The Durango Demons showed they can run with and away from the nation’s top cross country programs during the Desert Twilight Invitational.
Durango took advantage of the course layout to get to the front this past Friday in Mesa, Arizona, as the Demons won the girls team title and took second overall in the boys meet.
“The course was a good design for running fast,” Durango coach Ron Keller said.
Competitors from states as far away as California and Florida took part in the meet at Toka Sticks Golf Club. The top five girls and boys teams in the 5000-meter championship hailed from Colorado, California and Arizona.
“I think there's added pressure to this week,” Keller said. “It's been a meet anticipated, you know, all season by the kids and even the coaches.”
According to Keller, the course was flat and wide, making passing in races with hundreds of kids easier. Keller also said he prefers his runners compete on dirt because grass tends to slow them down.
In the boys championship race, Durango senior Charlie Dillman finished second out of 263 runners with a time of 15 minutes and 48 seconds. Dillman, who had been ill a few days before the meet, finished eight seconds behind the winner, Keegan Geldean of Niwot. Durango junior Luke Swenk had one of his best meets of the season, placing fourth with a time of 15:55. He was just seven seconds behind Dillman.
Demons junior Sofia Voss finished fifth in the girls championship out of 222 runners with a time of 18:55, 30 seconds behind winner Kamilah Salim of West Torrance in California. Voss was battling a hip injury but was healthy enough to run in the biggest event of the season. Freshman Lacy Ruggerio had Durango’s second-best result in the girls race, placing 14th overall at 19:11.
“I was impressed with their performances and would have liked to have had them a little more healthy,” Keller said. “I think they would have given us a little faster time but I think they were in pretty close to what they can run.”
Keller was also impressed with how close his runners were together. The Demons had five boys inside the top 30 and four girls inside the top 55.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
