Middle school cross-country ends season on top

Scorching courses throughout the Western Slope

Crested Butte Community School’s younger runners have wrapped up their 2008 season, which was marked by first-place team finishes, personal-best performances, and plenty of soreness and sweat. The team participated in three meets over the last four weeks hosted by Ridgway, Aspen, and Montrose.

The boys’ team proudly came home with a first-place trophy after dominating the steep, stair-stepped three-kilometer course in Ridgway on September 19. Danny D’Aquila led the Titans, placing second with a time of 15:45. Forrest Smith (third, 15:49) and Scott Cielinski (fourth, 15:53) were right on his heels, followed by Kyle Boyle (12th, 16:48). Joe Hayes (28th), Peter Bright (33rd), Jack Duryea (37th), John Mark Sibley (44th), and Colton Schnaitter (50th) also had excellent finishes.
CBCS’s female runners, Amber Scott and Maddy Stewart, tackled the hills in Ridgway with ease and posted 12th-  and 23rd-place finishes, respectively.
Hills were again the theme at the next meet, in Aspen on Saturday, October 4. Amber bounded over the three kilometers in 14:28, placing second in the large field. Maddy unfortunately developed a stitch shortly after the start but still managed to cross the finish line in 24th place.
Although the boys were short several runners in Aspen, they still managed to take third place as a team. Leading the boys at the front of the pack were Danny, who finished in sixth place despite a major cramp (13:53), and Forrest, who brought home a 10th-place ribbon for the second year in a row after covering the course in 14:19. Rounding out the boys’ team were Kyle (21st), Jack (24th), Joe (34th), and Colton (47th).
For the grand finale of the season, our runners traveled to Montrose on Saturday, October 11. It truly was a grand performance, as the middle-school boys claimed another first-place team finish and most everyone posted a personal record.
Danny led the way for the Titans once again and covered the flat, two-mile course with a personal record (PR) time of 12:52. He placed third and was just five seconds behind the leader. Forrest (seventh, 13:25, PR) and Scott (eighth, 13:34, PR) were right on his heels. Montana Wiggins came off the injured reserve list for a 17th-place finish with a PR time of 14:47. Joe (23rd, 15:20, PR) narrowly beat Dakota Wiggins (24th, 15:21), who had also been out due to illness.
Also competing in Montrose with personal-best times were Jack (26th, 15:34), Peter (29th, 16:21), John Mark (32nd, 17:19), and Colton (35th, 18:30).
Amber was the sole female representative for Crested Butte and finished strong in second place with a PR time of 13:53.
Congratulations to the school’s fabulous runners—from the hill repeats to the arm dips, sit-ups, kitty-cats and planks, their efforts and dedication were over the top. They should all be immensely proud of their hard work. Go Titans!