Lovell harriers honored for successful season

The Lovell High School cross country team held their awards night Tuesday evening in the MPR.

Head coach Caleb Sanders expressed gratitude for assistant coach Bret George, AD Chris Edwards, booster club leader Megan Wilson and his wife, Lexi, for their constant support throughout the season and help making sure they had everything they needed for a successful and fun season for the team. 

Sanders highlighted that every runner on the team showed great personal improvement from the beginning of the season to the end. These results were: Grant Rose 55 seconds, Atlee Sanders 1:37, Elana Schilthuis 3:15, Caylee Herman 1:19, Toree Herman 3:38, Rick Jensen 40 seconds, Jaxen Clark 36 seconds, Jay Mayes 53 seconds, Ethan Hendershot 1:10, Oscar Garcia 1:04, Isaac Sanders 45 seconds, Sam Mayes 53 seconds, Jacob Thomas 1:15, Gage Pillow 5:15, Owen Hill 14 seconds, Candace Walker 1:59, Taevan Henton 3:55 and David Durfee 24 seconds. Sanders pointed out that last year Durfee ran under 18 minutes only once, and this year he consistently ran in the 17-minute range.

All of the freshmen mentioned lettered this year, and every other runner came back for a returning varsity letter.

He then took time to honor each of the seniors, reflecting on their impact, growth and years in the program.

Clark was known for his subtle humor. Sanders said when Jaxen spoke, you needed to pay attention because his comments were quiet but perfectly timed. He brought personality to the team.

Atlee Sanders has been running since sixth grade. One of Coach Sanders’ favorite memories was at a cold, rainy middle school meet where she wore huge earmuffs and tossed them to him as she ran. Atlee brought heart and consistency to the Lovell program.

Thomas was known for his curiosity. No one asked more questions than Jacob, always wanting to understand and improve, the coach said. He has been with the team since at least sixth grade, and Sanders said they will miss the energy he brought.

Jay Mayes has also been in the program since sixth grade. He ran a sub-25 race, which Sanders emphasized is very meaningful and a huge accomplishment. Jay loved being part of the team, and his loyalty made a difference.

Durfee has been with the team for seven years and became known for his blistering fast starts, even back in middle school. Sanders said that willingness to push early helped shape Durfee into one of the fastest runners Lovell has had in its history.

Owen Hill returned to cross country this year after playing soccer. Sanders said he will always remember Owen’s unique and recognizable cadence on the course, which is something he will never forget.

Schilthuis joined the program only last year but made a large impact in just two seasons. Sanders said he will always remember her at Devil’s Canyon climbing rocks, a moment that showed her adventurous spirit. Schilthuis came into the sport late but made her mark fast through her performance.

To end the evening Coach Sanders presented three individual team awards chosen by him and assistant coach George.

Jensen was presented the Most Improved Running award. Coach Sanders said Jensen’s growth became visible race by race.

“Once you are getting down into the low 20-minute area, every second is hard to cut, but in those last four races of the season Rick kept dropping time every week,” Sanders said. “He really came on strong in the end. The improvement from the start of the season to the end was big.”

Schilthuis earned the Fastest Female Runner award for the second straight year. She ran 21 minutes even this season, which is the fourth fastest girls 5K time in Lovell High School history. Schilthuis left everything out on the course every single race, Sanders said. She is very smart and very driven to get where she wants. Her last mile was always her best mile, and she’d finish by giving her all at the end of every meet.

Durfee was awarded Fastest Male Runner award for the third straight year. His time this season stands as the fifth fastest boys 5K in school history, just missing the fourth fastest. Durfee was consistently the fastest runner in practice and meets. He gave his all in every workout, and even on easy days he was still fast. One thing that helped him early on was he used to run almost three miles home after practice. He put in that extra work for years, and it paid off, Sanders said.

Sanders is excited to see what the athletes can do as they move into outdoor track this spring. He emphasized that the best thing they can do now is to put in the miles. Sanders believes that consistent running will help them reach their full potential in their running career.