The season ended for the very young Rye cross country team at the Colorado 2A Region 3 Cross Country 2022 Tournament, held in Rocky Ford last Friday, October 21.
“We weren’t able to get anyone qualified for state this year unfortunately,” shared Head Coach T.J. Blackhurst.
“The kids had outstanding seasons and showed a ton of improvement throughout the season, but still came up just a little bit short.”
The top 15 individual placers along with the top five teams qualify for the state tournament.
Blackhurst shared the results. “The boys placed 6th and the girls placed 7th, respectively, missing the opportunity to compete at the state meet this Saturday.” David Maroney, one of five freshmen on the squad, placed 28th in the boys’ race. Maroney ran the course in a time of 18:57.60. Garrett George, the only senior on the squad and an athlete referred to by his coach as a “team leader”, placed 42nd with a time of 20:41.50.
Blackhurst shared, “His positive attitude and consistent complaint-free effort are going to be missed. He is just an outstanding young man that is going to do some great things.”
George also competes in track and field, running the 300-meter hurdles.
Colton Hendrickson, a sophomore, was one of four Thunderbolts who had their best time of the season at the regional event. Hendrickson ran the race in a time of 20:45.70, which was good for 43rd place. Jayden Englert had his season-best race and finished 47th, in a time of 21:08.40.
Timothy Blackhurst ran a time of 21:46.60, good for 54th of the 72 runners who competed in the event.
Carter Ford finished 64th in a time of 25:56.70, and Thomas Blackhurst was 71st in a time of 29.58.50.
Lyndon Gotelaere, of St.
Mary’s, claimed the individual crown in a time of 16:16.60 and St. Mary’s won the team championship.
“I’m very proud of the boy’s team and the effort and improvement that they showed throughout the season,” summarized Blackhurst. “If this group stays together and keeps working, they have a very good chance to be one of the best cross-country classes ever. In addition, they are just an outstanding group of young men. They work hard, are truly kind to one another, just an outstanding group. “
Rye’s girls were led by the 31st place finish of sophomore Mylee Garner, with a time of 25:55.40. Morgan Gallegos ran her best time of the year and finished 39th with a time of 28:17.60.
Clara Chandler also ran her best time of the season, 28:23.80, which put her in 40th place.
Gwendolyn Larson finished 54th with a time of 32:04.90, and Stephanie Bak ran the course in a time of 42:43.60, good for 57th.
Tayte Hostetter of Centauri won the gold medal in a time of 20:44.60. Centauri also claimed the team title.
“This was an outstanding group of young women, that worked hard every day,” shared Coach Blackhurst.
“They had a lot of injuries and other issues they had to overcome this season, and I am proud of the way these girls just take care of business day and in day out. They are an amazing group of kids, great teammates and I am looking forward to having them all back next year.”
Blackhurst paused and shared great hopes for the Rye Cross Country future, “I can't emphasize enough how young this team is, and the great amount of potential for the future. We have some more talent coming in from Craver Middle School next year, and are excited to make another strong run at it next fall.”