W.F. West’s Joy Cushman and Connor Clary both earned victories on Wednesday, as the two won their respective cross country races in an EvCo meet involving W.F. West, Shelton, and Black Hills at Stan Hedwall Park.
Cushman won the girls race by more than 25 seconds, crossing the finish line in 20:36.9, while Black Hills’ Maddie Knight finished second by clocking a 21:02.1.
W.F. West coach Amber Cruzan said today was “about pace, not time,” and she credited Cushman for keeping pace throughout the race.
W.F. West’s Azami Erickson and Kate Turner took third and fourth with times of 21:11.9 and 21:28.9, and Black Hills’ Averie Reynolds earned a sixth-place finish with a time of 21:53.8.
A quartet of Bearcats finished in places nine through 12, as Shaylee Miles (27:33.8), Glorianna Porter (27:44.6), and Natalia Martinez (27:45.0) all crossed the line within 12 seconds of each other, and Karina Lei rounded out the top 12 with a time of 29:52.3.
The Bearcats finished first as a team with 21 points, while Black Hills finished second with 40.
On the boys side, Clary was the only runner to finish south of the 18-minute mark, as he clocked a 17:50.0.
Cruzan also commended Clary, saying he ran a “smart and tactical race.”
Black Hills’ Seth Thomasson finished second in 18:04.1.
W.F. West’s Adam Butterfield finished sixth at 19:19.8, just one-tenth of a second off the fifth-place finisher, and Black Hills’ Nathan Brazill and W.F. West’s Joshua Robinson took eighth and ninth at 19:58.4 and 20:02.6.
Shelton finished as the best team thanks to five top-10 finishers, posting 29 points as a group, and W.F. West finished second with 39.
