Middle school team gets off to solid start in 2008 season

Boys post excellent team results

Crested Butte Community School’s middle school cross-country team is having a great 2008 season so far this fall. With three meets under their belts, the 13 middle-school runners are gaining experience with each race in addition to some well-earned respect due to some impressive team finishes.

The team kicked off the season in Delta on Friday, August 29. Danny D’Aquila led the boys over the flat 1.5-mile course, finishing fourth with a time of 12:17. Also posting top-10 finishes were Scott Cielinski (fifth, 12:23) and Forrest Smith (sixth, 12:24).
The boys’ team was rounded out by Kyle Boyle (13th, 14:02), Joe Hayes (23rd, 17:05), John Mark Sibley (25th, 17:58), and Colton Schnaitter (27th, 19:28).
Leading the Titan girls in Delta was Amber Scott, who crossed the finish line in 14th place with a time of 15:17. Maddy Stewart also posted a top-20 finish (17th, 16:53).
The middle-school runners’ next meet was in Leadville on Saturday, September 6, where most runners posted much faster times over the 1.6-mile, course despite the addition of hills and an increase in altitude.
Amber Scott had an impressive finish, cruising to  ninth-place with a time of 13:01. Maddy Stewart hung in there with the crowded field and ran to a 33rd-place finish in 15:49.
In the boys’ race, there was a blur of Crested Butte uniforms when Cielinski (10th, 12:01), D’Aquila (11th, 12:02), and Smith (12th, 12:03) crossed the finish line together.
Teammates Montana Wiggins (30th, 13:13), Boyle (49th, 14:22), Jack Duryea (55th, 14:57), Joe Hayes (59th, 15:14), Dakota Wiggins (62nd, 15:28), Peter Bright (67th, 16:18), Sibley (78th, 17:57), and Schnaitter (82nd, 18:38) contributed to the impressive team finish—a second-place tie.
The competition continued to heat up for the middle-school teams last weekend in Gunnison, where more than 15 schools competed on a fast two-mile course. The Titan boys’ team ran smart and placed third overall. D’Aquila set the pace for the boys, taking sixth place with a time of 13:12. Cielinski (16th, 13:57) and Smith (17th, 13:58) also brought home top-20 medals.
Rounding out the boys’ team were Dakota Wiggins (37th, 15:03), Boyle (41st, 15:32), Hayes (55th, 15:58), Duryea (56th, 16:01), Bright (78th, 17:28), and Sibley (85th, 18:12).
The middle-school girls also ran well in Gunnison. Scott brought home seventh-place medal after covering the flat two-mile course in 14:13. Stewart (48th, 17:33) also posted an impressive finish in the large field.
While many runners have medals and ribbons to show for their hard work, they all deserve a round of applause for putting the time and effort into their running careers.
The team’s next cross-country meet is this Friday, September 19 in Ridgway, where the boys will continue their pursuit of a team trophy.