Normally the state-ranked Durango High School cross country team wouldn’t be satisfied finishing in the bottom third at a meet.
The Demons, however, don’t normally compete at one of the largest cross country meets in the nation.
DHS took 22nd place out of 33 teams in both the seeded boys and girls divisions at the Stanford Cross Country Invitational on Saturday in Palo Alto, Calif.
“It’s always an eye-opener wnen you come down to California where thousands of kids run cross country,” DHS head coach David McMillan said.
Hannah Peterson registered Durango’s best finish of the day, coming in 24th place out of 237 girls in 19 minutes, 11 seconds.
Peterson finished 6:11 behind individual champion Fiona O’Keeffe of California’s Davis Senior High School.
“Hannah had a great race; that’s a personal best for her. She ran just beautifully,” McMillan said.
Also for DHS:
110. Shannon Maloney, 20:28.
133. Marley Weaver Gabel, 20:51.
146. Sarah Bates, 21:05.
170. Emily Fogel, 21:38.
172. Katarina Seibert, 21:39.
182. Maggie Wigton, 21:54.
Gordon Gianniny came in 73rd place out of 229 boys at 16:47 to lead the Demons’ boys team.
Blake Haney of Stockdale High School in California won the Stanford meet in 14:58.
Also for DHS:
85. Joe Crawford, 16:55
104. Nicholas Turco, 17:09.
123. Trent Andrews, 17:21.
140. Benji Lachelt, 17:28.
152. Seamus Millett, 17:38.
Alastair McMillan got caught in a scrum at the beginning of the race and was unable to finish.
“Joe Crawford ... had a 15-second personal best. He had a really great race,” McMillan said.
“I think the kids, it’s nice to run fast and nice to be humbled at the same time,” the head coach said. “We ran as well as we did earlier in the season on a tough course.”
Durango has three regular-season meets left on its schedule before its postseason.
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