Oftentimes after a big victory or performance, it can be a challenge to back up that performance. However the Summit High School cross-country team had no problem backing up last week’s history-making performances at the St. Vrain Invitational on Saturday, Sept 17.

The Tigers may have not set two new school records or posted a plethora of new personal bests while in Lyons for the St. Vrain Invitational but the team did compete well against a competitive field of mostly Front Range cross-country teams.

In the girl’s 4A and 5A race, sophomore Ella Hagen looked to win her second race of the 2022 cross-country season. Hagen raced a textbook race for her, getting out with the leaders while settling into a comfortable pace.

Hagen and Liberty Common High School’s Isabel Allori were the first two runners at around the mile mark, splitting 5 minutes and 19 seconds for the first .93 of a mile on the five-kilometer course. 

The two runners remained neck and neck through the two-mile mark but Allori pulled away over the last mile, crossing the finish line in a time of 17:59.1 for first place.

Hagen followed seven seconds later to finish in second place with a time of 18:06.9, 23 seconds in front of Niwot’s Bella Nelson in third.

Freshman Lauren McCalla followed Hagen in 24th place with a time of 19:50.2. The Tigers’ third runner on the day was junior Adaline Avery who placed 92nd with a time of 21:27.1 after shaving a minute off her in-state personal best last weekend.

Avery Eytel placed 112th, Cecelia Miner finished in 126th, Darby Leffler placed 142nd, Paige Wescott finished in 177th, Claire Jackson in 198th and senior Logan Reid in 212th.

The Tigers girls’ cross-country team placed 12th out of 28 teams with a score of 318. 4A’s Niwot won the meet with 42 points. 

“I thought overall we did pretty well,” Reid said of the girls’ team. “We have some fast girls.”

In the boys’ 4A and 5A race, the Tigers took to the startline without Josh Shriver due to having some hip issues earlier in the week. 

Without Shriver in the Tigers lineup, several athletes were forced to step up. Leading the way was usual frontrunner senior Dom Remeikis. Remeikis went out fast with the leaders through the first two miles, splitting 10:27.2 on the dusty and hilly cross-country course.

“That first mile is definitely a fast mile and as the course went on it did get harder,” senior Zach McBride said about the course. “For being here for the first time, I am glad we came because it was a good meet to come to.”

Over the last mile, Remeikis maintained his position in the top 20 crossing the finish line with a time of 16:32.9 to place 16th overall.

Following Remeikis was McBride who crossed the finish line with a time of 18:04.4 for 103rd place after setting a new personal best of 16:31.2 last weekend. Landon Cunningham placed 126th, freshman Cain Steinweg placed 157th and freshman Carter Niemkiewicz placed 167th to round out the scoring for the Tigers.

Roan Varble placed 183rd, Gavin Benedict finished in 202nd place and MemphisThwaites placed 254th.

The Tigers finished 17th out of 34 teams with 493 points. The race was won by Mountain Vista High School with a total score of 86.

“I feel like coming off Liberty Bell and not having Josh Shriver today, that we did pretty good,” McBride said. “It was a good rebound race. Kind of getting back into the groove and realizing that since Liberty Bell was such a fast course that not every race is going to be like that.” 

The Tigers will compete again on Friday, Sept. 23 at the Dave Sanders Invitational in Littleton. The following weekend on Saturday, Oct. 1, the Tigers will host the Copper Mountain Cup at Copper Mountain.