AURORA — Let it be said that the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds course that will host this year’s state cross country meet next month is both fair and brutal.
Most of the nearly 2,000 harriers that came to the Lori Fitzgerald Memorial pre-state meet had rave reviews for the hilly test, but others gave way to the dusty terrain and the early September heat.
“That course is not easy; it might be fast, but it’s not easy,” said Columbine senior Woody Kincaid, who finished in 16 minutes, 11.32 seconds and outkicked Palmer’s Andrew Goodman down the stretch of the Class 5A boys race for an eight-second victory. “A lot of ditches and a lot of weak ankles isn’t a good mix.”
The top 11 runners in the 5A boys race were packed within 50 seconds of one another, speaking to the depth of what most view as a wide-open individual and team chase.
“If you’re going to pass somebody,” said Kincaid, who took up the sport last season and finished 11th at state, “you’ve just got to be able to kick it up the hill. They won’t be able to do it. It’s just all mental.”
The Class 5A girls race was won by Highlands Ranch’s Eleanor Fulton. Last year’s state runner-up to Boulder’s Kelsey Lakowske (who was not in the field) breezed to a 16-second victory over Loveland’s Kailie Hartman.
Monarch captured the boys and girls team titles, the boys led by junior Kirk Webb’s fifth-place finish and the girls having three in the top 20.
From 4A on down, the spotlight belonged to Colorado Springs-area schools.
After a 17th-place finish at state last season, Palmer Ridge’s Spencer Wenck dedicated himself over the summer to becoming a title challenger, and it showed as he posted the fastest time of the day in 16:09.53.
“I’ll approach it differently in October and not go with everyone the first mile and just try to keep even splits the first mile and see if I can go faster the second and third miles,” Wenck said.
Cheyenne Mountain senior Danielle Grossman was eight seconds better than Discovery Canyon junior Allie Morgan in the 4A girls race. Defending champion Allie Parks finished fifth, helping guide Greeley Central to the team title.
In the 3A-1A races, it was all about The Classical Academy. The Springs-based juggernaut crowned both Josh Simkins and Shelby Stableford as individual champions as well as capturing the girls team title. The boys finished second to 3A newcomer Alamosa, down from Class 4A.
“I feel like it’s a true cross country course and one of the more challenging ones we will see,” said Stableford, a junior who was 34 seconds faster than 2A Shining Mountain Waldorf’s Birdie Hutton.
“There are always a lot of nerves when it’s a new team, and this was the perfect race to start with because of the talent in this field.”
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
