SEDALIA | Rounding into form ahead of regional qualifying, the Regis Jesuit girls finished in fifth place at the competitive Continental League Championship meet Thursday at Sedalia Open Space.
Senior Lindsey Koch finished fourth and sophomore Julie Vitella came in eighth to place the Raiders, who finished with a team total of 129 points which put them in the upper half of the 11-team field topped by winner Mountain Vista (46), Rock Canyon (84), ThunderRidge (98) and Castle View (114).
Koch — who won the Aurora City Championship race earlier this season — crossed the finish line in 19 minute, 45.40 seconds, and continued her season filled with top-10 finishes with her fourth-place result. Koch improved her finish at the league meet in all four of her seasons, as she placed 63rd as a freshman in 2011, 58th as a sophomore in 2012 and 23rd as a junior in 2013.
Vitella, who finished 2nd at last year’s Continental League Championships, needed 20:19.90 to complete the course, putting her comfortably in the top 10.
Sydney Lindquist (35th), Katie Schilmoeller (38th) and Catie Vitella (44th) gave the Raiders the pack finish they needed to take fifth as a team.
The Regis Jesuit boys had just one finisher in the top 30 and finished in eighth place out of 11 teams with 176 points.
Senior John O’Hagan paced the Raiders with his sixth-place finish, which came in 17:02.20, and bettered his previous best finish at the league meet of 12th in 2013. He was 32nd as a freshman in 2011 and 34th as a sophomore in 2012.
Parker Churchill and Mitchell Bickmire, 31st and 35th, respectively, came next for Regis Jesuit.
The next meet for the Regis Jesuit boys and girls is the Class 5A Region 2 gathering on Oct. 16 at D’Evelyn High School that also includes four other city teams: Cherokee Trail, Gateway, Grandview and Overland.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
2014 CONTINENTAL LEAGUE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Oct. 9 at Sedalia Open Space
Boys team scores: 1. Mountain Vista 45 points; 2. ThunderRidge 105; 3. Heritage 110; 4. Rock Canyon 111; 5. Castle View 136; 6. Legend 152; 7. Chaparral 157; 8. REGIS JESUIT 176; 9. Ponderosa 177; 10. Douglas County 208; 11. Highlands Ranch 356
Top 10 boys results: 1. Forrest Barton (Castle View), 16 minutes, 30.70 seconds; 2. Paxton Smith (Mountain Vista), 16:43.80; 3. Paul Moore (ThunderRidge), 16:49.30; 4. Phillip Reid (Ponderosa), 16:54.60; 5. Tyler Matzke (Mountain Vista), 16:58.40; 6. JOHN O’HAGAN (REGIS JESUIT), 17:02.20; 7. Jacob Blackburn (Rock Canyon), 17:05.10; 8. Scott Johnson (Legend), 17:05.90; 9. Christopher Lovejoy (Mountain Vista), 17:10.90; 10. Christopher Pohs (Heritage), 17:16.30
Aurora team results
Regis Jesuit (176): 6. John O’Hagan, 17:02.20; 31. Parker Churchill, 18:00.10; 35. Mitchell Bickmire, 18:01.90; 45. Austin Layne, 18:12.30; 59. Robert Iriye, 18:33.20; 67. Geoffrey Lord, 18:58.50; 71. Drew Quirk, 19:13.80
Girls team scores: 1. Mountain Vista 46 points; 2. Rock Canyon 84; 3. ThunderRidge 98; 4. Castle View 114; 5. REGIS JESUIT 129; 6. Highlands Ranch 148; 7. Douglas County 149; 8. Heritage 206; 9. Legend 232; 10. Chaparral 248; 11. Ponderosa 298
Top 10 girls results: 1. Savanna Dalton (Castle View), 19 minutes, 29.10 seconds; 2. Catherine Liggett (Legend), 19:36.10; 3. Allie Chipman (Mountain Vista), 19:41.10; 4. LINDSEY KOCH (REGIS JESUIT), 19:45.40; 5. Annika Reuter (Heritage), 20:02.20; 6. Madison Easton (Mountain Vista), 20:02.50; 7. Delaney Fitzsimmons (Mountain Vista), 20:05.40; 8. JULIA VITELLA (REGIS JESUIT), 20:19.90; 9. Solana Quistorff (Douglas County), 20:25.10; 10. Katie Ellis (Highlands Ranch), 20:26.10
Aurora team results
Regis Jesuit (129): 4. Lindsey Koch, 19:45.40; 8. Julia Vitella, 20:19.90; 35. Sydney Lindquist, 21:34.20; 38. Katie Schilmoeller, 21:49.40; 44. Catie Vitella, 22:01.10; 45. Lily Brucker, 22:02.10; 72. Anna Rafalski, 25:01.30