Four races. Eight championships. One historic day for Denver East Cross Country.

At the beginning of the season, the East Angel Cross Country Team set the goal to sweep the team championships in all four divisions at the Denver Public Schools High School Prep League Championship. East had last accomplished this ambition in 2015. On a cold and wet Tuesday afternoon at Denver City Park, the Angels not only swept all four team championships, but all four individual championships as well.

The winning began in the JV Boys race. Senior Eden Scott, running cross country for the first time this season, methodically moved his way through the leaders over the last 2000 meters to secure his first career win in 19:13. Ninth grader Eamon Nussbaum also moved his way up to grab second place in 19:17. Juniors Kristian Laird and Ballard Kauffman came across in 4^th and 5^th in 19:28 and 19:29 respectively. Ninth grader Jack Kriekels was ninth (20:15) and sophomores Cyrus Jenkins-Nieto (20:38) and Jacob Silverman (20:40) raced to 11^th and 12^th place finishes. East scored 21 points when the places of the top-5 East finishers were totaled – low enough to beat the rest of the league combined.

The Girls JV race started more than three minutes behind the JV Boys. Despite their substantial head start, sophomore Laura Romero would have to weave her way around forty-two boys (nearly half the field) on her way to the JV individual championship with a time of 20:38. Sophomore Lilia Scudamore (21:48) and ninth grader Grace Chambers (21:49) sprinted down the long final straight away together to finish 2^nd and 3^rd.  The next ten finishers would all also be from East, starting with junior Ellie McWhirter (22:06) and followed by ninth grader Annabel Filippini (22:12), sophomores Grace O’Meara (22:15) and Maya Nussbaumer (22:38), junior Elena Thoman (22:38), ninth graders Reese Brogden and Ellison Mucharsky-O’Boyle (both 22:38), sophomore Grace Burnett (22:40), and senior Emily Turner (23:06). It was not until 29 seconds after sophomore EvaMarie Kropp (23:10) secured 13^th place for the Angels that the first runner not from East would cross the finish line. In fact, 13 of the next 17 girls to finish were also East Angels. To put that in perspective, had the East Angels split their top JV girls into four separate teams, each of those teams would have prevailed over the top JV teams from the rest of the league. To belabor the dominance of the JV girls just a bit further, had the top JV girls from East competed in the varsity race, that team would have easily finished 3^rd overall (behind East’s varsity and one other team) and each of the top-10 JV East runners ran fast enough to have finished in the top-20 in the varsity race.

Heading into the meet, an East Angel boy had won the varsity race at the DPS League meet in each of the last 7 years. On Tuesday, Will Daley assumed the mantle. The junior took the lead from the gun and never looked back on his way to a winning time of 16:48. Fellow junior Asher Hoyt moved into 2^nd place about midway through the 5K and finished a full 12 seconds ahead of 3^rd place with his time of 17:20. Two more juniors were the next to finish for the Angels as Jack Beardshear (18:37) and Riley Nickols (18:44) took 10^th and 12^th. Sophomore Xander Pacini had an outstanding final 1000m of his race, moving past many runners to take 13^th in 18:54. With Pacini across the finish line, the Angels had secured the win with 38 point, 16 points ahead of last year’s champion, Denver South. Sophomore Ian Trautwein was 18^th in 19:20 and Elijah Bruggeman 26^th in 19:54 to round out the varsity racing for East.

Heading into the afternoon, the highest amount of uncertainty about securing a win was in the Girls Varsity race where the squads from Denver East and Denver North seemed evenly matched. Sophomore Abby Howard went out with the lead pack which included the top three girls from North. As the race grinded through over 3 miles of thick wet grass, first one North runner dropped off the pace and then a second. With a quarter mile left in the race the final North athlete in the lead pack dropped off the quickening pace and the individual championship came down to a 200 meter dash to the finish between Howard and the pre-race favorite from George Washington- Howard prevailed by half a step in the closest race of the day as the top two girls finished with identical times of 20:08. A bit farther back, junior Anna Lucy Buddenhagen fought off the competition to hold on to 6^th place and sophomore Maya Winfield to 8^th place in times of 20:55 and 21:02 while senior Lily Cory moved up to finish right behind Winfield for 9^th place in 21:03 – all three ahead of North’s 4^th runner. East’s AlanaMarie Barros (21:17), Lindsey Weyant (21:50), and Julia Schor (21:54) finished 12^th, 13^th, and 14^th. With North’s 5^th runner coming in at 15^th place, the East Girls had done enough to secure the victory over North, 36 to 38; the final goal for the day accomplished by the slimmest margin in recent memory.

For most Angels, the 2018 cross country season has come to a close. However, for the varsity teams, ambitious goals await. The Angels race at the 5A Region 3 Championships on Thursday, October 18^th at Lyons High School. Boys will run at 1pm and Girls will run at 2 pm. The top 4 teams at each race qualify for the State Meet on October 27.

SAVE THE DATE: End of Season Banquet will be on Sunday Dec. 9; 9:00 am-12:00 pm

We are still missing 57 uniforms that were due to be turned in last Friday.  If you still have your uniform, we need you to turn it in tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct 16, after school (2:45pm) in the counseling center, room 225.

To be sure your uniform is properly checked in, do NOT give it to the coaches or leave it in their offices.  Your uniform must be signed in with the volunteer(s) on Tuesday.

If your uniform is not turned in by tomorrow after school, your student account will be charged $100.

Return your JV uniforms (white shirts/red shorts) on Friday, October 11, 2018 at 2:45 pm in the counseling office (room 225).

Thank you for returning your uniforms clean and on time.   As we mentioned at checkout, there will be a $100 charge for unreturned uniforms.

DSA and other non-East athletes should text Ruth at (303) 525-3829 to make arrangements for check in.

The East XC seniors have designed a shirt this year. If you would like to order a shirt, please fill out the survey here no later than Friday 10/12.  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LR_tQdRjPsvp5LPv-91bwhiQvFl4plH-1GQu6EYVITc/edit

The Denver City Cross Country Championships is this Tuesday Oct 9 at City Park.

You can still sign up here to help. (You can go to this link too: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E48ACA92BA20-east4). It will take you all to make this a success.

COOL ANGELS IN HOT PINK: If you have your hot pink shirt from past years, please plan on wearing it to the meet. If you do not have one, we will have shirts available for volunteers.

CELEBRATE AFTER: Following the meet, we are having a fundraiser and party at Illegal Pete’s on Colfax. Come by, grab dinner, hang out, and celebrate the end of the regular meet season. Illegal Pete’s will donate back a portion of sales we bring in, so you are helping the team too. PLEASE SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS AMONG FRIENDS AND COWORKERS. You can share information from our Facebook event, or by email: https://www.facebook.com/events/320290772140078

As always, thanks for supporting the hardworking team. Please email Jennifer at jareich424@gmail.com if you have questions.

This week’s potluck, the last one of the season, will be at the home of Anna Lucy Buddenhagen: 2865 Clermont St.

Assignments are

Freshmen: main dish (8 servings)
Sophomores: side dish or salads
Juniors: dessert
Seniors: drinks

Thanks to our hosts!

This week’s potluck will be at the home of Abby Howard.  3405 Alcott St. Denver, CO 80211

Assignments are

Freshmen: main dish (8 servings)
Sophomores: side dish or salads
Juniors: dessert
Seniors: drinks

Thanks to our hosts!

While parents and coaches struggled to stay warm, East Angel runners strolled from the finish line inside Dick Sporting Goods Stadium to the team tent with big smiles across their faces. Cool temperatures and a flat course over the roads and sidewalks surrounding the stadium translated to big personal best times for every athlete who raced at the Northfield Nighthawk Invitational on Friday night.

Girls JV were the first to assemble in the parking lot east of the stadium for the start of their race. As has been the case all season, sophomore Laura Romero led the way for the Angels with a blazing time of 19:04. In all, six Angel girls finished in the top 8 in the JV race, with sophomore Maya Nussbaumer finishing third in 20:42, ninth grader Ellison Mucharsky-O’Boyle finishing fifth in 20:58, and sophomores Grace Burnett, Grace O’Meara, and Claire Ely finishing in 6^th, 7^th and 8^th in 21:09, 21:16 and 21:18. East totaled a mere 22 points in the race, 25 points ahead of 2^nd place Golden High School.

The Boys JV team finished 4^th of 11 teams in their division. Ninth grader Jack Kriekels ran his best race of the season finishing in 9^th in 18:30, while senior Jack Thompson finished 12^th in 18:44. Four other Angels in the race broke the 20 minute barrier: sophomore Jacob Silverman (20^th, 19:10), junior Stephen Evans (23^rd, 19:18), ninth grader Allen Harder (26^th, 19:21), and sophomore James Johnson (31^st, 19:40).

Senior Lilly Cory led the Girls Varsity this week by landing a huge personal best with her 8^th place finish in 19:18. She was followed by sophomores AlanaMarie Barros in 13^th (19:41), Maya Winfield in 14^th (19:44) and Julia Schor in 17^th  (20:06). Also through the finish line in under 21 minutes were junior Elena Thoman (19^th, 20:19), sophomore Lilia Scudamore (21^st, 20:25) and senior Emily Turner (28^th, 20:50). Together their finishes were good enough for 3^rd place in the Varsity division.

Boys Varsity finished 4^th of 13 teams in their division led by the 4^th place finish of Asher Hoyt in 16:10.  Fellow junior Jack Beardshear hung on for a 21^st place finish in 17:31, followed by 28^th and 31^st place finishes from Ian Trautwein and Xander Pacini in 17:42 and 17:49 respectively. Junior Riley Nickols was just behind his teammates in 32^nd place (17:54) and ninth grader Eamon Nussbaum finished 39^th in 18:11.

The following day, a select group of JV runners competed at the Emma Coburn Elk Run 5K in Crested Butte. It was a beautiful crisp fall morning for the athletes as they took on the competition and the challenge of running at over 8800 feet. Despite the added elevation, Ballard Kauffman managed a personal record for 5K in leading the boys. He was followed by Kristian Laird, Eden Scott, Cyrus Jenkins-Nieto, Gus Trautwein, and Taylor Lucas. For the Girls, ninth grader Grace Chambers and junior Ellie McWhirter each cracked the top-10, finishing in 7^th and 10^th respectively. They were followed by Annabel Filippini, Sarah Hoffer, Alia Quinby and Isabella Garcia. The event included a pro/elite race division and a chance to meet world champion steeplechaser Emma Coburn, so overall a special event in a special place to which the Angels hope to have a chance to return.

This marks the end of the invitational season. For most Angel runners, the season ends on October 9^th at the DPS League Championships at City Park – East aims to sweep all four team divisions for the first time since 2015. We need many parent volunteers to successfully host this event. You can sign up here. (And remember to come by Illegal Petes for dinner after!)

Varsity will compete at the 5A Region 3 Championship on October 18 at Lyons High School. State meet will be held in Colorado Springs on October 27.

As you may know, we are hosting the Denver City Cross Country Championships on Tuesday Oct 9 at City Park.

PLEASE HELP: This is a huge honor, but also a lot of work. Please sign up here to help. There are many jobs– big and small.  (You can go to this link too: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E48ACA92BA20-east4). It will take you all to make this a success.

COOL ANGELS IN HOT PINK: If you have your hot pink shirt from past years, please plan on wearing it to the meet. If you do not have one, we will have shirts available for volunteers.

CELEBRATE AFTER: Following the meet, we are having a fundraiser and party at Illegal Pete’s on Colfax. Come by, grab dinner, hang out, and celebrate the end of the regular meet season. Illegal Pete’s will donate back a portion of sales we bring in, so you are helping the team too.

As always, thanks for supporting the hardworking team. Please email Jennifer at jareich424@gmail.com if you have questions.

During the next to last week of the Invitational season, the East Angels showed their stuff in three meets across two states.

On Tuesday the Angels flexed their muscle against DPS and Jefferson County competition at the North Viking Invitational on the hilly Case Willis Golf Course. The Varsity Girls took the win over 15 other schools by outlasting North 61-66 in what is a likely preview of the DPS Championship meet. Sophomore Abby Howard led the way again with a 9^th place finish in 21:38, followed by the tight packing of Anna Lucy Buddenhagen (21:44), Anna Marie Barros (21:50) and Lilly Cory (21:53) in 11^th, 12^th and 13^th. Lindsey Weyant would come across the finish line just a short time later in 22:00 for 16^th place to round out the scoring for the Angels. The Girls JV also came home as champions placing five girls in the top-15. Ninth grader Annabel Filippini conquered the hills with a 4^th place finish in 23:34. She was followed by junior Ellie McWhirter (24:01) in 7^th, and ninth graders Grace Chambers (24:22) in 11^th, Alia Quinby (24:59) in 13^th and Lily Najmulski (25:01) in 15^th.

The Boys ran to a 2^nd place finish in Varsity competition and 3^rd place in JV competition. Will Daley led the way for the Varsity Boys with a 2^nd place finish overall in 17:22 while fellow junior Asher Hoyt crossed in 6^th place in 17:43. Sophomores Ian Trautwein (30^th, 19:03) and Xander Pacini (32^nd, 19:12) came in right in front of junior teammate Riley Nickols (33^rd, 19:18). Junior Kristian Laird was the first Angel boy across the line in the JV Boys race with his 11^th place 20:51 finish. His classmate Ballard Kauffman finished in 18^th in 21:07, followed by sophomores Cyrus Jenkins-Nieto (23^rd, 21:24) and Gus Trautwein (32^nd, 21:53) and junior Taylor Lucas (33^rd, 21:53).

On Friday, the top East Angel JV girls took on some of the best JV teams from around the Midwest at the Rim Rock Invitational at Rim Rock Farm outside of Lawrence, Kansas. The girls came just 5 points from securing the JV title, falling short to Kansas’s Blue Valley West High School 41-46. As has been the case in nearly every JV meet, sophomore Laura Romero was the champion finishing in a time of 19:57. Nearly everyone behind her also ran season bests if not outright personal bests. Sophomores Julia Schor finished in 7^th in 21:02 and Lilia Scudamore in 11^th in 21:11. Senior Emily Turner was 13^th in 21:21 and sophomore Maya Nussbaumer was the final scorer, crossing the line in 18^th place at 21:28.

Perfect conditions for fast cross country running greeted the Varsity Teams at Rim Rock Farms on Saturday. The Girls Varsity would take to the course first. The Girls finished 11^th of 31 schools in the top division with teams competing from seven different states. Abby Howard dipped under the 20-minute barrier with a 19:55 run for 52^nd place. Fellow sophomore Alana Barros had her best race of the season with a time of 20:13 for 68^th place, followed by the fast closing senior Lilly Cory who clocked 20:16 for 72^nd place. Juniors Anna Lucy Buddenhagen  (83^rd, 20:25) and Lindsey Weyant (85^th, 20:27) closed out the scoring for the Angels.

Every runner on the Boys Varsity team ran a personal record for 5K as the team finished 29^th of 41 teams. Will Daley broke 16 minutes for the first time with his 15:50 finish for 10^th place. Asher Hoyt ran 16:30 for 45^th place, Ian Trautwein 17:46 for 204^th, junior Riley Nickols 17:52 for 210^th and 18:06 for 235^th.

Meanwhile, Coaches Fehrman and Miller took a group of runners to Boulder for a picture perfect day of running around Viele Lake. Running in the Varsity division, Annabel Filippini was the first Angel to cross the finish line, running 22:42 for 83^rd in the very competitive race. She was followed by Grace Chambers (86^th, 22:58), Ellie McWhirter (88^th, 23:06), Lily Najmulski (95^th, 23:34), sophomore Kerra Hendrickson (99^th, 23:44), and junior Sarah Hoffer (110^th, 23:48). In the Girls JV division, ninth graders Sara Abdulkadir (42^nd, 24:19) and Gemma Halller (47^th, 24:34) were the first across the line for the Angels. Xander Pacini was the lead runner for the Angels in the Boys Varsity race, finishing in 86^th place in 19:25. He as followed closely by senior Sam Crippen (90^th, 19:33), Ballard Kauffman (97^th, 19:45), senior Eden Scott (100^th, 19:59) and Kristian Laird (101^st, 20:00). Junior Teddy Hickenlooper led the JV Boys with a 92nd place finish in 20:58 followed by senior Jack Thompson (100^th, 21:05).

This week the Angels have the Northfield Invitational on Friday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. In addition, a select group of top JV runners are going to the first ever Emma Coburn Elk Run in Crested Butte on Saturday which should be a really special event. This is our last week of Invitationals before entering Championship Season. East hosts the DPS League Championships at City Park on October 9^th. Parents should look for a request for volunteers email coming soon as we prepare to host this event.