2016 League Championship Recap

For a lot of our student athletes the League Championship race is their last opportunity for the season. For every athlete on our team the story line going into our league championship was different. We talk a lot about embracing the context and story with which we are participating in cross country. No matter what each student athlete ran, it is important to remember to frame your performances based on your context and story. Whether you got a personal best or you came up short, remember, running is something you can do your whole life. If you did not have the race you had hoped, you must rest in the fact, that at some point you can and will have another opportunity for redemption.

We will highlight some notable performances here, but everyone should know the effort given by our team as a whole was phenomenal as usual for the League Championship. Every student athlete gave incredible effort and I left there incredibly proud of our kids and they way they rose to the occasion.

Girls Junior Varsity 

 Here is the team scoring for our Girls Junior Varsity race...It was an outstanding effort by our girls in this race. Arvada West has a very solid team and to put up a fight with them here was a tremendous result.

1 Arvada West High School 46  1+5+6+11+23 (37+50)  1:44 1-5 Split | 22:23 Avg
2 Dakota Ridge High School 69  9+10+14+16+20 (22+25)  0:43 1-5 Split | 22:46 Avg
3 Evergreen High School 85  7+8+15+27+28 (40+45)  1:06 1-5 Split | 22:55 Avg
4 Standley Lake High School  98  2+12+17+26+41 (48+61)  1:54 1-5 Split | 23:00 Avg
5 Chatfield High School  121  4+18+21+35+43 (47+49)  1:50 1-5 Split | 23:13 Avg
6 Columbine High School  154   19+24+29+36+46 (78+79)  1:04 1-5 Split | 23:35 Avg
7 Lakewood High School  206   13+33+34+60+66 (69+73)  2:20 1-5 Split | 23:58 Avg
8 D'Evelyn High School  214   32+38+39+51+54 (57+62)  0:55 1-5 Split | 24:03 Avg
9 Ralston Valley High School  247   30+42+44+64+67 (80+89)   1:37 1-5 Split | 24:20 Avg
10 Green Mountain High School  291   31+55+59+70+76 (81+91)  2:12 1-5 Split | 24:48 Avg
11 Golden High School   295   3+65+71+74+82 (87+98)  3:52 1-5 Split | 24:50 Avg
12 Wheat Ridge High School   308  52+53+58+68+77 (84+85)  1:21 1-5 Split | 24:56 Avg
13 Valor Christian High School  354   56+63+72+75+88 (93+97)   2:01 1-5 Split | 25:29 Avg
14 Bear Creek High School   455   83+86+92+94+100 (101+102)  5:52 1-5 Split | 28:00 Avg
15 Littleton High School   483     90+95+96+99+103   9:37 1-5 Split | 30:17 Avg


Highlights....

Madison Necker...39:56 Personal Best....

 Improving 3:11 from her previous time on the course at Dave Sanders, Madison roared down the final home stretch and made it under the 40 minute barrier.  I must mention Jasmine here as well, and while she did not PR, she finished her 2nd 5k and gave a tremendous effort. The spirit of this sport is made alive by their effort and courage. Watching their enthusiasm and courage grow for this sport has made us all better. The sport is about risk and courage and determination and they have exhibited that for us.

Megan Hansen...30:58 Personal Best

Megan improved 8 seconds on her time and over the last 800m you could see the passion and determination to get it. She ran 31:04 on that perfect day in Alamosa and put together a fabulous effort to break 31 minutes here.

Daphne Stoinski...30:03 Personal Best

Here is Daphne's results for the year....

30:03.00                      Jefferson County 4A/5A League Championship         Oct 13, 2016

35:48.00                      Dakota Ridge Cross Country Invitational        Sep 28, 2016

33:05.00                      Dave Sanders Invitational       Sep 23, 2016  

34:06.00                      Broomfield Invitational          Sep 16, 2016

37:57.00                      Colorado State Frontier Academy Invitational Sep 2, 2016

As you can see here it was a fantastic 3 minute personal best. I love seeing kids choose to just go for it and Daphne did exactly that. The "oh so close to breaking 30 minutes" should give her a ton of momentum going into next season. A very inspiring effort on her part. Very proud of how she ran!

Speaking of breaking 30 minutes....

As Victoria Douglas came tearing up the hill at 600m to go, you could see the determination in her effort. Having just barely missed the sub 30 minute barrier at Broomfield, Victoria sought her redemption and achieved it kicking home in 29:46. Fantastic work young lady!

Tammy and Natalie domination....

As these two ladies ran by me on the hill, I could tell they were on their way to big personal bests.  Both had tons of energy and determined looks on their face. As I yelled out to them, Natalie looked over and gave me a wry smile that was fun to see. She powered on up the hill...For Tammy she set her personal best at 26:40 nearly a minute better then best coming into the race. For Natalie in her 4th ever race she PR'd by about 2 minutes to 26:23...and anytime new freshman start doing that I begin to wonder just how high she might be able to rise. 

Addie, Sydney, Lillian and Marissa

Its so tough to be injured to begin the season. For each of these ladies fighting injuries this year was incredibly difficult. For each one this race had different meaning. But they did have 2 things in common 1.  They all had to find their way through the adversity to get here. and 2nd... was their trust in me. I did not take it for granted and I never do. I am so thankful for their trust and effort in working through the challenge together. It is one of my best moments as a coach to see all four with smiles at the end of the race having done the best they could within their context. 

Charlotte Jones

On Monday night, I thought it was over. I thought a disastrous and unlucky fall had taken our senior leader out for the season. I had no certainty she was going to be okay. Her swelled knee was still giving her some pain as of Monday. Regardless of pain she had little choice but to go out and try. Her grit and determination are what this team is about, and true to her leadership...she gave one of the all-time comeback efforts in Dakota Ridge history. 22:29 (and 9th in the JV race) is not her best time...but it might of been the best moment in her Dakota Ridge career.

Boys Junior Varsity

The intention was to perfect score at 15 points. But who can be upset with 17 points and absolute domination from one of the best JV teams in the state?

1         Dakota Ridge High School      17        1+2+3+5+6 (7+21)      0:47 1-5 Split | 17:47 avg

2         Standley Lake High School      91        8+11+13+22+37 (53+54)        0:50 1-5 Split | 18:45 Avg

3         Evergreen High School            98        10+14+23+24+27 (28+38)      0:25 1-5 Split | 18:47 Avg

4         Arvada West High School       120      4+9+18+31+58 (75+77)          1:51 1-5 Split | 18:49 Avg

5         Lakewood High School            132      16+17+26+34+39 (49+64)      0:42 1-5 Split | 18:59 Avg

6         Golden High School                 149      12+15+20+47+55 (67+79)      1:10 1-5 Split | 19:04 Avg

7         Columbine High School           189      19+32+35+42+61 (66+72)      1:02 1-5 Split | 19:17 Avg

8         Chatfield High School              197      29+33+40+45+50 (51+76)      0:38 1-5 Split | 19:20 Avg

9         Valor Christian High School    249      36+46+48+56+63 (88+90)      0:39 1-5 Split | 19:37 Avg

10       Littleton High School               254      25+44+52+59+74 (81+82)      1:19 1-5 Split | 19:38 Avg

11       Ralston Valley High School     285      41+43+62+69+70 (80+83)      0:42 1-5 Split | 19:48 Avg

12       D'Evelyn High School              391      30+73+94+96+98 (105+106)  3:12 1-5 Split | 21:02 Avg

13       Wheat Ridge High School       392      60+71+78+91+92 (93+95)      1:28 1-5 Split | 20:39 Avg

14       Bear Creek High School          416      57+85+86+89+99 (100+107)  2:47 1-5 Split | 21:05 Avg

15       Green Mountain High School  421      65+68+84+101+103 (104+110)          3:03 1-5 Split | 21:20 Av

16       Pomona High School               503      87+97+102+108+109 (111)    2:51 1-5 Split | 22:43 Avg

Highlights:

Chris Probst the PR machine. 25:47....

Its become cliche almost...that is how cool this guy has become. We might rename PR's...CP's to honor the effort and passion with which he has pursued his best. One more year to go....can he run enough in the coming year to get below say...22 minutes and 2 seconds? Challenge stated Chris. 

Stenny 2 group goes off like a firework show....

There was so many season best efforts and personal best efforts among this group of boys its impossible to highlight them all. Easily the best overall effort from our boys JV all year and they did it when it counted the most. I do want to highlight by name Nick Ballard who had an enormous 2 minute and 13 second personal best to get to 22:13 from 24:26. In addition much like the girls in the JV race who battled some injuries, Luke Aden had a similar context and worked hard in the pool and it paid off with a fabulous race in the biggest moment. 

The Fastest JV Team in Jefferson County History. 

Coming into this race the fastest winning JV time in the Jeffco JV championships history that I could find was 17:38 by our own Nate Morrison in 2010. In that race freshman Carson Hume ran 17:52. Carson Hume would go on to become #7 on our All-Time Dakota Ridge Cross Country Team. That  2010 Dakota Ridge  JV Boys team averaged 18:13 across the scoring 5. This years JV boys scoring group averaged an incredible 17:47. A stunning and remarkable effort. Ponder this...Connor Ohlson (17:28), Ben Morrin (17:36) ran faster then Carson as a freshman in this race. Wyatt Oglesby was close in 18:06. Along with Ben and Connor, Mark Testa ALL went under Nate Morrison's 17:38. 7 of the top 10 in this race wore the Dakota Ridge uniform. I am so proud of this effort. It is a testament to how far we have come with our program. It was so fun to see our team lead out the JV race just flat going for it. Those top 3 boys probably wont get the 2nd team all-conference designation they might deserve, but believe me...they have that in their future. 

Girls Varsity

It was so close for us to get 2nd place again here. Chatfield has a great team of ladies that we respect for how hard they have worked to get to where they are at right now. To finish 1 point back is a fabulous result here. 

1	Arvada West High School		33	4+5+7+8+9 (17+24)	0:56 1-5 Split | 19:57 Avg
2	Chatfield High School		70	6+10+15+19+20 (27+32)	1:37 1-5 Split | 20:41 Avg
3	Dakota Ridge High School		71	2+14+16+18+21 (37+38)	2:17 1-5 Split | 20:37 Avg
4	Lakewood High School		95	1+13+22+28+31 (33+35)	3:07 1-5 Split | 21:03 Avg
5	Ralston Valley High School		100	3+11+12+34+40 (44+45)	3:35 1-5 Split | 21:17 Avg
6	Columbine High School		162	26+29+30+36+41 (42+43)	1:15 1-5 Split | 22:21 Avg
7	Bear Creek High School		192	23+25+47+48+49 (50+53)	3:37 1-5 Split | 23:31 Avg
8	Pomona High School		242	39+46+51+52+54 (55+56)	3:52 1-5 Split | 25:00 Avg

Samantha Schmidt and Olivia Fink

Its all about your 4 and 5 this time of year and Sammy set her personal best and ran a really great race to be our #4 and give us a chance to get Chatfield. Olivia Fink was our number 5 and ran a personal best 21:27 along the way. Very happy with this effort and hoping for a couple more like it. ;) 

Michelle Renner 19:10 Personal Best.

There is a lot to be said about Michelle and certainly we will be hearing a lot about her in the coming years. This race was another signature Dakota Ridge Eagle effort that not only represented what she is about, it also represented what WE are about. Carley Bennett was supposed to walk away with this race according to everyone but us. Bennett's previous week running 18:10 surely gave strong evidence of it. It left her coach boasting she might be the best girl in the state coming back next season. Surely there was nobody that could beat Carley Bennett...Right? I like nothing more then being in the spot we are right now as a program. Overlooked. Underrated and in some cases disregarded. What Michelle did on Thursday night was stand and fight for us when in mattered. Sending a incredibly strong message, Michelle took the race in her hands over the final 800m and gapped Carley. Michelle ran so hard she just barely finished and having tried to crush the field in the final 800m she was caught by the talented young Bennett in the final 50m. But the message was sent...you will not have it easy Jeffco, region 1, state...you will have to fight us to the end. You will have to work to beat us. Believe in it Renner...we got more left..lets keep fighting. 

Boys Varsity

Arvada West is a solid and determined team. They are ranked 5th in State thanks to some great 2016 efforts thus far. We had a few rough races here, but I was happy wth our fight and frankly, very much okay with being our usual 2nd place in league. We have been the most consistent program in the district for many years now and we continued that here. kudos to ours guys efforts. 

1 Arvada West High School 38 2+5+7+10+14 (16+17) 1:12 1-5 Split | 16:53 Avg 2 Dakota Ridge High School 59 1+6+15+18+19 (29+37) 1:42 1-5 Split | 17:17 Avg 3 Ralston Valley High School 86 8+11+13+26+28 (42+48) 1:26 1-5 Split | 17:42 Avg 4 Chatfield High School         88 9+12+21+22+24 (32+40) 1:13 1-5 Split | 17:47 Avg 5 Columbine High School         115  4+20+23+27+41 (43+45) 2:22 1-5 Split | 18:00 Avg 6 Lakewood High School        125 3+25+30+33+34 (35+36) 2:10 1-5 Split | 18:04 Avg 7 Pomona High School        218 31+39+47+50+51 (53+55) 1:51 1-5 Split | 19:31 Avg 8 Bear Creek High School        229 38+44+46+49+52 (54+56) 1:42 1-5 Split | 19:34 Avg
Benton Meldrum

Steady, competitive and gritty. Benton achieved first team all-conference with his 6th place finish. His 16:46 was one of his best performances as an Eagle. 

Ben Piegat...just another average Dakota Ridge freshman...

While his freshman counterparts prepared to run in the JV race for us, Ben was our lone freshman representative in the varsity race. Ben was fantastic. Remember that 17:52 in 2010 from Carson Hume mentioned above?...oh by the way Ben beat that as well...17:34. Ben was 15th and will be 2nd team all-Conference 

Austin Vancil...Breakthrough. As the lead pack of boys came racing up the first of two hills in the final mile of the Clement park course, there was a diminutive young man with a signature sideshow bob haircut seemingly just barely chasing them. Somewhat wispy, but possessing a flawless gait, he looked comfortable among the 4 seniors and 2 juniors his congregate. Unknown and overlooked, there was certainly little thought to him by those for whom this race was supposed to be their moment. Had anyone, (with the exception of two people in the world) been guessing who would choose to seize the day among the pack at this moment, they would not have chosen the unknown youngster from Dakota Ridge High School. Surely, one of the dominate and highly rated young men from Arvada West would take the day, after all, the defending champion Colin Berndt was among them. In every race there is a moment were a destiny is decided by a singular decision to risk everything in search of glory. As the group crested the hill and made the large turn back toward the lake the League Championship fate of seven boys hung in the balance. The decision to go for victory was about to be made.  insert...music here...Thunderstruck by AC/DC is appropriate.... Suddenly, from among the seven, the power of belief was on full display. Applying pressure to the assembly was none other then the elfin character from Dakota Ridge. The moment was bigger then him and it was bigger then anyone else was realizing who was viewing it. For the moment when a boy becomes a man is a momentous occasion. It is not often the moment when a boys self doubt being replaced by the confidence of a young man is on display for all to see. As yet, here it was. Rising to the occasion, applying the pressure, growing up before all who was gathered to see.... was none other then Austin Vancil a Dakota Ridge Eagle. Surging into the lead, Austin's gait efficient and powerful began to suck the life out of the rest of the field. As the group began splintering they started the grass knoll heading toward the finish. Austin charged up the hill, his poofy hair every bit on fire. The others followed, hanging on for dear life. Down the other side of the hill Austin went. Charging along the softball field, turning into the final 200m.... leading a trail of tears in his wake. 22 hours earlier... a coach searching for he and his team's time, his own reckoning for long lost debts from the universe firmly on his mind stood in front of his team. "Do not be surprised if the League Champion is standing here right now".  Sensing the breakthrough with his own hubris and intuition in that moment, the coach hoped it would be not only a breakthrough for Austin, but for the team. In any endeavor worth doing, The final steps to the top of the mountain are always the hardest. Gentlemen...We are there now. We stand now at the edge of the Hillary Step. Having climbed the vast and difficult parts of Everest to this point. The top is hidden from us now, its lure and grandness has motivated us on our journey to this point. Now we must climb on passion and fortitude without the visible top. The most difficult section awaits. Turning back, is not an option. We must pull together and climb on in pursuit of the top. It will take difficult steps, where our determination and heart will be challenged. We must follow Austin. He has taken the lead on the mountain for us.