By Ryan Kelleher
After completing a 3.1 mile course on grass, concrete, and tar at Craig Ranch Regional Park, both the men’s and women’s cross country placed third at regionals on Friday, Oct. 28 and will advance to state.
The men’s race began at 10 a.m. For the first half of the run, runners from all schools stayed bunched together. Just around the one mile mark, students from Green Valley, Basic and Coronado began to take the lead. Nathan Cromwell, senior, led the Cougars in eighth place. With fellow teammates following behind in 12, 14, and 15. The team ended with 85 points.
“I feel like the men’s team did very well. I think we are ready for state,” Bryce Tondryk, freshman, said.
At 11 a.m., the women’s varsity race began. The Cougars stayed bunched together for a majority of the race. By the end, the group had dispersed, and Claire Rawlins, freshman, was the first Coronado runner to finish in fifth. The women’s team ended with 94 points, just beating Basic who had 104.
“I’m so proud of my ladies. We’ve worked hard to qualify for state, and we are excited to represent Coronado at state next week,” Rawlins said.
The teams will head back to Craig Ranch for state on Saturday, Nov. 5. They will face high schools from across Nevada. The men’s race starts at 11 a.m. and the girl’s race starts at 1:15 p.m.
“I thought we did what we came here to do. We ran well, but we could have done better. We will just have to see what happens next week at state. I am definitely proud of both my teams, and the work they put in,” Coach Tondryk said.
