Devil runners excel at sub-section meet
By Jamie Moddelmog,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
The Davis High cross country team ran its first “elimination race” of the season at the sub-section meet on Nov. 4. The results of the race determine which teams and individuals advance to the Sac-Joaquin section meet, the elimination race determining who competes in the California state meet.
The high pressure was not the only thing making the race different from most. The meet was held two hours away in the small Calaveras County town of Angels Camp, and, in anticipation of rainy conditions, the course was modified from previous years to disclude dangerously muddy hills.
Every single runner in the Sac-Joaquin section attended this meet, one of the largest of the season.
The Blue Devils qualified teams from every division except the sophomore boys, as well as many individual runners. In total, 53 athletes qualified for the sections meet on Friday, Nov. 10.
The men’s varsity team finished in fourth place, but due to tie for third, was the fifth ranked team. The team was led by senior Perry Winsor who finished in 19th place with a time of 16:07 for the 5k race. Winsor was followed by senior James Brunette who came in 23rd place at 16:11.
On the women’s side, the varsity team came in third place behind Woodcreek and Cosumnes Oaks, led by fourth place individual finisher senior Olivia O’Keeffe and 13th place finisher junior Sophia Lodigiani. Three sophomores–Shannon Perry, Maggie Vasquez and Selby Anderson– also helped the team.
The JV women also had a successful race, as they edged out Woodcreek for first place. Senior Abby Reina-Guerra was the top finisher in the race and the team put four runners in the top seven places.
The JV men placed second to Jesuit, with junior Juan Zarate-Sanchez finishing third place overall with a time of 16:44. Juniors Tristan Sturm and Daniel Smith came in together in 17:07 and 17:09 in 14th and 15th place respectively. The team lost to the Marauders by 10 points.
The men’s freshman team excelled in the meet, securing first place by four points. Ansel Tucker placed first in the race with the a time of 11:24 for the 2.2 mile race. Hayden Tam followed, placing fifth with a time of 11:52.
The freshman/sophomore girls placed first in their division and took first, second, fourth and fifth in the race. Freshman Ana Fenton and sophomore Nellie Cox went one and two and secured the team’s massive 77 point victory.
Although the sophomore boys failed to qualify for the section meet as a team, Teagan Favorite, Owen Dulcich and James Leistikow all qualified individually after finishing in seventh, 19th and 20th.
With a smaller team, the Blue Devils will compete at the Willow Hills course in Folsom, with the JV, freshman, sophomore and frosh/soph teams racing to place well in the section and the varsity teams trying to qualify for the state meet.
