Burlington Harriers take second in conference

Burlington hosted their very first cross-country meet on Friday, welcoming Wyoming Indian, Wind River, Thermopolis and Rocky Mountain for the Five Rivers 2A Conference Championship. The Huskies took second place overall with 41 points, compared to Wyoming Indian in first with 24 points. 

“We enjoyed hosting this year. There were a lot of people there who hadn’t seen a cross country meet before and we hope they enjoyed it,” said Coach Ryan Olson. “The kids really performed well too. I think they liked running on the roads and paths that they were so familiar with.” 

Kellen Winters took first place with a time of 15:44, beating the next runner by just under 2 minutes. “Kellen had his best race of the year. It’s a nice confidence boost going into state this week. Connor Hoyt also ran well and received All-Conference Honors. Jaxon Buck has been working hard all year to go under 20 minutes, and he crushed that goal by 27 seconds. Spencer Hamilton also reached his personal goal, ending in 20:36.” 

Olson was very appreciative of the people willing to help with the race. “The volunteers from the school and community were awesome. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a cross country meet that took care of the runners as well as I saw on Friday. The course was well marked, there were plenty of drinks and treats at the finish line, and the positive, uplifting cheers from the crowd gave the kids a lot of motivation. I thought it was wonderful.” 

Burlington will head to Cheyenne on Saturday for the State Cross Country Championships. They will be held at the Little America Golf Course with the 2A boys running at 12:30 p.m. “We look forward to a great meet this week. The kids have a lot to be proud of this year, and I’m sure all of their hard work will show on Saturday,” said Olson. 

BURLINGTON RESULTS

VARSITY BOYS, 5000 METER – 1, Kellen Winters, 15:44.00. 6, Connor Hoyt, 17:25.90. 18, Jaxon Buck, 19:33.20. 25, Ariel Cordova, 20:36.50. 26, Spencer Hamilton, 20:36.50. 30, Bryant Casey, 21:59.70. 37, Tanner Dunlap, 23:21.60. 42, Brian O’Barr, 25:00.40. 44, Jackson Olson, 30:45.90.