The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Catch them in action this Saturday in Gunnison
After suffering through the heat of Delta the week before, the Crested Butte Titans cross-country team returned to more suitable climes, competing in the Lake County Invitational on Saturday, September 7. They saw some personal success.
“Once again Leadville treated Crested Butte to some awesome results,” says coach Connie Hayden.
The course is known for two things—altitude and hills—and that’s right where the Titans feel most comfortable. Because the course is so unique, it’s hard to compare times from other races to get a gauge for runners’ progression this season. But looking back at the Titans’ boys times from last year, it appears the entire team is already ahead of the game as they all posted faster times this past Saturday than previously.
“They crushed it compared to last year,” says Hayden.
Furthermore, while the second mile proved troublesome for the Titans in Delta the week before, they all turned in solid splits on the second mile and then punched it to the finish line in the third mile.
“The fact that they could still turn it over at mile three shows they’ve still got strength in their legs,” explains Hayden.
And finally, the Lake County Invitational attracts the top programs from bigger schools and rather than shy away at the sheer size of their opposition, the Titans embraced the task.
Senior Forrest Smith continues to mix it up in the front of the pack and despite squaring off against runners from larger 4A programs, he remained in the hunt, finishing in third place with a time of 17:50 over a minute and a half faster than last year.
“He was hanging with some big dogs in front,” says Hayden. “I’ve never seen him looking so strong.”
Sophomore Aiden Truettner slashed the most time off his previous best in Leadville, cutting nearly three and a half minutes to place 29th among a stacked field.
Senior Danny D’Aquila was just two spots off Truettner finishing in 31st place, and senior Kyle Boyle rounded out the varsity effort, coming in 46th place. And while those finishes may not appear impressive individually, they added up to a great team score, finishing the meet in fifth place out of 15 schools.
“They were definitely challenged by the big schools and they rose to the challenge,” says Hayden.
Hayden and coach Shari Sullivan Marshall put together a different plan for the girls’ team. In their first race in Delta, the bigger schools in the varsity race swallowed up the girls. As a result, the coaches decided to alleviate the stress of the varsity race and put their entire team in the JV competition in Leadville to work on a different tactic.
“It gave them a chance to work together and they did,” says Hayden. “We were looking more for a team dynamic and they did exactly how they were instructed.”
In the end, the Titan girls’ team won the JV race, posting four top 10 results. In addition, all but one Titan posted a faster time in Leadville than they did on the flatter course in Delta the week before.
This Saturday, September 14, will be the only chance to catch the cross-country team in action close by as they compete in the Gunnison Invitational. Hayden hopes to see a slew of personal records for her Titans on the flat Gunnison course.
The course is set behind the Gunnison K-8 school and the girls will kick off at 10 a.m., with the boys’ race starting at 10:45 a.m.
