Coronado girls serve notice at Roadrunner Invitational

Lauren Lucas and her Coronado teammates found the cross country course at Tech to their liking Saturday.

And that could be bad news for the rest of the Sunrise Region in three weeks.

Lucas won a 3.1-mile race in 21 minutes, 26 seconds, helping the Cougar girls capture the Roadrunner Invitational on the same course on which the Sunrise Region meet will be held on Oct. 17.

“I felt like I had a great race, and I am so proud of my teammates who helped us to another strong team victory,” Lucas said. “I stayed motivated, focused, and pushed through the hill, and then I had a powerful surge all the way to the finish line. I am excited to run this course at Sunrise Championships and to beat my time from today.”

Foothill captured the boys team title, nosing out Durango.

Coronado dominated the girls race, placing five runners in the top 18 and finishing with 42 points. Foothill was second at 88, followed by Tech at 120.

The Cougars’ Erin Smith was second in 21:41, barely beating Liberty’s Joslyn Evans to the finish line.

“I felt good about my race, and Lauren really pushed me to keep running strong as I focused on her ahead of me,” Smith said. “It was also motivating for me to know that my teammates were close behind me and running the best that they could.” 

Foothill junior Cheyanne Jones (21:49) and Tech freshman Taylor Coss (21:58) rounded out the top five spots.

In addition to Lucas and Smith, Coronado’s scoring came from junior Casey Almeido (22:11, eighth place), junior Krystal Hosaka (22:27, 13th), and junior Shannon Donohue (22:59, 18th).

Foothill’s boys used a bit more balance to secure their title.

Carl Greene, who placed fifth in 17:57, was the Falcons’ top finisher. Brian Arvizu was seventh in 18:13.

The Falcons had a team score of 100. Durango was second at 110, followed by Coronado at 135.

Del Sol’s Colin Smith won the race in 17:10, six seconds faster than Clark’s Jacob Naylor.

“I thought I had a good race, and I feel like I am getting stronger and more confident the more I race,” Smith said. “I am determined and motivated to continue to succeed and reach my greatest potential, as well as peak at the perfect time for the end of the season.”

Liberty’s Al Galan was third in 17:29, followed by Durango’s Jaime Mitchell in 17:54.