After weeks of hard work and dedication at practices, the cross country team was prepared to dominate their first meet on August 24 at Las Colonias. Each athlete showcased their persistence and growth, making steep competition for the rest of D51.
The XC Bulldogs adapt to running in any condition, rain or shine. A difficulty some runners faced was the squishy and wet grass from the previous night’s storm. Rain splashed from the blades of grass as each team warmed up. Combined with grass, concrete, and dirt trails, the 3.1 mile course allowed the runners to put their training to the test.
Many Bulldog runners performed well. Junior Hank DeFord placed second in the varsity boys with a time of 17 minutes, matching his PR from last year. DeFord exclaims, “The competition was really good. I was able to beat some people from last year that I wasn’t able to beat. Overall, it was a good season opener for our team.” Sophomore Brody Robinson placed 9th in JV, which contributed to Palisade boys placing 3rd overall.
Junior Aspen Johnson placed 14th in varsity. “I did pretty good, better than the first meet in previous years,” says Johnson. Besides trekking the muddy grass, Johnson admits, “At the front, it’s so spread out and it’s challenging to close the gap.”
The XC team is traveling to Minturn on August 31st for their second meet. Johnson closes, “I am a little scared for the next meet, especially since it’s Battle Mountain. There’s lots of hills but we’ll do good. I just want to do good as a team and beat times from last year.”
