the 2A girls race took place later.
“They were all very supportive of the girls and ran around the course and cheered them on,” he said.
Girls results
The top finisher for the Lovell girls was senior Keyanna Walker once again. Walker placed 30th in the field of 52 in a time of 26:33. Fellow senior Sadie Wassmer finished 31st, crossing the finish line in 27 minutes, four seconds faster than her time at the conference meet in Ethete the week before. Sophomore Atlee Sanders finished 39th in 27:45, 17 seconds faster than her time in Ethete.
“Our girls team was very unified,” Sanders said. “They spent a lot of time together and got along well. It was fun to coach them. Unless they were injured, they all made progress.
“Keyanna was our top runner the whole season. This was only her second year in cross country, and I could tell the difference between her junior and senior year. Her pacing got better, and she started quicker.
“Sadie really stepped up. Comparing courses, this was maybe her best race. Both Sadie and Atlee started off slower and passed several girls. They ran a smart race.”
Senior Hallie Cornia battled through an injury to finish 40th in 28:01, and freshman Candace Walker was 46th in 28:56.
“Hallie was our inspirational athlete this year,” Sanders said. “It started at Wyoming Indian, and Cheyenne continued that. Nobody wants to end their senior year with an injury, but she handled it with grace. She raced on a stress fracture in her lower ankle. She wanted to have that experience, that memory.
“Candace had a side ache, but overall it was a good season for her, because she showed a lot of progress. We lose three seniors (to graduation). I’ll be sad to see them go on. Hallie has been in the program since middle school. Keyanna just joined the team last year. I wish we had her for more seasons.”
The Lady Bulldogs placed eighth at the state meet.
Overall, Sanders said, the state cross country meet was a great experience, and he also said he appreciated the former students in the area who turned out to support the team.