Bethany Michalak ran away with the girl's race by setting a hot early pace.
From the start of the Blue Division race, Bethany Michalak was on the attack. The seventh-grader racing for Kokopelli set a hot pace that saw no challengers early. Her sights were constantly set on the open space in front of her, while the race was really for second.
Michalak cruised over the course in dominating fashion, taking a 12:49 victory. Behind her, Jaycee Williams gave chase, but ran out of real estate. The seventh grader from Billy Reed Middle School had to settled for second, running 12:53.
In the team competition Billy Reed was tough to beat with their stellar top three runners. Brooklyn Ewert and Elena Torres finished fourth and fifth, to give their squad three in the top five.
Despite a fairly sizable gap after their top three, Billy Reed held on for the team victory, tallying 83 points. Summit Ridge took the runner-up spot with 142 points, while Preston finished third with 170 points.
For the Red Division it was all Suvina Heidt. The St. Mary's Academy seventh-grader was long gone for a dominating 13:13 victory, which was over half a minute ahead of her nearest competitor.
And her nearest competitor is definitely someone to keep an eye on in coming years, because it was Ortega sixth-grader Elizabeth McQuitty, who ran 13:44 for the runner-up spot.
In the team race Ortega benefited from McQuitty's runner-up finish. They tallied 77 points to dominate the team competition. Slavens and St. Mary's where the next two, with Slavens taking second place with 133 points, just ahead of St. Mary's 144.
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