RANGELY | After a whirlwind week of Homecoming festivities, the Rangely cross country team competed in the seventh annual Warrior Lincoln Park Classic “Mountain States Challenge,” held at the Lincoln Golf Course. The meet featured five races with 30 teams from Colorado and Utah, on what is known as one of the fastest courses in the region, and it didn’t disappoint.
Middle School Steps Up
Despite District 51 not fielding a middle school cross country program, Rangely’s middle school team represented the area well. In the boys’ race, Tex Bird crossed the line first for Rangely with a time of 15:43, closely followed by Alyxis Boran at 15:44. On the girls’ side, Kesleigh Kennedy clocked a time of 18:39, while first-time runners Danielle Thayn and Hailey Armstrong finished neck-and-neck at 19:22.
JV Boys Show Steady Improvement
Three Rangely JV boys ran solid races, continuing to improve with each competition. Kyler Fouts, a freshman, led the group with a time of 21:35, followed by Gage Nielsen at 24:24, and Matthew Morgan at 24:55. All three runners showed progress and determination as they continue to drop their times.
Varsity Girls Set New Personal Bests
The varsity girls’ race was highly competitive from the start, with sophomore Taya Wren leading the charge for Rangely. Wren had a personal goal of beating her older brother’s time of 19:29, and she shattered it, setting a new school record with a blazing time of 18:44, earning her a fifth place finish overall.
Freshman Faith Prieto ran a personal best of 24:55, followed by sophomore Courtney Casto at 25:55, and freshman Addison Thayn at 27:31. “The girls are getting faster and stronger every week,” commented their coach, reflecting on the steady improvement the team is showing.
Varsity Boys Push the Pace
The varsity boys also put in strong performances, with James Talbot making a solid return to racing, finishing with a time of 17:00. Joseph Valdez continues to improve weekly, coming in at 18:48, followed by sophomore Kellen LeFevre at 19:12.
Rangely’s next three runners finished close together: Tavan Morgan posted a time of 20:58.53, with Dylan Moran just behind at 20:58.73, and Titus Friedrich at 29:55. “The boys, like the girls, are getting faster and stronger each week,” added the coach. “It’s great to see the improvements.”
Up Next
The Rangely runners will compete next at the Loudy Simpson Park in Craig on Saturday, September 28th. The team is eager to continue building on their progress as the season unfolds.
