Burning Up the Liberty Bell Invitational

Boys US #3 Albuquerque Academy beat a fantastic field Friday night in the mountains of Colorado, at the Liberty Bell Invitational.  Competing against many of the top teams in the region, in the greatest invitational of the weekend, the Red Army took command of the race early and often, placing their top seven runners in the first twenty spots.  The highlight individual efforts came from Ben Johnson (Sr., Albuquerque Academy) and Kevin Williams (Sr., D'Evelyn), with both runners eclipsing the magical fifteen minute mark. 

 

Boys Highlights

With very high expectations Friday evening, the Red Army of Albuquerque Academy, NM forged victory.  With a strong second mile, and an even better finish, Albuquerque Academy trounced in-state rival Los Alamos 57-96, earning the team title.  Led by individual champion Ben Johnson, Albuquerque put their entire top seven in the top twenty spots, and earned their fourth team title in the past six seasons.  Los Alamos ran tough, placing three in the top ten, however, their fourth and fifth runners could not match up with the Academy's.

 

Individually, Ben Johnson and Charles White (Cherry Creek) showed they are both Foot Locker contenders, as the two seniors ran from the gun with fire in their eyes.  Johnson pulled away over the final mile to win in 14:52, but White's second place (15:09) effort is a wake-up call to the nation that White is someone to take seriously on the cross country course.

 

DI Team Standings - Boys

1. Albuquerque Academy, NM - 57

2. Los Alamos, NM - 96

3. Cherry Creek, CO - 142

 

DI Individual Standings - Boys

1. Ben Johnson (Sr., Albuquerque Academy, NM) - 14:52

2. Charles White (Sr., Cherry Creek, CO) - 15:09

3. Dey Tauch (Thorton, CO) - 15:34

4. Gareth Gilna (Los Alamos, NM) - 15:37

5. Walter Schafer (Cherry Creek, CO) - 15:41

 

Other Notable Boys Performances:

- Kevin Williams (Sr., D'Evelyn, CO) won the DIII boys race in 14:51, beating '06 Foot Locker finalist Joe Manalafasha (Jr., Denver North), who finished third in 15:18.

- Regionally ranked Wheat Ridge (CO) boys won the DII race by a 49-85 margin over Rampart.

 

 

Girls Highlights

 

While the boys race stole much of the headline light on Friday, the girls races were equally as exciting.  U.S. ranked Albuquerque Academy showed why they were the favorites heading in, beating runner-up Chaparral by 17 points.  Chaparral surprised the field, taking home second, looking as if they could eventually challenge regionally ranked Fort Collins, who won the DII race. 

 

Individually, Clara Milne (Albuquerque Academy) and Kate Norskog (St. Michael's) raced to the tape, pulling away from the rest of the field in the final mile, with Milne just edging out Norskog 18:41-18:42 in the closest race of the day.  About eighty meters back, a three-way battle took place, with Lauren Johnson edging out her competitors by a second.  The boys races marked some very impressive times, but the girls races provided the racing excitement.   

 

DI Team Standings - Girls

1. Albuquerque Academy, NM - 65

2. Chaparral, CO - 82

3. Cherry Creek, CO - 157 

 

DI Individual Standings - Girls

1. Clara Milne (Albuquerque Academy, NM) - 18:41

2. Kate Norskog (St. Michael's, CO) - 18:42

3. Lauren Johnson (Cherry Creek, CO) - 18:53

4. Jenny Allais (Rock Springs, WY) - 18:54

5. Claire Gallegher - 18:55

 

Other Notable Girls Performers:

- Regionally ranked Fort Collins, CO won the DII race, beating runner-up Greeley West 46-61.  Lisa Reyes led Fort Collins, winning the race over her heated competition.