'Stangs motor to strong finishes
Mullen girls are 5th and boys are 13th in the Colorado Cross Country Championships; program erases 2-year drought.
COLORADO SPRINGS – Over the previous two seasons, Mullen failed to be represented at the Colorado Championships in Class 4A cross country.
No individuals. No teams.
The Mustangs rectified that on Saturday with strong showings in both races.
Competing at the Norris Penrose Event Center, Mustangs girls flew to a fifth-place finish and boys were 13th.
On what may have been the final, glorious Saturday in early fall, complete with brilliant sunshine, warm temperatures and ideal conditions for a distance-running championship, Mullen’s moves reinvigorated the program.
“A great day,” Mustangs head coach Joe Welling said.
So much of it went according to plan. The girls, aiming for a top-five finish, once again road mainstay Amy O’Connell and Elisa Brear, a senior transfer from California who was delighted to compete in Colorado. Plus, the team’s pack mentality and penchant again came into play.
Brear, who will sign on Nov. 10 with Lehigh in Pennsylvania, had the slight edge Saturday, finishing 23rd in 20 minutes, 2.4 seconds, and O’Connell 24th in 20:03.6.
“They were together,” Welling said, “at the first mile and the second mile … they really ran the race together.”
Said O’Connell, in her first state championship in cross country and track after being oh-so-close: “I didn’t have a lot of time expectations or anything, but I was just so happy to be here. I loved it and loved having Elisa with me.”
Kira Van der Steen was 44th, Julia Brown 75th and Genna Hockin 99th to account for the scoring.
Welling said “the strategy was we got here as a a team, so we use the strength of the team to place high, and that’s exactly what we did. “
Best of all, he added: “How many people go from not qualifying as a team to the top five?”
For boys, the Mustangs were 13th of 20 teams. They were topped once again by senior Jack Tolbert, 39th in 17:09, and sophomore Jacob Sushinsky, 42nd, 17:12.7.
“We were seeded 14th, so we were right where we thought we would be,” Welling said. “It was almost scripted, so it kind of went according to plan. Jack and Jake were a strong 1-2 and Owen McCarter (66th) had a strong day.”
Travis Hockin (88th) and Mason Atwell (116th) rounded out the Mullen scoring.
Not surprisingly, Niwot’s girls finished 1-2-4-6-7 for a ridiculous team score of 20. The Cougars’ Evan Klingbeil won in 17:58.9.
And there was no shock concerning the boys team winner. Nationally ranked Cheyenne Mountain was first in impressive fashion, grabbing 2, 3, 4, 6 and 11. The individual winner, senior Zane Bergen of Niwot, defended his medalist in record time, winning in 15:17.7.
At the end of the day, multiple Mustangs may not have been happy with their times, but their finishes, placings and contributions to their teams were what mattered most.
Said Welling: “Finishing across the finish line at state is a great honor.”
CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Norris Penrose Event Center, Colorado Springs
CLASS 4A
BOYS
Mullen team – 326, 13th.
Mullen individuals – 39. Jack Tolbert, 17:09.2; 42. Jacob Sushinsky, 17:12.7; 66. Owen McCarter, 17:41.0; 88. Travis Hockin, 18:10.6; 116. Mason Atwell, 18:54.1; 133. 133. Diego Taboada-Cross, 19:10.9; 151. Kellen Fischel-Case, 20:21.3.
GIRLS
Mullen team – 206, 5th.
Mullen individuals – 23. Elisa Brear, 20:02.4; 24. Amy O’Connell, 20:03.6; 44. Kira Van der Steen, 20:46.3; 75. Julia Brown, 21:37.8; 85. Alicia Muller, 21:46.9; 99. Genna Hockin, 22:08.8; 102. Maddie Sanchez, 22:13.6.
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