When visiting a mountain city at over 7,500 toes of elevation on the tail finish of the summer season, there may be normally a secure expectation that temperatures will probably be delicate with the potential for an early fall brisk breeze within the air. 

Nonetheless, Summit Excessive Faculty’s cross-country staff members weren’t essentially anticipating cool situations once they stepped off the bus in Minturn’s Maloit Park for the 2023 Battle Mountain Husky Invitational on the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 1, however they had been shocked by the almost 90-degree temperatures radiating all through the hilly park.

Heat situations apart, Summit Excessive’s returning runners took to the beginning line keen to enhance upon their finishes eventually 12 months’s meet. 

Final 12 months, the Summit ladies cross-country staff positioned third general with Ella Hagen ending first in a course-record time of 18 minutes 54 seconds, whereas the Summit boys cross-country staff positioned fifth with 2023 graduate Dom Remeikis inserting third general among the many boys runners. 

With the new afternoon solar beaming down, Hagen wasted no time assuming her place on the entrance, placing a spot on the sector within the opening 400 meters of the race.

Whereas receiving ice-cold water all through the race to stop overheating, Hagen continued to energy throughout the course and added distance between her opponents because the end line loomed forward. 

Hagen crossed the end line in 19:39, inserting first general on the race for the third 12 months in a row. 

“It was undoubtedly a extremely difficult race and it examined a variety of what we have now been coaching for,” Hagen mentioned. “With the ability to get on the market and work actually arduous by way of the situations and the varied features of the course that make it difficult. I used to be actually proud of the race normally.”

Much like final 12 months, Hagen was adopted about 90 seconds later by Battle Mountain Excessive Faculty’s Lindsey Whitton. Now a senior, Whitton accomplished her residence meet course in 21:08, with each Hagen and Whitton’s greatest instances on the course slowing by about 40 seconds due to the new situations.

Keep up-to-date on all issues Summit County. Get the highest tales in your inbox each morning. Enroll right here: SummitDaily.com/publication

Hagen wasn’t the one lady to energy by way of the new climate, junior Avery Eytel and freshman Lily Benbow labored collectively over the hilly 5-kilometer race and each notched top-10 finishes 10 for the Tigers.

Shaving 65 seconds from her time from final 12 months and leaping 15 locations, Eytel crossed the end line in sixth place (22:39). Benbow shortly adopted Eytel to position seventh — the best among the many freshmen — in 23:01.

Senior Adaline Avery and junior Cecelia Miner rounded out the scoring for the Tigers with Avery inserting seventeenth (24:12) and Miner ending twenty ninth (25:00).

With 5 ladies within the high 30, Summit jumped one place from final 12 months to position second general on the meet with a complete of 56 factors. Battle Mountain had six ladies within the high 25 and received the meet with a complete of 51 factors.

Regardless of not racing three of the staff’s high seven runners from the week earlier than, the Summit Excessive boys cross-country staff nonetheless managed to race effectively amid the warmth.

With one highschool cross-country race underneath his belt from final week, freshman Jay McDonald confidently put himself in the primary pack of the primary 5K highschool cross-country race of his burgeoning profession. 

McDonald and junior Josh Shriver ran shut to 1 one other within the first few miles of the race earlier than McDonald opened up his stride over the past mile of the race. McDonald positioned third general in a time of 17:58 to be the primary freshman throughout the road. 

McDonald was adopted by Shriver in sixth (18:39) and sophomore Carter Niemkiewicz in twelfth (19:39).

Shedding 29 spots from final 12 months, sophomore Cain Steinweg positioned fifteenth (19:42) and freshman Owen Fallon rounded out the scoring for Summit with a Thirty sixth-place end (21:31).

Sophomore Gavin Benedict completed in fortieth (21:42) and junior Jens Phaf positioned 56th (23:09). 

The Summit boys cross-country staff improved three spots from final 12 months’s meet to position second general with 72 factors. Eagle Valley Excessive Faculty positioned first with a rating of 26. 

“It’s actually superb,” Hagen mentioned. “All people on the staff, girls and boys, works so arduous and it actually evokes everybody to present it their all on the market for one another and the staff. They’re superb individuals and superb athletes so it’s actually enjoyable to see us have success as a gaggle now after these final two, three years.”

The Summit Excessive cross-country staff will probably be again in motion on Saturday, Sept. 9, when it competes on the flat and quick Liberty Bell Cross-Nation Invitational in Littleton. 

Final 12 months, many members of the Summit Excessive cross-country staff, together with many groups throughout the state, set their lifetime private bests throughout 5 kilometers and can look to enhance upon these instances on Saturday.  

“I’m very excited to place myself on the market in an enormous, large-scale meet and see what I can do after a 12 months of coaching,” Hagen mentioned. “I’m additionally tremendous excited to see what the staff can do at a meet of this scale and see how all people improves and the place all of their work has paid off.”