Weiser runners post solid times at Nyssa Invitational

Published by admin on Fri, 09/21/2018 - 11:31am

Weiser cross country runner Michael Despain sets a pace and is trailed by a Vale runner and teammate Luke Johnson in the 5K race at Nyssa High School. The Weiser runners posted times at the Nyssa Invitational that were as good as their best times of the season. Conditions for racing were pretty good, the coach said.
By: 
Steve Lyon
The Weiser boys and girls cross country teams traveled to Oregon last week to compete at the Nyssa Invitational and against a large field of runners.
 In the final team scores, the Weiser varsity boys finished in 11th place, while the girls came in seventh place. Borah and Burns, Ore., finished first and second for the boys and Cole Valley Christian and Burns, Ore, were the top two finishers for the girls.
 Weiser coach Scott Hale said the course and weather were favorable for the runners with a mostly flat course on dirt roads and temperatures that were warm but not hot. As a result, individual Wolverines ran some of their best times.
 “I was pretty happy with all the athletes performances. Most of them ran season best times or very close to it,” the first-year varsity coach said.
 Senior Rhett Kunz posted the best time for the Weiser varsity boys with a top 10 finish in a large field of 167 runners in the 5K. His time of 18:15.35 earned him 10th place. His time was the best of any Snake River Valley Conference runner at the event.
 Kunz’s time at Nyssa was just a fraction of a second slower than the season-best time of 18:15.1 that he ran at the Bandanna Jimmy Driscoll Invitational on Aug. 25. 
 Cole Valley Christian senior Brennen Donahue finished first at the Nyssa race with a time of 17:04.59. Daniel Dixon of Greenleaf Friends took the runner-up spot with a time of 17:21.91, and Emmett Klus of Burns was third with a time of 17:22.88.
 Other Weiser runners included Tyler Walker (20:27.42), Guillermo Cobos (20:34.03), Nate Lattin (21:14.06), Colton Foster (21:23.45), Mitchell Westover (22:09.17), Michael Despain (22:31.35), Luke Johnson (22:48.94), Cade Thompson (24:05.35), Kyler Thomason (24:14.86), Colyer Chandler (26:26.81).
 Weiser’s Abbey Shirts had another strong finish at Nyssa, placing second out of a field of 108 varsity runners with a time of 20:19.11. It was her best time of the season and a minute faster than her previous best this year.
 Shirts was only 14 seconds behind the race winner, Tiffany Thomas, of Borah, who finished in 20:05.51. Third place went to Emma Hillam, a runner from Fruitland who finished with a time of 21:11.98.
 Other finishers for Weiser included Ellie Walker (24:32.26), Alonna Freeland (25:11.29), Emily Abramson (25:36.75), Ashlyn Walker (26:13.21), Kiearra Hoobery (26:16.22), Libbie Rynearson (26:58.98), Madi Cobb (27:26.56), Jaclyn Dunn (31:24.94), Elizabeth Horton (31:27.37).
 Hale said the long-term goal for this or any season is always to qualify for state and get faster at meets to get there.
 “These kids have done well working on their endurance, but we are starting to shift gears by focusing more on speed in the coming few weeks,” he said.
 The Weiser cross country teams will compete in the Bob Firman Invitational this Friday at Eagle Island State Park.

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18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
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