After a few weeks off from competition, the Manitou Springs cross-country teams hit the road to compete at the Emma Coburn Elk Run in Crested Butte.
It was just the second competition for the Mustangs, which is happening by design, and the results provided an indicator that the training plan is working.
Cody Kelley put together a solid run, finishing fourth overall with a time of 16 minutes, 32.4 seconds. His time was less than 30 seconds behind the meet champion, Heritage’s Gavin Batron.
Teammate Cody Wyman also went sub-18 and Bennett Gauvin was just over the 18-minute mark at 18:00.9.
“It was great,” Kelley said. “It was set up by (renowned middle-distance runner) Emma Coburn and there’s a big following there. There were a lot of fast people there and the weather was perfect.”
The Mustangs finished fourth overall out of 14 teams, with Grand Junction Central, Heritage and Montrose placing ahead of them.
“It’s still a young crew with not a lot of experience under them,” coach Andy Sherwood said. “They’re still learning and they take that to heart and I was proud of them for that.”
This is a team that Sherwood expects to advance to the state cross-country meet next month and go in with high expectations. The Crested Butte results only fuel those expectations, despite the limited competition the Mustangs have seen this season.
“We were only beat by (Class) 4A and 5A schools,” Sherwood said. “We still haven’t lost to a 3A school, and I’d like to keep that going into the regional.”
Crested Butte was also the first time a full Mustang girls team competed at a meet. Just three runners ran at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede, so getting a full squad definitely added to the dynamic of a young roster for Manitou.
“It was definitely more connected than having just three of us,” Gaia Drotar said. “When you have a full team, you feel a more bonded connection than just a separation from the full team. It was fun and enjoyable.”
Sherwood also noted that several of the girls recorded personal records in the race, which is the kind of momentum he wants to see as they get into the later races of the season.
The girls team finished 12th out of 13 teams.