Bergen leads ailing Niwot boys to a win at the St. Vrain Invitational

Niwot cross country coach Kelly Christensen wasn't surprised when nationally-ranked runner Zane Bergen crossed the finish line first at the St. Vrain Invitational on Sept. 18, but he was surprised to see so many Cougars on the senior's heels.

"We had some congestion and sniffles early in the week with two or three of them," Christensen said, quickly adding that everyone had tested negative for COVID. "So they didn't really get a chance to do much this week, other than a few horrible runs, so I thought it would go horrible for them."

Of course, Christensen was happy to be proven wrong, and even happier with how his runners performed on the challenging course at Lyons High against teams such as Mountain Vista, perennial 5A state title contender, and long-time 4A rival Battle Mountain. Led by Bergen, who crossed the finish line at 15 minutes 59.30 seconds, the Cougars placed six runners in the top-20, to finish with 48 points, just three points better than Mountain Vista. In fourth was senior Joey Hendershot (16:22.90), followed by Carlos Kipkorir Cheruiyot (16:46.00) in 10th, Frederick Ambrose (17:10.60) in 15th, Keegan Geldean (17:25.70) in 18th, and Isaac Robinson (17:30.70) in 19th.

(See more photos from the St. Vrain Invitational here)

Like his coach, Bergen was impressed by his teammates' performance against the competitive field, and said it bodes well for Niwot's chances both in the postseason and on the national stage.

"We chose this race because we have some really good teams here, in Mountain Vista, Longmont was here, Centaurus was here; some good, good teams. And it's a chance to show that even though we might have a younger team, we're still competitive for going to Nationals. I'm happy that we went out and showcased our hard work, even when two or three of our boys are struggling with some issues right now."

Niwot was also the winner in the girls' race, paced by sophomore Mia Prok, who was second overall with a time of 18:43.10. She was followed closely by junior Madison Shults in third (18:58.40), and senior Eva Klingbeil in fourth (19:00.40). Cougars Olivia Alessandrini, Bella Nelson, and Sarah Perkins also finished in the top 10, with Stella Vieth and Tessa Everett in the top 20. Niwot ended with 21 points in the team standings, 60 points better than second place Mountain Vista.

Christensen was not surprised by the girls' results.

"I wanted a hard effort today, because we're going to Desert Twilight next weekend," he said, referring to the Nike Cross National series regional race in Tempe, Ariz. on Sept. 24. "So we just wanted to take advantage of that. And it's just a deep team and they're all fighting for a spot. They're doing a good job working together, but they also know that every race and every workout is a rehearsal."