Competing at the Aztec Icebreaker Invitational on March 22, the Mancos High School track teams finished near the bottom of the standings.
Lessening the pain of the disappointing team finishes, however, was the fact that several Bluejays athletes produced decent individual results.
Boys finish 11th
Unable to accumulate points against several large schools attending the Icebreaker, the Mancos boys' team finished last in the 11-team field.
Several Bluejays recorded solid individual finishes however, including sophomore Ro Paschal, who paced the Blujays with a fourth place finish in the 800-meter run (2:07.71).
Also performing well for the Bluejays was senior Justin Burton, who finished seventh in the 1600 (5:00.58).
"Overall, the distance kids seem to be cracking down on times and making some really good improvements," said Bluejays' head coach Adam Priestley.
Other top finishers for the Bluejays included Anthony Reiners, who finished eighth in the 300 hurdles (45.60), Asa Kearns, who finished eighth in the 3200 (11:40.55) and Adrian Hernandez, who crossed the line ninth in the 300 hurdles (45.67).
Assessing his team's early season performance, Mancos Priestley discussed his boys' team's future.
"The boys could be very strong at league if they keep improving," said Priestley.
Girls finish 12th
Enjoying a result similar to that of their male counterparts, the Mancos girls' team finished twelfth in the 13-team field. Farmington High School finished first overall.
Leading the way for the Bluejays' girls' team, freshman Emma Most ran the best race of her high school career, finishing sixth in the 1600 (6:30.76).
Fellow freshman Hannah Skinner was nearly as impressive, crossing the line ninth in the 1600 (6:37.06).
"(Most) and (Skinner) have come in and worked hard," said Priestley of his team's young runners. "With what they are doing right now, their future looks very bright."
Other top finishers for the girls' team included Kristin Adams, who finished 14th in the 400 (1:11.90) and Brandi Bundi, who finished 29th in the 200 (32.13).
Hoping to continue to build on their early season improvements, the Bluejays will next compete at the Montezuma-Tri Scrimmage on March 26.
