MEEKER | The Meeker Cowboys cross country team traveled to Leadville on Saturday to compete in the Lake County Invitational, facing cooler temperatures and a morning drizzle before clear skies cleared the way for the high school races. The weather was a stark contrast to last weekend’s hot conditions in Grand Junction.
The girls race kicked off the meet, with senior Haylee Steele leading the Cowboys. Last week in Grand Junction, Steele ran the 2,500-meter race, finishing 15th with a time of 13:35.31. This past weekend, she ran the 5,000-meter course, earning 65th place with a time of 32:16.4.
“When going into this race, I knew that it was going to be harder, but that made me and the rest of the team work harder, I believe. Each week is just helping us for the next meets to come,” Steele said.
As a senior, Steele said her goals this season include both personal performance and overall team experience.
“My goals for this season are to have fun but also try to be able to go to state. No matter the work I have to put in, I want to make sure that it’s a great season for me, but also for others on the team,” she said.
Steele and the Cowboys will be back on the road this weekend for the Eagle Valley Invitational in Eagle, Colorado. She said this week’s training has focused on speed to prepare for the slightly faster golf course layout.
“The Eagle Valley race should be a little bit easier because it is on a golf course. To be able to prepare for Eagle Valley this weekend will be the speed side of things, hopefully helping to see the time from last week decrease drastically,” Steele said.
In the boys race, sophomore Ryan Hanberg led the Cowboys, finishing 23rd overall in 22:49. Sophomore Bradley Conrado and senior Cameron Hanberg ran closely together, placing 26th and 27th with times of 23:02 and 23:06. Freshman Landon Damitz scored for the team in 37th place at 23:59, while sophomore Ashton Tapia rounded out the scoring in 50th place at 26:10. Sophomore Asa Scofield finished in 35:42, and senior Remy Broussard crossed the line in 36:56.
The boys team finished seventh overall, showing strong effort on a challenging, high-altitude course.
Head coach Marty Casey said he was impressed with how the team handled the conditions.
“We got to experience a great new venue for us. The team managed the challenging course and altitude well. I think we can look forward to future competitions in Leadville,” Casey said.
This weekend, the Cowboys cross country team will once again be on the road as they head to Eagle, Colorado, to participate in the Eagle Valley Cross Country Invitational at the Siena Golf Club.
