In a league of their own

It's tough to speak of Elise Cranny this fall without speaking of course records. Pending any review of offical state meet times as currently posted, Cranny beat Heather Bates’ 2012 record of 18:16.5 by nine seconds, gapping fellow national elite, Katie Rainsberger by 40 seconds. Cranny, usually the paragon of equanimity, cracked a huge smile as she finished the race. “It is my last high school meet, so I really just wanted to enjoy the last 100 meters.”

 

Big gaps for the lady leaders was a theme in every race as each female victor won by an average of 49 seconds, with Lauren Gregory’s 22-second win represented the low end of the spectrum and Eva Lou Edwards’ colossal 86-second margin of victory represented the high end.

 

Freshman Lauren Gregory spoke of her performance like a grizzled veteran. “I was listening to [Jordyn Colter] breathing and stuff to try and figure out what she was feeling.   I just kept on going and my suspicions told me I needed to find another gear, so that’s what I did.” The rising star would like to run in the low 17s as Fort Collins heads to Arizona for Nike Regionals.

 

For Eva-Lou Edwards, winning big at Norris Penrose is becoming a habit. Edwards won State last year with a 63 second lead and also dominated the past two Cheyenne Mountain Stampedes by similar margins. 

 

Despite widening her margin of victory with every meet at this location the Bayfield senior is feeling a little tired of the grind. “I’m going to take a break from running. This winter I’m going to play basketball, because right now I’m feeling very burned out.” Hopefully Edwards will find basketball the tonic she needs to be refreshed before the spring. Track would be a better place with her contributions. 

 

The dominant Miriam Roberts pens a quote on her wrist before every race. Today she used the same quote as her first race: Hebrews 12:1. Roberts attributed her performance to both family and faith. “I want to give all the honor and glory to God for this race, because in wasn’t just me. It was definitely my teammates and my coaches pushing me to be the best that I can be.”

 

As for teams operating at an elite level, Monarch proved that 5A girls race was not nearly as close as projected by placing three girls in the top eight. All seniors, Ashley Litoff, Claire Green, and Kaitlyn Benner make for a bruising front three for the Coyotes. 

 

Litoff said that the projections of a Fort Collins, Cherry Creek, Monarch down-to-the-wire showdown only motivated the girls. “I think it just made us work harder to prove that we were good enough.” Monarch ended placing 4-6-7-11-21. The final two scoring positions  for Coyotes are both freshmen.

 

Despite a bumpy race, Mountain Vista validated the hype by repeating as state champions out of 5A. Vista exceeds at so many things it is easy to overlook the community that supports the team. Yet the Vista Nation could not be overlooked at state. 

 

Coach Jonathan Dalby commented on the role the community has played this year. “I know a lot of people will say that they have the best parents in the state, but I think that our parents have felt that the success of the team really relies on them as well. They support us nonstop, year round. We’re pretty fortunate to be in that kind of community.” 

 

Senior leader Connor Weaver also believes that the Vista fans are in a league of their own. Weaver trotted through the chute directly after the race to give out hugs to his family among the throng of Vista neon. “It’s what makes people want to join our cross country team. It's how enthusiastic every one is about cross country in Highlands Ranch.”