COLORADO SPRINGS | Two Lotus School For Excellence runners qualified for the field of 136 runners in the Class 2A boys state cross country race and both of them earned spots among the top 50 in Saturday morning’s race at the Norris Penrose Event Center.
Junior Biruk Begashaw crossed the finish line in 17 minutes, 40.2 seconds, which earned him the No. 33 overall spot, while freshman Ayuub Hassan wasn’t far behind. Hassan finished with a time of 18:03.6 to claim 48th.
Both Lotus School For Excellence runners appeared in the state meet for the first time.
The Meteors also ran regionals in Colorado Springs at Monument Valley Park and Hassan claimed third place in Region 2, while Begashaw came in 13th in the Oct. 20 race. The duo also finished second and third, respectively, in the Confluence League Championship race Oct. 11 at Great Lawn Park in Denver.
Colorado Springs Christian School’s Andrew Bel earned a comfortable win in the 2A race with a time of 16:16.6, while the team trophies went to champion Golden View Classical Academy and runner-up Banning Lewis Preparatory Academy.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
