Practice Schedule and Locations: 8/25-8/31

Monday: at Track at 4:00 p.m. (Jumpies and maintenance run w/ strides).

Tuesday: at City Park @ 4:00 p.m. (Workout. Bring super shoes. Weight lifting at Carla afterwards for those who can stay).

Wednesday: at the Track at 4:00 p.m. (Jumpies and maintenance w/ short sprints).

Thursday: Meet @ City Park @ 4:00 p.m. (Pre-meet).

Friday: Arapahoe Invitational! (Bus details to come).

4:00 Open Fresh/Soph Boys

4:20 Open Fresh/Soph Girls

4:50 Open Junior/Senior Boys

5:10 Open Junior/Senior Girls

5:40 Varsity Boys

6:00 Varsity Girls

Saturday: 8:00 a.m. @ East Student Lot for recovery long run. (Details to come on location we will drive to).

Amazing job last week, Angels! Trust the process! Let’s keep it going!

Washington Park Invitational 2025

Twenty-seven (27) is a magic number in cross country. A score of 27 points or fewer, no matter how many other teams are competing, cannot be beat.

On Saturday, three Denver East Cross Country teams scored fewer than 27 points.

The Varsity Girls kicked things off after a ten-minute delay to reroute the course, with the much anticipated water crossings being eliminated after some concerns about their safety. (Kudos to our friends at South who had to improvise this change in the 11th hour). For East, the pack of senior Scout Chomas and juniors Avery Johnson and Corrine Kennedy immediately established themselves near the front, trailing only a single runner from South through the first 2 kilometers. Meanwhile, junior Lola Carhart and sophomores Lila Brown and Fiona Jeong established their own chase pack a little bit further back. This early establishment of order changed very little over the next two kilometers, with the first South runner holding off a late charge by Johnson (2nd, 19:20) and the second South runner holding off a late charge for 5th place from Carhart (6th, 20:01). With Chomas 3rd (19:31), Kennedy 4th (19:38), and Brown 7th (pr 20:06), the Angels finished with mere 22 points for first place of the 13 teams, with South in 2nd with 41 points.  Jeong finished 8th in 20:08 in her high school cross country debut, completing the Angel dominance of the top-10 podium.

In the Boys Varsity, senior Henry Bennett opened the season with an auspicious individual win, the first of his career, in a time of 16:34. Bennett showed the patience of a veteran, waiting until the final kilometer to put away the last of his remaining competition by a full 9 seconds. Senior Jack Gertge had a career breakthrough race, knocking more than a minute from his previous personal best and making the podium of a varsity race for the first time with his 16:59 8th place finish. Sophomore Tre Even, making his varsity debut, also knocked more than a minute from his personal best, running 17:42 for 19th. Junior Emery Wagner moved up through the middle parts of the race to finish in 20th in 17:45, followed by seniors Mason Harper in 24th (18:00) and Kyle Kojima in 27th (pr, 18:05). The total of 72 points was good for 3rd place behind South’s 49 points and Columbine High School’s 68 points in the 16-team field. (Shout out to our DPS neighbor Manual High School, who finished with a scoring team for the first time in more than 20 years)!

The Open races were a demonstration of the Angels youth movement, with underclassmen dominating the top-10 in both races. There was a bit of déjà vu in the Girls Open race, as the Angels quickly took command of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place with ninth-graders Tessa Morris, Norah Dysart, and Charlotte Clark, while another pack of Angels chased a little further back. In this case though, the order did not hold, as sophomore Ainslie Mohr moved her way up to 4th, a place ahead of Clark. Morris ran 14:51, Dysart 15:18, Mohr 15:34, and Clark 15:42 for the 3500m course. Ninth-grader Cate Carhart finished in 16:29 for 7th place to complete the scoring for the Angels and grab another of the podium spots. The Angels finished with a paltry 21 points, ahead of second place Mountain View with 63 points of the 10 scored teams.

The Angels got out hard in the Boys Open race and held on to place seven runners among the top-12, of which five were freshman and the other two sophomores. Freshman Liam Gerber led the way with a 13:34 4th place finish, followed closely by classmates Noah Irwin (5th, 13:35) and Elias Striker (6th, 13:41). Sophomore Finley Knight had what certainly had to be the best race of his career at this point, finishing in 13:45 for 7th, while his classmate Luke Rasquinha also made his first podium with a 13:47 9th place finish. Completing the run of underclassmen dominance were freshmen Evan Mucharsky-O’Boyle in 10th (13:48) and Sam Schmidt in 12th (13:50).  The Angels totaled 26 points, to come away with another team win with 13 scored teams, ahead of second place South with 56 points.

Next up for the Angels will be the Arapahoe Warrior Invitational at DeKovend Park. There will be water crossings at this race! This meet also offer us one of the only opportunities to run athletes in a separate frosh/soph race, which should be exciting for this group of Angels. Competition will be stiffer at Arapahoe, with a handful of the top 5A schools in the state entered. Details of the Arapahoe Meet will be posted later in the week.

Photo Sharing

We want your photos. Please upload your photos to the team’s Memento account here: EastXC25 photos. From these galleries we can update our website with fresh photos, share with other families and friends, and gather what we need for the end of season slideshow. We will maintain folders for each of our meets and other team celebrations. Thanks!

Washington Park Meet Information

Bus leaves from East at 7:45am from Detroit Street side of East HS.

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2025

Time: 8:30am – Coach’s meeting (at the finish line)

9:00am – Girls Varsity 5k (limited to 7 entries – top five score)

9:30 – Boys Varsity 5k (limited to 7 entries – top five score)

10:00 – Girls Open 3500m (unlimited entries)

10:30 – Boys Open 3500m (unlimited entries)

11:00 – Girls Middle School 3,000m Race  (unlimited entries)

11:30 – Boys Middle School 3,000m Race  (unlimited entries)

12:00pm – Awards Ceremony at Start Line

___________________________________________________

Site: Washington Park Denver, Colorado

Course: Varsity – 5000 meters:   Open – 3500 meters:   

Links to course maps are below

  • 5000m Varsity Course – Begin with a loop of the grass field, then the south Grasmere (crushed gravel) lake loop to the finish. Water crossing at ~2.5k and ~4k.
  • 3500m JV & Middle School Course – Same as the varsity minus the first loop of the grass field. Water crossing at ~1.5k and ~2.5k.

Be on time for the bus. We will leave at 7:45am sharp. You must have preapproval from Coach Kohuth if you plan not to take the bus to and from the meet. We expect all athletes to stay through all races and the awards ceremonies to encourage and celebrate your teammates.

This is a new course and the 5000m course will likely be identical to the course we run at our League Championship.

This course has two water crossings. The water crossings are wide enough and deep enough that there is a 100% chance your shoes will become completely submerged. Most good running shoes will not absorb much water. You will need to be selective about what socks you wear. Thick cotton socks will absorb and hold on to water, leaving you with heavy, wet feet for the rest of the race. Wear the thinnest tech/nylon socks you own. If your feet are substantially calloused, you might even consider not wearing socks. Finally, water crossings are known to steal shoes; tightly tie your shoes!

Bring water and snacks for after your race. Bring a change of clothes. And bring more cowbell! Great things are about to happen.

Potluck and Kickoff Meeting – Wednesday, August 20, 6pm

All athletes and their parents/guardians should join us at 6pm on Wednesday, August 20th, for our kickoff meeting and potluck. Uniforms will be distributed, team swag will be for sale, food will be shared, and the coaching staff will share important information about the coming season.

9th Grade Families: main dishes

10th Grade Families: side dishes and salads (no veggie trays please, they don’t get eaten)

11th Grade Families: dessert

12th Grade Families: drinks

Please bring dishes large enough to feed about 8 people so we have enough for everyone.

Boys Grilling Session

Captain Jack announces the first “boys grilling session” at City Park. Bring your own meat, or whatever you prefer to grill, and then freshmen and sophomores bring chips and fruits and other sides and then juniors bring drinks, and seniors will be in charge of condiments and buns, and what not. This is going to happen on Tuesday the 19th after practice, and all boys are encouraged to come. There’s gonna be games too; the seniors are in charge of games and have promised no broken bones this year.

Practice Schedule and Meeting Places: August 18-23

Monday and Thursday: 4:00 practice at the track to do our wickets and other ancillary drills (aka jumpies).

Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 4:00 practice at City Park north of the Thatcher Fountain.

Saturday: Race at Wash Park! (More information to come, but plan on being there from 7:30 a.m. through the awards ceremony).

9:00am – Girls Varsity 5k (limited to 7 entries – top five score)

9:30 – Boys Varsity 5k (limited to 7 entries – top five score)

10:00 – Girls Open 3,000m (unlimited entries)

10:30 – Boys Open 3,000m (unlimited entries)

11:00 – Girls Middle School 3,000m Race  (unlimited entries)

11:30 – Boys Middle School 3,000m Race  (unlimited entries)

12:00pm – Awards Ceremony at Start Line

Go Angels!

(Below: East runners enjoying some Smoothie King after their long run this past Saturday!)

Long Run! Saturday, August 16th

We will meet at 7:30 a.m. in the East student lot to drive down to deKoevend Park (site of our second meet of the season) for our long run. This run is highly encouraged for all healthy athletes who want to be their best this year! The long run is one of the most important runs of the week each week!

If you are able to help drive kids down to deKoevend Park, we would appreciate it!

If you missed our time trial recap from earlier in the day, continue reading below!

Well, there is probably nothing more quintessentially Colorado than fickle weather. But after a one hour lightening delay (we were one minute and a couple tenths of a mile from cancelling), the Angels hit the Mile High Loop “Original” 2-mile Time Trial course in City Park. Maybe the delay was worth it, since the temperature dropped from high 90’s to low 80’s in that interval.

The Time Trial is basically a test, answering the question, “what did you do on your summer vacation?” In the boys time trial, Jack Gertge and Mason Harper answered with an emphatic, “we trained like we have never trained before.” The two seniors finished 1st and 2nd respectively with times of 10:57 and 11:01. Junior Emery Wagner, whose summer training was briefly delayed due to injury, was only a few seconds behind in 11:05, and looks like he will be in top form when the real racing starts. It was no surprise to see sophomore Tre Even cross the line 4th in 11:26, coming off his breakthrough track season last spring. Senior Kyle Kojima also looked like he was starting the season in good form, finishing 5th in 11:40.

It is not unusual for the Angels to have a freshman boy finish among the top seven. We would have to look a long way back (maybe it has never happened) for a time trial result in which three freshmen boys finished in the top eight. Liam Gerber (12:06), led the way for these ninth-graders, followed closely by Noah Erwin (12:09) and Even Mucharsky (12:14).

The leading pack of girls was familiar to Angel fans of the last couple years, with junior Avery Johnson (12:29) leading senior/captains Scout Chomas (12:31) and Julieta Ochoa (12:31) across the line. One got the sense that all three had more in the tank, saving it up for the more meaningful races. The gap back to the next group was short. Junior Lola Carhart finished a mere six seconds back of that group in 12:37. Sophomore Fiona Jeong, a revelation last track season, also crossed in 12:37, with her 5th place finish, followed by fellow sophomore Lila Brown in 12:41.

In an echo of the boys race, the next three girls across the line were all ninth graders, led by Tessa Fe Morris (13:10), followed closely by Norah Dysart (13:11) and Charlotte Clarke (13:14). In a typical season, we will see a bunch of ninth graders (in addition to the aforementioned) make massive improvements. The future of East Cross Country continues to be promising.

Reminder/Announcements: Spike Night – Runners Roost on South Colorado on Monday, August 18. Potluck/Season Kickoff Meeting – The Commons at East HS on Wednesday, August 20 (note date change).

We are really proud of all 70 runners who completed the Time Trial yesterday. A quick shoutout to Henry Bennet, Corrine Kennedy, and Isaiah Springer, who all earned a “pass” from the Time Trial by finishing in the Top-15 at our Regional Championship last year. Our excitement for the upcoming season just keeps increasing. The results below we believe accurately reflect the order of finish, but we know the times after the first runners are a bit off (one person hand-timing 70 finishers will do that). Honestly, we don’t care about the times, just the great efforts demonstrated.

Thank-you to our alumni who came out to support the team. Photographed below with a trivia question. Know your East XC history – prize for the athlete with most complete answer today at practice.

BoysGirls
Jack Gertge10:57Avery Johnson12:29
Mason Harper11:01Scout Chomas12:31
Emery Wagner11:05Julieta Ochoa12:31
Tre Even11:26Lola Carhart12:37
Kyle Kojima11:40Fiona Jeong12:37
Liam Gerber12:06Lila Brown12:41
Noah Erwin12:09Tessa Fe Morris13:10
Evan Mucharsky12:14Norah Dysart13:11
Abraham Morginsky12:15Charlotte Clarke13:14
Luke Rasquinna12:16Ainslie Mohr13:16
Zachary Smiles12:16Cate Carhart14:33
Sam Schmidt12:35Imogen Nemitz15:35
Brady Cooper13:09Abby Forsberg15:50
Finley Knight13:49Rachel Jackson16:05
Jackson Ruedi13:50Abby Watanabe16:44
Tyce Weber13:53Abby Evenson16:48
Elias Striker13:56Clementine Wolpert16:50
Owen Van DeVelde14:15Helen Love17:10
Henry Percival14:19Addy Everhart17:40
Graham Garrison14:43Audrey Hinshaw17:45
Otto Schumacher14:44Olivia James17:46
Graham Hyde15:14Fiona Wren18:23
Wyatt Jackson15:32Sierra Payne18:37
Ronan McMillan15:36Molly Wren18:44
Eilliot Sense15:37Harper Watson19:24
Hutton Zimmerman15:49Heidi Krohne19:29
Fletcher Hoelsher15:58Vera Weatherford19:39
Aldo Digacomo15:59Zoe Thomas19:59
Owen Kortsch16:24Nadia Debick20:00
Henry Rost16:58Hope Skinner20:04
Leopold Damm18:04Aaron Lemig20:05
Max Konowal20:07Ellie Cole20:50
Malik Pulsipher21:35Akira Niefr23:37
Miles Levy23:54Lauren Herrera
Ellis Booth23:55Emily Griffin
Two of our three XC All-Americans are in this photo. Who is the third? How many City League (DPS) cross country individual league titles did this group win? In addition to Rosie Mucharsky, who is the other state champion in the photo? Which of these Angels were members of League Championship teams?