Three top-20 finishes opened the 2015 season for Bayfield High School cross country Saturday.
Bridget Goddard turned in the Wolverines’ strongest performance at the Central Warrior Invitational in Grand Junction in 19th place at 22 minutes, 50.8 seconds for the five-kilometer race.
Rachel Cooper, an Ignacio High School student running for BHS because the Bobcats don’t have a cross country program, took 20th after crossing the line six seconds behind Goddard.
Lexa Fleming was 24th in 23:12.4, and Amber Johnson finished 38th in 25:29.1.
The Wolverines didn’t field a large enough team to qualify for the team standings, but Palisade cruised to a victory with 30 points after taking the top three spots in the girls race.
Greta Van Calcar won it in 18:13.2.
Bayfield’s boys team took fifth with 138 points, while Fruita Monument won with 35 points.
Jared Leblow won the individual race for Grand Junction Central in 16:34.10.
Sloan Mazur led the Wolverines in 20th at 18:46.8.
Bryan Gram took 32nd in 19:56.8, Brandon Stuever was 38th at 20:58.3, Joey Sandry finished 39th in 21:09.6 and Justis Herrera finished 44th in 22:15.5.
“The course was filled with various obstacles, from a horse jump, to hay bales, ravines and gulches, a huge ditch and a couple mud pits,” BHS head coach Josh Walton said in an email to The Durango Herald. “The kids did very well in their first race.”
BHS heads to Alamosa next weekend for the Joe Vigil Puma Classic.
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