COLORADO SPRINGS | One high school cross country career came to end on a high note and another got off to a strong start for Aurora’s top two runners in Saturday’s Class 5A girls state cross country race.
Regis Jesuit senior Lindsey Koch ran her fourth state race and finished with her best-ever result of 23rd, one place and less than two seconds in front of Grandview freshman Peyton Dailey, who finished 24th in her state debut in unseasonably warm conditions Saturday at the Norris Penrose Events Center.
Koch — who felt good about being healthy this season and won the Aurora City Championship meet early in the season — had finished 62nd (2011), 123rd (2012) and 69th (2013) in her three previous trips to the state meet, but blew that way with her 23rd-place result. She crossed the finish line in 20 minutes, 30.6 seconds, more than 30 seconds faster than last season.
Next came Dailey, who ran with a lot of familiar faces and finished in 20:32.2.
“I’ve raced with Lindsey Koch a lot, Devon Peterson (Cherry Creek) and the Smoky Hill girls, of course; I just wanted to see them and know I could be with them the whole way,” said Dailey, who finished one place in front of Koch at the Region 2 race on Oct. 16.
“It was really warm out there, so it was definitely more of a mental workout than it was a physical workout, but I’m feeling great,” she added.
While Peterson was well ahead in sixth place, Dailey finished just behind Koch and 11 places in front of another familiar face, Smoky Hill senior Brynell Yount, the third Aurora runner across the finish line in a time of 21:00.3 that landed her 35th. Yount couldn’t quite match her career-best finish of 22nd set last season, while she was also 128th as a sophomore in 2012.
Cherokee Trail rode the momentum from its second-place finish in the Region 2 race by leading Aurora teams with a 10th-place finish with a score of 267.
Sophomore Jordan Herrera rocketed from 128th place as a freshman last season to 40th this season to lead the Cougars, who also got a boost from junior Amy McConnell, who placed 49th in just her second race back from a lengthy injury. McConnell — who bettered her 60th place finish from 2013 — and senior Lynsie Roper in 52nd provided a solid base for the Cougars’ finish.
Coach Brian Manley’s Smoky Hill team finished just behind Cherokee Trail in 11th, though the Buffaloes were 73 points behind the team they beat at the Aurora City Championships.
Smoky Hill ran without up-and-coming sophomore Emmah Johannes — who led them both in the Region 1 and Centennial League Championships races — who missed the meet with an injury.
Yount, senior Jamie Jezier in 42nd place and Lesley Fatica in 81st spurred the Buffaloes’ finish, which was two slots higher than in 2013.
Following Dailey and fellow freshman Caroline Robbins — who took 44th in her state debut — Grandview’s next-best finishers were junior Kayla Vallin in 99th and junior Melanie Jenkins in 102, which put the Wolves in 13th-place in the 25-team field. Grandview finished eighth last season, but graduated all-state runner Erin Norton.
Regis Jesuit finished a city-best seventh last season, but came in fourth among Aurora teams this year in 21st place. Julia Vitella finished in 18th as a freshman in 2013 and followed that up with a 65th place result as a sophomore. With no other runner finishing inside the top 120, the Raiders’ team score rose to 462.
Eaglecrest’s two individuals — junior Janine Taurchini and freshman Jess McQuaid — finished 108th and 131st, respectively. Taurchini kept the 5A state meet in the family, following in the footsteps of sister Alicia, a four-time state qualifier who finished 77th as a senior in 2013.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or [email protected] Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
2014 CLASS 5A GIRLS STATE CROSS COUNTRY
Oct. 25 at Norris Penrose Events Center
Team scores: 1. Fort Collins 113 points; 2. Monarch 118; 3. Pine Creek 153; 4. Cherry Creek 172; 5. Fairview 197; 6. Broomfield 217; 7. Fossil Ridge 234; 8. Boulder 255; 9. Mountain Vista 257; 10. CHEROKEE TRAIL (Jordan Herrera, Amy McConnell, Lynsie Roper, Brea Wheeler, Hannah Lurie, Kennedy McCurdy, Jessica Brookie) 267; 11. SMOKY HILL (Brynell Yount, Jamie Jezier, Lesley Fatica, Julie Eoff, Kaycie Schubert, Carlie Andrie, Rhonda Patrom) 340; 12. Horizon 354; 13. GRANDVIEW (Peyton Dailey, Caroline Robbins, Kayla Vallin, Melanie Jenkins, Rachel Shaw, Sylvana Ross, Nicole Mundy) 379; 14. Legacy 395; 15. Ralston Valley 398; 16. Dakota Ridge 405; T17. Rock Canyon 428; T17. Arapahoe 428; T17. Heritage 428; 20. Loveland 460; 21. REGIS JESUIT (Lindsey Koch, Julia Vitella, Sydney Lindquist, Lily Brucker, Catie Vitella, Devon Johnson, Katie Schilmoeller) 462; 22. Coronado 487; 23. Douglas County 519; 24. Arvada West 600; 25. Chatfield 657
Aurora individuals: 23. Lindsey Koch (Regis Jesuit), 20 minutes, 30.6 seconds; 24. Peyton Dailey (Grandview), 20:32.2; 35. Brynell Yount (Smoky Hill), 21:00.3; 40. Jordan Herrera (Cherokee Trail), 21:03.0; 42. Jamie Jezier (Smoky Hill), 21:03.4; 44. Caroline Robbins (Grandview), 21:06.2; 49. Amy McConnell (Cherokee Trail), 21:13.0; 52. Lynsie Roper (Cherokee Trail), 21:18.9; 65. Julia Vitella (Regis Jesuit), 21:37.1; 78. Brea Wheeler (Cherokee Trail), 21:50.9; 81. Lesley Fatica (Smoky Hill), 21:54.3; 96. Hannah Laurie (Cherokee Trail), 22:05.5; 99. Kayla Vallin (Grandview), 22:08.4; 102. Melanie Jenkins (Grandview), 22:11.5; 103. Julie Eoff (Smoky Hill), 22:12.1; 108. Janine Taurchini (Eaglecrest), 22:21.4; 113. Kennedey McCurdy (Cherokee Trail), 22:24.7; 115. Jessica Brookie (Cherokee Trail), 22:27.1; 121. Sydney Lindquist (Regis Jesuit), 22:39.0; 126. Kaycie Schubert (Smoky Hill), 22.41.0; 131. Jess McQuaid (Eaglecrest), 22:45.8; 145. Carlie Andrie (Smoky Hill), 23:21.4; 146. Lily Brucker (Regis Jesuit), 23:23.7; 148. Rhonda Patrom (Smoky Hill), 23:24.7; 157. Rachel Shaw (Grandview), 23:34.8; 162. Catie Vitella (Regis Jesuit), 23.41.8; 165. Sylvana Ross (Grandview), 23:43.0; 184. Devon Johnson (Regis Jesuit), 24:31.7; 186. Nicole Mundy (Grandview), 24:51.2; 188. Katie Schilmoeller (Regis Jesuit), 25:29.1
Aurora team-by-team results (in order of finish)
Cherokee Trail (267): 40. Jordan Herrera, 21:03.0; 49. Amy McConnell, 21:13.0; 52. Lynsie Roper, 21:18.9; 78. Brea Wheeler, 21:50.9; 96. Hannah Laurie, 22:05.5; 113. Kennedey McCurdy, 22:24.7; 115. Jessica Brookie, 22:27.1; Smoky Hill (340): 35. Brynell Yount, 21:00.3; 42. Jamie Jezier, 21:03.4; 81. Lesley Fatica, 21:54.3; 103. Julie Eoff, 22:12.1; 126. Kaycie Schubert, 22:41.0; 145. Carlie Andrie, 23:21.4; 148. Rhonda Patrom, 23:24.7; Grandview (379): 24. Peyton Dailey, 20:32.2; 44. Caroline Robbins, 21:06.2; 99. Kayla Vallin, 22:08.4; 102. Melanie Jenkins, 22:11.5; 157. Rachel Shaw, 23:34.8; 165. Sylvana Ross, 23:43.0; 186. Nicole Mundy, 24:51.2; Regis Jesuit (462): 23. Lindsey Koch, 20:30.6; 65. Julia Vitella, 21:37.1; 121. Sydney Lindquist, 22:39.0; 146. Lily Brucker, 23:23.7; 162. Catie Vitella, 23:41.8; 184. Devon Johnson, 24:31.7; 188. Katie Schilmoeller, 25:29.1; Eaglecrest (no score): 108. Janine Taurchini, 22:21.4; 131. Jess McQuaid, 22:45.8
Glad to see that Peyton is continuing on with the Dailey family running tradition. Whether or not you have been made aware by your parents, your Grandfather Dailey set a Detroit City record in the 880 in 1922. Grandma and Grandpa Dailey in chicago would really like to seen you run sometime.