On Thursday, Oct. 16th, the Lake Tahoe School Cross Country team competed at the Tah-Neva Middle School Cross Country Championship meet at the Kahle Park Cross Country Course, South Lake Tahoe. Two courses were set for the championships, with the 5th-7th grade division covering 2.2 miles and the 8th grade division running 2.6 miles. The championship meet was comprised of 21 schools competing from areas in the Tahoe basin, including Reno, Lake Tahoe, Douglas County, and Carson City.
This was our largest Bobcat team ever, with 55 students competing this year. Our mighty Bobcat team enjoyed a fantastic championship meet, winning two Division 1 league championships in the 7th-grade girls division and the 8th-grade boys division. Our 7th-grade boys team was also the Division 1 league runner-up.
There were also a number of outstanding individual results at championships for the Bobcats.
In the 8th-grade boys race, Brooks Erikson capped off a wonderful season by finishing 5th. Brooks enjoyed a strong season, finishing in the top 5 at all of the league races this year. Miles Cooper also enjoyed a strong season, cracking the top 10 throughout the season and finishing 14th at championships. Other standout performances at championships include top-30 finishes by Andrew McGarry, Jackson Green, Maximus Cruz, and Dean Leahy.
The 8th-grade girls team raced well over the 2.6 mile course. Four 8th-grade girls competed this season, with each of them providing excellent leadership and determination. Zosia Buchanan was the standout runner for the 8th-grade girls and finished the season running 11th at championships. Kira Brandreth, Jimena Castillo-Ruiz, and Tennyson Martin all enjoyed a fun season and a great championship meet.
The 7th-grade boys team had the biggest squad on our Bobcat team with 22 runners qualifying for championships. In the championship race, we had three Bobcats finish in the top 20, with James Pietzke in 9th, Max Gobert-Hottegindre in 11th, and Corbin Zeffaro in 19th. Scoring points for our team and helping to win a team championship were Hawken Schuessler, Lancelot Kopatsy, Jack Keeler, and Nicholas Bochis.
Clearly the team to beat all year, the 7th-grade girls enjoyed a successful season. Claire Higginbotham finished top 10 all season and was a real leader on this team. Claire finished 9th at championships. Not far behind was Harper Davis in 12th. Helping secure the team championship, Monica Kelly finished 21st, Josephine McConnon was 24th, and Reya Benediktsson was 28th. Rounding out the team to help win the championship title for our girls were Anne Mason, Miya Lefrancois, and Violet Hanbury.
Coach Kris Nugent shared, “It was a joy to coach this wonderful group. From day one, they worked together, encouraged each other, and worked extremely hard. I’m proud of everything that they accomplished. To win two championships and finish runner-up in another division clearly shows how talented this team was. We were fortunate to have such amazing leaders with our wonderful 8th graders. I’ve coached many of them for many years and I will miss them next fall.” Coach Kris went on the say, “All of our success this year was only possible because of the amazing coaches. I’m blessed to work with such an outstanding coaching team. Their dedication, energy, and positivity lifted our team and pushed our athletes to be better every day.” Congratulations, Bobcats!
