KEENE – Competing against the teams they will face in district and then some, the Clifton boys and girls cross country teams found out where they stand at the Keene Invitational last Wednesday.
In a field that also included some Class 4A squads, the Clifton boys placed eighth as a team, while the Lady Cubs finished in 12th place. Senior Daniella Gaona led the Clifton girls with a ninth place finish, followed by sophomore Kasandra Gaona (52nd), sophomore Kamryn Zint (80th), junior Autumn Estrada (87th) and junior Katelyn Hunt (94th).
“We have some work to do before the district meet gets here in a little more than a month,” said Clifton cross country head coach Ryan Hunt, who will take his teams to the McGregor Invitational this Saturday. “But I feel good about where we are at right now. We are getting in to the time of the year where the intensity of our workouts are gradually increasing and our kids always respond well.”
Although Cubs did not place anyone in the top 40, the young Clifton boys — freshman Peyton Urbanovsky (51st), junior Cameron Bateson (52nd), sophomore Jorge Rodriguez (53rd) and junior Jordan Rodriguez (57th) — ran strong in the middle of the pack.
“Both our girls and boys teams are going to be right in the mix for one of those top three spots at the district meet, just like we were last year when both finished fourth,” Hunt said. “One of our goals every year as a group is to finish in the top three teams at district and get as many top 10 individuals as possible, so we can advance to regional.”
Photos by SANDRA VASQUEZ GAONA & ALICIA ERICA ESTRADA
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