Rocky Mountain runners finish strong at state meet

The Rocky Mountain High School cross country team wrapped up its 2025 season Saturday at the WHSAA State Championships in Cheyenne. Both the boys and girls  teams faced mild temperatures and sunny skies, making for excellent racing conditions despite the challenging course.

“The weather was great,” head coach Tim Jones said. “But the course was a bit choppy, uneven grass with small pits in the driving range section, which the kids ran a couple of times. I don’t love the course, but it’s always fair because every runner faces the same thing.”

Girls results

In the 2A girls division, junior Avery Thomas led the Lady Grizzlies with a time of 26:21, placing 38th overall. Senior Evynn Alvarez followed close behind in 27:05 for 42nd place, and senior Ellie Alvarez finished in 29:07 for 50th.

Thomas battled through an Achilles injury that flared up early in the race.

“She trained the best she could, given her injury,” Jones said. “At Conference it didn’t start hurting until later, but at State it was bad within the first half mile. There’s not a lot of flat running on that course, so it wasn’t ideal for that type of injury.”

Jones praised the Alvarez sisters for their leadership and dedication over the past four years, noting, “Evynn and Ellie have been such a great part of our team. We’ll miss their work ethic and their fun personalities. Just being with them has been such a blessing.”

Boys results

Freshman Rowan Hanusa once again led the boys team, finishing 30th overall with a time of 20:29. Sophomore Zach Unruh ran 21:50 for 40th, while Ethan Haslem, also a sophomore, placed 53rd in 23:38.

“Rowan had a good run at State and worked very hard during the season,” Jones said. Suggesting that Hanusa has a lot more growth to come, he added, “Most improvement comes in the off-season; you have to be willing to push yourself regularly to become great. Every athlete can choose that if they want it.”

Unruh matched his placing from last year’s state meet, finishing 40th once again, this time against a deeper field and in tougher conditions.

Jones also noted that Haslem showed impressive toughness and potential.

“Ethan ran through an ankle sprain a few weeks ago, and he always gives full effort,” Jones said. “He’s got a lot of room for growth in this sport.”

With just three boys and three girls, the Rocky Mountain teams were not eligible for a team score, which requires at least four runners.