Rock Canyon cross country season comes to a strong finish
The girls and boys varsity cross country teams at Rock Canyon High School before going to the state meet.
By Sarah Bermingham, RCHS intern writer; photo courtesy of Kira Hartz
The Rock Canyon High School (RCHS) cross country team had an amazing season. “I feel like we pushed ourselves to the limit, and it paid off,” said Taylor Eubanks, a Castle Pines resident who runs for RCHS. The Jags really did run their hardest this year, and their efforts resulted in many proud moments.
“We did great as a team with a record breaking number of first place team finishes at meets and an overall third place finish in the 5A division at the state meet,” stated Jacob Brown, Castle Pines resident and RCHS runner. The team mostly competed in 5K invitational competitions.
In the Regional meet, the boys varsity team took second place. RCHS runners Bailey Timmons and Chris Theodore took first and second place. Timmons is the first regionals champion ever to run for the RCHS boys team. The varsity girls took a solid third place finish.
In the state meet, both varsity teams finished in the top ten. “The varsity boys got third place, and the varsity girls got tenth,” reported RCHS runner Alana Graves. At the end of November, the seven fastest boys and girls will head to Phoenix, Arizona to compete in the Nike Southwest competition.
These accomplishments took hard work. “Running keeps me in shape and pushes my body and my mind to their limits,” said Brown. The team met after school beginning in August, and some even ran over the summer to get in shape for the upcoming season. “We ran everyday, even on fall break, to prepare for our 5K races every Friday or Saturday,” informed Kira Hartz, RCHS runner and Castle Pines resident.
Even though they were working hard, the team had fun too. “Cross country is an overall amazing sport that not only encourages physical health, but also strong character traits like hard work and perseverance,” explained Brown. Participating in sports like cross country is a great way to get involved with your school and meet new people. “It was neat to see everyone come together and support one another! The people on this team help each other to be the best they can be,” said Eubanks. Hartz also exclaimed, “Cross Country is so much fun and I recommend it to anyone.”
