MEEKER | The Meeker Middle School cross country team had another race last weekend in the beautiful town of Meeker, Colorado. After facing challenges at the Sleeping Giant Invitational in Steamboat Springs last Wednesday, the Cowboys bounced back at their home meet on the trails of Sanderson Park.
Head Coach Sean Damitz praised his team’s resilience. He highlighted a key strategy that helped them prepare for the race.
“Coach Kris Casey got the team to the Rec Center for a pool workout in between meets last week. I think that gave everyone a nice boost going into Saturday’s race,” Damitz said.
On the girls’ side, Arionah Gutierrez finished in fifth place with a time of 14:34. The home course also contributed to fast finishes, with Annie Fuller placing 13th at 16:31. On the boys’ side, Landon Damitz came in eighth with a time of 13:22. Both Damitz and Gutierrez again cracked the top finishes in their respective races.
Additional strong performances were seen on the boys’ team. Jackson Steele finished 17th with a time of 14:32, followed by teammates Colten Ruder in 21st at 15:13, Talen Walker in 27th at 16:31, and John Anthony Castillo in 31st at 19:30 on the 1.5-mile course. Coach Damitz expressed pride in his team’s progress.
“I’m really proud of how our team has been steadily progressing this year and gaining more confidence,” Damitz said.
This weekend, the Cowboys will travel to Craig on Saturday. Coach Damitz discussed the team’s preparations for the upcoming race.
“We will be sharpening our top-end speed going into these last two races,” he said.
The Cowboys Barone Middle School Cross Country team will wrap up their season with another home meet on Oct. 5.
By JARED HENDERSON
