Summit High School's cross country teams continued their strong season by sweeping both the boys' and girls' races at the Warrior Cross Country Invitational held in Grand Junction on October 9. The event saw local competition from Grand Junction's Central High School.
For the boys' team, the win came against challenging opponents, including Palmer Ridge High School, Durango High School, and Central High School. Head coach Michael Hagen admitted to being "overconfident" before the race, expecting a more comfortable victory as his top runners were only competing for the second time this season. However, Hagen noted that all of the Palmer Ridge boys achieved personal bests, pushing Summit for the win.
Summit's boys secured an eight-point victory. Jay McDonald placed first overall, followed by Lukas Remeikis in third. Owen Fallon finished 11th, Johnny Ryan 13th, and Levi Ryan 16th. Hagen explained that while McDonald and Remeikis gave Summit a five-point lead early, Palmer Ridge gained ground in the third and fourth positions. The narrow win was ultimately secured because Summit's fifth runner, Levi Ryan, finished 12 points ahead of Palmer Ridge's fifth runner. Hagen also highlighted the significant improvement of Brooks Mulica, Cooper Levi, and Crosby Hume, with Cooper Levi showing a 48-second improvement over his time at Liberty Bell and 36 seconds faster than Desert Twilight.
The boys' immediate goal for the Grand Junction invitational was to finish strong and move up in the last mile. However, looking ahead to the remainder of the season, Hagen stated the team will focus on starting races faster to prepare for the state championships.
The Summit High girls' team also clinched first place, defeating 36 other teams, including four top-10 ranked 4A teams in the state. Instead of a single team goal, each girl was tasked with a personal objective, such as getting out faster, maintaining strength in the middle, or having a quicker finish. Hagen reported that the girls successfully worked on these tasks, positioning them strongly for a top finish at state.
Kayla Broecker led the girls by placing first overall. She was followed by Lily Benbow in ninth, Milla Phaf in 20th, Ashley Adkins in 26th, and Sophie Dinse in 27th. The Summit girls' performance marked a turnaround against Steamboat Springs High School, a team that had beaten them earlier in the season at the Eagle Valley Cross Country Invitational. Hagen emphasized that team depth is critical for victory, noting that Summit pulled ahead of Steamboat Springs by nine points at both the fourth and fifth runner positions.
Summit High is now preparing for upcoming regional championships on October 22 and state championships on October 31. Hagen anticipates strong rivalry at regionals, with Central Grand Junction expected to be a key competitor for the boys' team and Steamboat Springs for the girls' team. While winning regionals is a goal, the primary focus will be honing racing skills to ensure the team is best prepared for the state championships.
