Looking to kick off their season on a positive note, the Montezuma-Cortez High School cross-country team traveled to Delta to compete in the Delta Cross Country Invitational on Aug. 30.
Held at Confluence Park, the meet played host to 19 high schools and 195 varsity runners. Although the competition was tough, several Panthers turned in strong performances.
Leading the way for the girls’ team was junior Nicole Demby, who finished fourth out of 85 varsity competitors with a personal best time of 20:32.50.
“(Getting the season off to a strong start) was really important,” said Demby. “I really want to break 20 (minutes) this year. Being so close this early in the season gives me a lot of confidence.”
Also running well for the Panthers was senior Abby Lock, who finished the 5K course in a time of 23:44.50. Lock’s time was good enough to place her 39th overall.
Other varsity competitors running on the girls’ side included junior Elana Cope, who finished 45th (24:28.70), freshman Samantha Bagge, who finished 68th (26:43.90), and sophomore Julia Damore, who finished 83rd (30:34.90).
For the boys’ team, junior Chandler Dee placed 23rd (18:54.20), senior Jonathan Bloedel finished 53rd (20:47.40), junior Taylor Wilson finished 64th (21:18.90) and senior Bracken Whiteskunk finished 69th (21:36.50). A total of 110 boys ran in the competition.
After a brief layoff, the Panthers will run on Sept. 6 in Monticello.
Speaking about what the Panthers need to do to build on their strong start, Demby stated, “We just need to keep putting miles in, keep working hard and stay confident.”