Cross Country: Niwot teams test their mettle in AZ regional meet

The Niwot cross country teams turned some heads at the Desert Twilight XC Festival in Casa Grande, AZ last weekend with surprise third-place finishes for both the boys and the girls.

More than 100 teams from Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas competed in the meet, which is held on a lighted course after sundown. Niwot’s runners ran in the Sweepstakes race, which featured more than 200 runners from the region’s top cross country programs.

Led by freshman Taylor James, who finished 10th overall with a time of 18 minutes 7 seconds, the Niwot girls scored 177 team points, just seven behind second-place Class 4A foe Durango. Junior Maggie Smith (18:43) took 34th place overall, followed by sophomore Joelle McDonald (18:58) in 47th, freshman Annabelle Huddle (19:07) in 61st, and senior Jeri Wilcox (19:12) right behind her in 65th. Sophomore Elise Gillett (20:36) and junior Mallory Finley (20:47) were 135th and 143rd respectively.

In the boys’ race, Niwot’s top five finished within 29 seconds of one another, propelling the team to 144 points, well ahead of fourth-place Silver Creek (170). Sophomore Cruz Culpepper took 17th place overall with a season-best time of 15:23, followed senior Ethan Steiner (15:38) in 32nd overall, Oskar Wells (15:40) in 34th, junior Ares Reading (15:49) in 40th and Benjamin Bi (15:52) in 46th. Junior Jack Volf (16:11) was 71st, while senior Kenny Lang (18:01), in just this second race this season, was 217th.

On Sept. 23, Niwot competed in the Pat Patten Invitational at Viele Lake in Boulder on Sep. 23. At the small but exclusive meet, which included Class 5A contenders Mountain Vista, Dakota Ridge, and Monarch, the Niwot boys nabbed a fifth-place finish, and the girls took fourth.

9/29 — Desert Twilight XC Festival, Casa Grande, Ariz.

Niwot Individuals (boys) — 17. Cruz Culpepper (S0.), 15:23; 32. Ethan Steiner (Sr.), 15:38; 34. Oskar Wells (Sr.), 15:40; 40. Ares Reading (Jr.), 15:49; 46. Benjamin Bi (Sr.), 15:52; 71. Jack Volf (Jr.), 16:11; 217. Kenny Lang (Sr.), 18:01

Niwot Individuals (girls) — 10. Taylor James (Fr.), 18:07; 34. Maggie Smith (Jr.), 18:43; 47. Joelle McDonald (So.), 18:58; 61. Annabelle Huddle (Fr.), 19:07; 65. Jeri Wilcox (Sr.), 19:12; 135. Elise Gillett (Fr.) 20:36; 143. Mallory Finley (Jr.), 20:47

9/23 — Pat Patten Invitational, Boulder

Boys Team Scores — Mountain Vista 55, Dakota Ridge 97, Monarch 98, Centaurus 100, Niwot 102, Boulder 170, Rock Canyon 177, Fairview 223, Broomfield 260, Lyons 276, Standley Lake 294, Smoky Hill 320, Battle Mountain 353, Erie 403, Denver East 515, Frederick 522.

Niwot Individuals (boys) — 11. Oskar Wells (Sr.), 16:26; 15. Cruz Culpepper (S0.), 16:33; 20. Ares Reading (Jr.), 16:45; 24. Ethan Steiner (Sr.), 16:48; 32. Benjamin Bi (Sr.), 17:03; 51. Jack Volf (Jr.), 17:31; 65. Kamran Elahi (Jr.), 17:52; 67. Kenny Lang (Sr.), 17:57

Girls Team Scores — Mountain Vista 34, Battle Mountain 65, Broomfield 65, Niwot 136, Fairview 155, Monarch 158, Centaurus 205, Boulder 220, Rock Canyon 244, Dakota Ridge 268, Standley Lake 307, Erie 320, Lyons 368, Shining Mountain 397, Smoky Hill 428, Denver East 479.

Niwot Individuals (girls) — 7. Taylor James (Fr.), 19:04; 24. Joelle McDonald (So.), 19:48; 29. Annabelle Huddle (Fr.), 20:02; 32. Maggie Smith (Jr.), 20:09; 44. Jeri Wilcox (Sr.), 20:33; 79. Elise Gillett (Fr.) 21:49; 91. Mallory Finley (Jr.), 22:18 97. Samrawit Dishon (So.) 22:29; 102. Sophia Grant (Sr.), 22:48.