Thornton Invitational 2023
The last week of the invitational season can be a little tricky. Most of the team has raced a lot in the last couple weeks and/or is recovering from a long weekend of traveling – legs are tired at this point in the season. While the Thornton Invitational typically attracts over 40 teams, the level of competition is not quite as intense as the three preceding weeks, giving the Angels a chance to test their race legs one more time, but under a little less pressure, before the team enters the championship part of the season. With all four teams finishing in the top-5, and many individuals finishing in the top-25 of their races, the Thornton Invite was definitely a good way for the Angels to close out their invitational season.
Temperatures were fairly warm (mid-80’s), so the challenge of running in the heat definitely influenced the racing and the times that were run. The JV Boys were the first to take the course at Margaret Carpenter Park. Senior Merle Hezel has run strong for the Angels over the second half of the season and on Friday led the JV team with a 14th place finish in 20:04, followed by his classmate Linus Cole in 16th in 20:15. Sophomores Alexander Wilkerson and Mason Harper crossed the finish in 24th and 27th place in 20:31 and 20:41 respectively, with senior Isaac Ely closing out the scoring with his 45th place finish in 21:12. The Angels totaled 120 points to take 3rd of 18 scored teams.
The JV Girls started just 10 minutes after the boys. Senior Sasha Bull led the chase, running near the front for most of the race, and held on to finish 2nd in 21:59. Ninth grader Abby Forsberg and senior Anna Rothman-Haji trailed only a little bit back over the 5000m race, with Forsberg moving up to take 4th in 22:01 and Rothman-Haji 5th in 22:16. Sophomore Meara McBride passed a few runners over the final kilometer to take 7th in 22:30, while sophomore Liza Cathey (17th, 23:06), junior Abby Purvis (18th, 23:07), and sophomore Daniela Maldonado-Ramos (23rd, 23:37) all cracked the top-25; ninth-grader Pearl Bussard (27th, 24:01) was just outside the top-25. The Denver East Girls JV finished with just 35 points, fewer than half as many as 2nd place Heritage High School, to win the team title over 15 other scored teams.
In the Boys Varsity race junior Jonas Scudamore sat with the lead pack until breaking open the race in the third mile, sharing the lead until 100m to go on his way to a 2nd place finish in 15:48. Senior Connor Beardsley worked his way into 14th place on his way to another sub-17 minute performance of 16:45. Sophomore Isaiah Springer and freshman Emery Wagner worked their way from deep in the field to finish 57th and 60th, in 18:03 and 18:04 – a personal best for Wagner. Junior Ben Brown closed out the scoring in 66th in 18:06, followed by sophomores Kyle Kojima (79th, 18:27) and Abraham Morginsky (80th, 18:29), junior Beckett Nelson-Gardner (101st, 18:45), sophomore Alexandros Mays (158th, 20:02) and senior Carson Lerner (170th, 20:23). The Angels finished 5th of 26 scored teams with a total of 190 point, with Wyoming #2 ranked Cheyenne Central taking the team title.
The Denver East Varsity Girls put six runners in the top-25, going toe to toe with a strong team from Chatfield High School, on their way to a second-place finish to the Chargers, 51 points to 75 points, of 23 scored teams. The Angels were led by senior Grace Todd who passed a number of the girls who had been in the lead pack over the last mile as she finished 5th in 19:17. The 2023 version of the East Angels Varsity Girls has the best pack any varsity team has had from East in the last decade. Maybe ever. On Friday, ninth-grader Avery Johnson was the first across the line of this 4-girl pack, placing 16th with a personal best of 20:06; over the subsequent 1.6 seconds sophomore Scout Chomas, ninth-grader Corrine Kennedy, and sophomore Julieta Ochoa all crossed the line in 17th, 18th, and 19th. Not much further back, senior Sophia Shiroff held down 25th place in 20:33 and junior Lila Cypers crossed 31st in 20:53 along with sophomore Mary Clare Nussbaum in 32nd, also in 20:53. Senior Avery Ash finished 62nd of 240 runners in the race in 21:55.
Four teams in the top-5 overall. Seventeen individuals in the top-25 of their races. Here is the Angels’ amazing Win-Loss record for the full regular season.
Denver East Invitational Season Record:
| Girls Varsity | Girls JV | Boys Varsity | Boys JV |
| 112 -11 | 80-8 | 88-57 | 72-26 |
| 91% win pct | 91% win pct | 61% win pct | 74% win pct |
On to the league championship:
The Angels now have a week without racing as they get ready for the Denver/Aurora Public Schools League Meet on Tuesday, October 10, at City Park, hosted by Denver East. Schedule and volunteer link below! The meet will be followed by a team fundraiser at Hopdoddy Burger Bar at Colorado and 8th Place.
Meet schedule:
3:00 boys open (Unlimited entries)
3:30 girls open (Unlimited entries)
4:00 unified race (1000m loop and unlimited entries)
4:30 varsity boy (enter 9 score 5)
5:00 varsity girls (enter 9 score 5)
5:30 approx. Awards & Senior Recognition
You can sign up to volunteer here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E48ACA92BA20-league#/
Denver East High XC 