Competing against many of the state’s finest distance runners at the Joe Vigil Open in Alamosa on Sept. 8, members of Mancos High School’s boys and girls cross-country teams gained valuable experience.
Ranking as the top finisher for the girls team was sophomore Grace Manning, whose time of 22:15.70 was among the best for a Class 2A runner and placed her 35th overall.
Sophomore Kaysi Thomas placed 136th (26:36.50), sophomore Zoey Steele placed 137th (26:42.30), and junior Hakayla Snow placed 141st (26:52.10).
Sophomore Kylie Guiles and freshman Aspen Bumgartner rounded out the finishers as the two underclassmen placed 144th (27:00.50) and 165th place, respectively (28:12.10).
The Lady Jays finished 17th overall as a team, and The Classical Academy finished first overall in the meet after placing three of its runners in the Top 10.
On the boys’ side, Mancos was led by junior John Lund, who placed 78th out of the 259 runners. Freshman Edgar Hernandez crossed the line in 106th place (19:57.70), and sophomore Stephen Knezek placed 132nd overall (20:38.60).
Senior James Ayers placed 167th overall (21:35.10), and freshman teammates Connor Sehnert and William Small finished 192nd (22:07.60) and 258th, respectively (33:21.70).
The Mancos boys team finished 19th overall, and Dakota Ridge High School placed first as a team on the boys’ side. Three Dakota Ridge runners placed in the Top 5 overall.
Next up for both Mancos cross-country teams will be the Bayfield XC Invitational in Bayfield on Sept. 15.