Yuma High School’s girls cross country team is in the Class 2A Cross Country Championships for the second straight season.
The Indians finished fifth in the team scores Thursday afternoon in the Class 2A Region 1 Meet in Lyons. That earned them the region’s final team berth to the state meet, October 30 in Colorado Springs.
YHS almost qualified both teams, as the boys finished sixth, five points out of fifth place. None of the boys qualified as individuals.
The girls scored 94 points, barely edging out Dawson School (98 points) for the fifth and final team berth. Lake County won the girls regional title with 38 points, Heritage Christian Academy was second with 41, Lyons third with 51, and Clear Creek fourth with 69. A total of nine schools posted team scores.
Hailey Eyring led the way for the Indians with another top 10 finish. The junior came in eighth, covering the picturesque route in the foothills of Lyons in 22 minutes, 40.2 seconds. Ashley Ibanez placed 20th in 23:58.8. Samantha Wells took 31st with a time of 25:00.7, and Myka McDonald was 35th in 25:30.7 to round out the team scoring. Fatima Duran was 42nd in 26:33.2, Alyssa Roberts came in 46th in 26:48.3, and Wendy Garcia 52nd in 28:53.8
Heritage Christian won the boys regional title with 26 points, followed by Lyons with 36, Twin Peaks Charter Academy 53, Wiggins 69, and Clear Creek 119, five points ahead of the Indians. A total of 12 schools posted team scores.
Javier Duran was the top placer for the Indians, finishing 23rd in 19:16.6. Angel Escobar was 26th in 19:23.9, Jaxson Lungwitz 40th in 20:15.1, and Mely Gonzalez 41st in 20:19.6 to round out the team scoring. Liam McClaran was 58th in 22:34.2 Jaime Montanez 74th in 24:15.3, and Angel Ibarra 84th in 27:32.6.
