The Durango High School girls cross country team has dominated every step of the way this season, and there’s one more task for the Demons this weekend at the Colorado High School Activities Association 4A Cross Country State Championships in Colorado Springs.
Durango’s girls won all but one race they’ve entered this year and have gotten contributions from a variety of runners. With three freshmen heading to state, and upperclassmen who have built off the legacy of last year’s boys 4A state champions, the hunger and chemistry are there for another special state meet for DHS, a consensus top-five team in the state after winning seven of nine races.
“We had a really good camp at the beginning of this season, and the chemistry that’s been created with this team is wonderful,” Durango head coach David McMillan said. “The girls look out for one another and truly believe in each other. They’ve learned how to run as a group, and that’s a huge key to the success.”
Not only have the Demons run as a group, they’ve taken turns leading the pack throughout the season.
At last week’s regionals, DHS junior Abby Scott led the Demons with a second-place finish in 20 minutes, 47 seconds. Freshman Madeleine Burns finished in the same time, while Anna Smagacz, Bekah Moenning and Kiara Hamlin all placed in the top 10 as the Demons cruised to victory.
“I feel lucky to be part of this team because we have a lot of young talent and everyone works together,” said Scott, daughter of Cecile Fraley and Donald Scott. “Last year, I listened to the boys before and after the races, and one thing I remember is that they always talked about buying into Coach Mac’s program. I don’t think we had completely done that until this year, and that’s a big reason why we’re at where we’re at.”
The young talent Scott speaks of is made up of freshmen Burns, Saylor Stottlemeyer and Kiara Hamlin, who join sophomores Moenning and Smagacz as the bright future of Demons girls cross country.
Seniors Mary Fenberg and Maggie Wigton, who seem like old-timers in this group, are happy to end their careers with another trip to state and a realistic shot at victory.
“We have such a close team this year, which has helped our success for sure,” said Wigton, daughter of Bruce and Julie Wigton. “It’s been exciting being part of a team that’s so much more competitive than my previous years. We all worked hard for this.”
There’s no question that the success of last year’s boys team influenced the girls to follow suit, and Moenning’s older brother, David, was one of the leaders of that group.
“We all looked up to the guys last year, and seeing how close they were and how together they were made me realize that that’s an important part of winning,” said Moenning, daughter of Amy and Joshua Moenning.
“In the past, this team never ran for each other, we just kind of ran. Now, we’re running together, for each other, and that’s made all the difference.”
Coming off an incredible, dream state-title winning season, the DHS boys cross country team was made up of senior Harry Steinberg and a makeshift group of runners with little experience running at the varsity level.
Now, after a surprising second-place finish at regionals, the boys are back as the defending state champions and think they can do some damage.
With a state title already in his back pocket, Steinberg knows what it takes to run with the best, and he likes what he’s seen out of the young group he leads.
“In the last few weeks, we’ve really hit our stride,” said Steinberg, son of Elizabeth and Jason Steinberg. “This experience is a celebration of all the hard work we’ve put in. For me, it’s a culmination of four great years here, and I’m ready to go all out.”
Just qualifying for state a few weeks ago seemed like a stretch, but the improvements of another young crop of talented runners vaulted the Demons to second-place at regionals.
“These boys ran a great race at regionals, but I don’t this group has peaked yet,” McMillan said.
Steinberg took fifth at regionals, but it was the efforts by fellow senior Coltin Gallegos and the younger Demons that sent them to the state meet.
Gallegos ran “the race of his life” at regionals, according to McMillan, and sophomores Aidan Fitzgerald and Marcus Flint were right behind him.
Senior Sam Dippold, freshman Logan Moore and sophomore Pablo Smagacz have also made huge strides and will be running for the Demons.
“Even though we’re technically the defending champions, we have a lot of people with very little varsity experience,” said Dippold, son of Chris Dippold and Betty Lasich.
“It’s kind of shocking, but we’re heading back to state.”
jfries@ durangoherald.com
