Due to early release today, Wednesday, Sept 20, practice will start at 3:45pm.

This week our potluck will be on Wednesday, Sept 20, at Rosie’s house from 6ish – 8. 1726 Krameria St.

WHAT TO BRING:
frosh: main dish
soph: sides or salads
juniors: dessert
seniors: beverages

Go Angels!

There are not breaks on this Denver East Cross Country schedule. While no meet is as deep from 1^st to 20th as the Liberty Bell Invitational, there was no shortage of nationally ranked talent at the St. Vrain Invitational. No doubt, the winners of the races on Saturday have designs on winning state championships, if not being the outright favorites in their respective divisions (exhibits A-E: Addison Ritzenhein, Benji Anderson, Niwot Boys, Mountain Vista Boys, and Niwot Girls – look them up). It is not an easy thing to be even a little bit off when competing against this level of competition. Fortunately, the Angels largely brought their A-game against this top flight competition. 

It was a picture-perfect day in Boulder County, with fair temperatures and a cloudless sky, to compete over the 3-loop Lyons High School course, which features a modest hill on each loop and great spectating for parents, fans, and coaches. The Girls Varsity were the first on the course and as usual the Angels would count on junior Rosie Mucharsky to lead the team, which she did with a 15^th place 19:02 finish. Senior Grace Todd also broke into the top-20 with her 19^th place finish in 19:26. Sophomores Scout Chomas and Julieta Ochoa came in nearly together for 36^th and 37^th in 20:16 and 20:17, while ninth-grader Avery Johnson held the gap behind that duo at just 7 seconds with her 20:24 for 42^nd. Senior Sophia Shiroff held on for 64^th in 21:11, while sophomore Mary Clare Nussbaum closed excellently to take 73^rd in 21:24 and junior Lila Cypers finished 79^th in 21:39. The Colorado 5A #6 ranked Angels finish 4^th of 19 teams, behind only US #1 ranked Niwot, US #8 ranked Mountain Vista, and US “honorable mention” Fossil Ridge High School.

In the Boys Varsity race, junior Jonas Scudamore bided his time in the middle of the lead pack for most of the race before making an extended surge over the last half mile to take 2^nd place in 16:00, behind only US top-20 Benji Anderson of Mountain Vista. Junior Connor Beardsley ran an aggressive race strategy to a 36^th place finish in 17:04. Junior Ben Brown looked strong on his way to an 82^nd place finish in 18:04, while freshman Emery Wagner and junior Beckett Nelson-Gardner, both in their first year in the sport, showed continued improvement in their 97^th and 99^th place finishes in 18:29 and 18:31. Sophomores Toby Penner and Abraham Morginsky took 107^th and 113^th in 18:40 and 18:46, followed by senior Finn Egan (19:19, 129th) and sophomore Kyle Kojima (19:35, 132^nd). The Angels totaled 262 points to take 8^th of 22 teams. 

For the JV Girls, it was ninth-grader Lola Carhart leading the team, moving up smartly over the 5000m course to take 10^th place in 21:34. Senior Avery Ash and sophomore Meara McBride also broke into the top-25 with 19^th and 22^nd place finishes of 21:59 and 22:11. Ninth-grader Abby Forsberg had her best race of the year thus far with a 31^st place finish in 22:55 while junior Abby Purvis took 36^th in 23:10. Sophomore Daniela Maldonado-Ramos held on to 42^nd place in 23:30, and junior Rae Tatel had a fantastic return from injury with a 52^nd place finish in 24:17. The Denver East JV girls also took 4^th place, behind only the aforementioned nationally ranked programs. 

Sophomore Micah Gallantz raced first across the line among the East JV Boys with a time of 20:03 for 48^th place. Sophomore Alexandros Mays (20:39) followed in 20:39, with senior Linus Cole (20:45) in hot pursuit. Sophomores Mason Harper (20:49) and Alexander Wilkerson (20:52) were immediately behind in 69^th and 70^th, while senior Carson Lerner (20:58) and junior Donovan Aggeler (21:05) rounded out the top-7 for the Angels who took 8^th of 21 teams. 

The Denver East Varsity teams and many of the top-JV runners will focus their efforts this week on the Rim Rock Invitational in Lawrence, Kansas, where the Angels will face many of the best teams from the Heartland Region. The remainder of the JV team will take on one of the best cross-country courses in the area over the Willis-Case Golf Course on Tuesday at the North Viking Invitational and then compete again on Saturday at the Northfield Hawk Invitational on Saturday. 

Reminders:

Don’t forget to share your meet photos with us (and to help with the recaps): https://albums.memento.com/EastXC2023

And of course, you can sign up to volunteer for the League Championship meet we are hosting on 10/10: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E48ACA92BA20-league#/

Who: All JV runners who are not going to Kansas. If you are in this group, but can’t go, let us know by clicking here: Viking Unavailability Form

Dismissal: 11:45am

Bus Leaves East: 12:00 noon

Meet Information:

Where:  Willis Case Golf Course!     

The North Viking Invitational will take place on the very scenic Willis Golf Course at 4999 Vrain St, Denver, CO 80212 in the majestic Highlands of North Denver.  With early fall temperatures this event is spectacular and loved by everyone!  The Viking Invitational is one of the few and only traditional true Cross-Country courses in the state.  The course has rolling hills and is 99 percent grass with a couple of sidewalk crossings. Please plan to bring friends and family members that love to run as we will be allowing coaches, family members and friends to race on the same spectacular course following the high school events!

Directions to Willis Golf Course: From I-70- Take the Sheridan Blvd exit and head North to 52nd street.  You will drive by the Golf Course on your right hand side.  Head East on 52nd Ave to Tennyson St. Turn West onto 50th Ave, and make a left at the fork. (Parking will be available at club house or secondary parking on the street)

SCORING & PLACING:  Please make sure that bib are pinned on the front of your athlete.  

Times:

1:00 pm Coaches Meeting

1:30 pm Boy’s Open Race (unlimited -Top 5 score)

2:15 pm Girl’s Open Race (unlimited -Top 5 score)

3:00 pm Boy’s Varsity Race (7 runners – Top 5 score) 

3:45 pm Girl’s Varsity Race (7runners – Top 5 score)

4:15 pm Middle School Boys (unlimited- Top 5 score)

5:00 pm Middle School Girls (unlimited- Top 5 score)

Folowing the Middle School Girls Race:

Citizens 5k Viking Fundraiser (Awards to top 3 male and top 3 female) $20 donation per entry (100% of the proceeds go to the North High Cross-Country team.)  In the citizens race male and female will be run together. Cash donations for the citizens race will be collected at the event.

The awards ceremony will follow the finish of all events outside the clubhouse.

* Medals will be given to the top 10 runners in each of the varsity and JV races.

* Medals will also be given to the top 10 runners in the Middle School races. 

* The top 3 teams will receive a team plaque.

*JV team champions will be given a team plaque.

* Top 3 male and female in Viking Fundraiser 5k Race will receive individual medals!

Course Map:

//assets.sp.milesplit.com/meets/486166/files/viking5kmap.pdf

NO DOGS ALLOWED ON THE COURSE

Following tomorrow’s pre meet workout (aka Fast Fehrman Friday), athletes will have the option to stay after practice to listen to a 12-14 minute audio on developing mental skills to improve your cross country racing. We will listen to the first segment of an interview with sports psychologist Shannon Miller which is part of Coach Jay Johnson’s Mental Skills for High School runners course.

Please meet inside in the foyer (just inside the front door).

The potluck will be at 9092 East 29th Place, not 9002! Thanks to the Beardsley Family for hosting!

Tonight from 6-8 pm.

WHAT TO BRING:
frosh: main dish
soph: sides or salads
juniors: dessert
seniors: beverages

For the remainder of the Invitational season, East Angel Cross Country will likely go split squad to at least one meet each week – meaning that while the Varsity team and select JV runners may focus on a single race each week, it will be up to the remainder of the team to represent the Angels in both the varsity and JV divisions at smaller DPS hosted meets. So far, so good during this first week of splitting the team as the Angels demonstrated excellent team depth.

At the Denver West Cowboy Invitational on Tuesday, the Angels were well represented across all four races. In the Boys Open race, junior Ben Parish led the way for the Angels with a 7^th place finish in 20:26. Sophomore Thomas Cole was next, crossing in 21:35 followed by freshman Zivi Shiroff (21:49) in 25^th, junior Harper Gregory (22:43) in 37^th and sophomore Hutton Zimmerman (23:00) in 45^th. These scoring five totaled 117 points for 4^th place among 11 competing teams in the division.

In the Girls Open race, 9^th grader Alyson Frechette took 11^th place in 24:46. Senior Sophie DeBlasio was the second Angel to race across the line in 24:49 for 12^th place. A string of 9^th graders were hot on DeBlasio’s heals, as Pearl Bussard (24:52), Charlie Kissinger (25:03), and Grey Jensen (25:11) took 13^th, 15^th and 17^th, to complete the scoring for Angels at 48 points, good enough for 2^nd place of 9 scored teams. 

The Boys Varsity was led by sophomore Micah Gallantz, running 19:28 for 26^th place. Senior Linus Cole followed in 20:13 for 36^th and junior Donovan Aggeler 37^th in 20:17. The sophomore trio of Alexander Wilkerson (20:47), Caleb Smiles (21:13) and Jackson Gertge followed in 46^th, 55^th, and 64^th place, with freshman Wyatt Jackson completing the team with his 21:48 performance for 65^th place. Accounting for non-scoring runners in the varsity race, the Angels total 177 points which put them in 7^th of 12 teams. 

The Varsity Girls were the last to take to the course on this pleasant afternoon of racing at Garfield Park. Ninth-grader Abby Forsberg led the team with the best individual performance of the day, a 3^rd place finish in 21:30. Senior Anna Rothman-Haji (22:08) placed 9^th for the Angels followed by junior Abby Purvis (22:25) in 12^th. Sophomore Helen Love (23:10) crossed the line in 22^nd, juniors Frances Hebbard (23:33) and Yelena Konowal (23:48) were 26^th and 29^th, and ninth-grader Medea Gregory was 35^th in 24:39. With 67 points, the Angels were again a very solid 2^nd of 9 teams competing.

All East Angels will race at the St. Vrain Invitational on Saturday at Lyons High School – continue following the website for details. 

Just a reminder that the team potluck on 9/14 will be hosted by the Beardsley family (9092 East 29th Place) from 6-8 pm.

WHAT TO BRING:
frosh: main dish
soph: sides or salads
juniors: dessert
seniors: beverages

To find out if you are running varsity or JV at the Cowboy Classic, click here: Cowboy Classic Varsity List

Who: All JV athletes who are not attending Rim Rock. Rim Rock athletes will attend practice at City Park at1:30pm on 9/12.  If you can’t race at the Cowboy Classic, please fill out this form, Cowboy Unavailability Form.  Rim Rock runners do not need to fill out this form.

Arrive at school: 1:50pm

Bus leaves East: 2:00pm (meet on Detroit Side of school)

If you are not riding the bus, plan on arriving at the meet 1 1/2 to 2 hours before your race.

Races & Times:

• 3:30 — Coach Meeting (at the Starting/Finish line)
• 3:40 — Boys Open 5K (unlimited entries – score 5)
• 4:10 — Girls Open 5K (unlimited entries – score 5)
• 4:40 — Boys Varsity 5k (seven entries — score 5)
• 5:00 — Girls Varsity 5k (seven entries — score 5)
• Awards Ceremony @ 5:45pm

Site: The Denver West High School Cowboy Classic at Garfield Lake Park this year.   3600 W Mississippi Ave, Denver, CO 80219.

Parking: All team buses can drop off runners on South Lowell Blvd and W. Arizona Ave. Bus parking around the park perimeter.

The course has a combination of mostly concrete, some grass and is FLAT and FAST giving  athletes a confidence boost early in the season.

Course: Denver West Cowboy Classic Course Map

The course has a combination of mostly concrete, some grass and is FLAT and FAST giving  athletes a confidence boost early in the season.

Rules of Competition:  Top five athletes from each team will be used for scoring.  Runners six and seven will be displacers.  In the event of a tie, the winning team will be the team with the highest placing 6th runner. Each team will be assigned a starting box.

Awards: First place varsity girls and boys teams will get trophies and top 3 individual finishers in those races will receive a medal.

Results: Results will be available following the event at  co.milesplit.com

Team Camps: Team camps are set up around the park area.  We need a JV parent to pick up the tent from this meet and bring it to the person who is taking it to St. Vrain on Saturday.  If you can help, please click here:  Tent Sign Up

Restrooms: There are restrooms near the tennis courts. .

Trainer: There will be a trainer on site at the finish line in case of emergencies.