Lovell harriers meet the challenge of Lander course for 3A West Conference

The Lovell High School cross country squad ran well at the Class 3A West Conference cross country meet Thursday at Lander Valley High School, and despite a relatively difficult course, the LHS team produced some strong results.

With cold weather expected Friday, the conditions on Thursday were “just fine,” head coach Caleb Sanders said, with cool temperatures in the upper 50s. And though challenging, Sanders said most of his team liked the course in the hills beyond LVHS.

“It’s a true cross country course,” Sanders said. “Most of our kids liked it. The first mile is on a corrugated field with old rows, then it goes up a pretty good hill. You have to watch your footing, then it goes back down, and the last mile is on a dirt road. It’s a fairly smooth downhill.

“It’s not as bad as the (former) golf course as far as hill size, but it’s definitely a true cross country course.”

The top finisher in the strong field was junior Elana Schilthuis, who finished 19th in a time of 22:51, 50 seconds off of her personal record on a much more difficult course. Freshman Caylee Herman finished 32nd in 23:43. 

“That’s a really good time on that course,” Sanders said. “She did what she always does, starts very conservatively. She probably passed 15 runners after the first mile. She definitely had a fast closing mile. Same with Caylee. She ran really well. Caylee isn’t as good with hills, but despite having to face that weakness, she ran a good race.”

Sophomore Candace Walker finished 46th in 28:19, Juliette Caldwell 48th in 28:48, a personal record, senior Danika Crumrine 49th in 29:08 and junior Atlee Sanders 53rd in 30:30.

“Candace ran a really good race. The girls loved that course,” Sanders said. “Danika struggled with some injuries, but Jett (Caldwell) ran a PR. Her hip was bothering her less. Atlee ran well.”

Boys results

The top finisher for the Lovell boys was junior David Durfee, who finished 24th out of 78 runners in a time of 19:24.

“David was our top finisher like he has been all season,” Sanders said. “He struggled some with the hills. It was a big tougher race for David, but he’s still our number one runner going into State. I hope he can set the pace for our team.”

Senior Stetson Asay finished 34th in 19:58, junior Jacob Thomas close behind in 35th in a time of 20:09.

“Stetson was probably the most impressive runner for us on the boys side,” Sanders said. “He raced really hard. He’s got a lot of determination. Jacob was a little disappointed. I think he thought he would run better.”

Senior Dino DeLaCruz finished 46th in 20:56, and the trio of sophomore Sam Mayes, sophomore Hudsen Mickelson and junior Damian Wagner finished 55th, 56th and 57th, respectively. Mayes ran a time of 21:32, Mickelson 21:38 and Wagner 21:46.

“Dino dropped off from Powell, but he’s running better than he was three weeks ago,” Sanders said. “The next three will be in our top seven (at State).

“Sam is running with more grit than he has all season. He’s running with purpose. There’s a lot more grit in him. That was probably his best race of the season. Hudsen also ran a really good race.”

As for the other six Lovell runners, junior Jay Mayes ran 22:14, junior Hugh Carpenter 23:40.00, senior Thane Zollman 23:40.24, freshman Rick Jensen 24:00, junior Jaxen Clark 24:13 and freshman Gage Pillow 28:43.

“The boys we’re not taking to State have been competing, and they make our team better,” Sanders said.

State meet

The Bulldogs will travel to Cheyenne this week for the Wyoming State Cross Country Meet, to be held at the Little America Golf Course. The 3A girls run at 11:30 a.m., the 3A boys at 1 p.m.

“It’s field and grass around a golf course,” Sanders said, noting that the primary challenge for Big Horn Basin competitors is the altitude, with Cheyenne sitting at an elevation of more than 6,000 feet.