CHEYENNE – Wind played a major role in the Class 4A East Conference cross-country meet Friday afternoon at North Cheyenne Community Park.
The sustained breeze coming from the west didn’t alter the results, but it drove times up considerably. Both the girls and boys champions ran up to 2 minutes slower than they did the week prior.
Cheyenne Central junior Bridger Brokaw won the boys title, finishing Friday’s race in 17 minutes, 31.6 seconds. That time was 1:45 slower than his winning time at the Leroy Sprague Invitational on Oct. 7 in Cheyenne.
Brokaw factored the wind into his race strategy.
“I knew if I could just sit behind the leader until the second mile and let him take that wind that it would kill him,” he said. “It killed me. … The wind was going to hurt everyone. That was the biggest factor. I had to use it to my advantage.”
Brokaw hung behind Sheridan senior Austin Akers for most of the race before pulling ahead with the wind at his back.
“He made a surge, and then he kind of backed off of it and was breathing hard. That’s when I made my move,” Brokaw said. “I slowly started pulling away. I couldn’t speed up much because of the wind.”
Central won the team title with 25 points, while Sheridan was the runner-up at 37.
The Indians also put seniors Will Barrington and Toren Rohde, freshman Race Morrell and junior Trevor Schmidt in the top 10. Barrington placed fourth in 17:57.1, while Morrell and Schmidt were fifth and sixth, respectively. Morrell needed 18:23.4 to complete the 5-kilometer course, while Schmidt clocked in at 18:29.3. Rohde was ninth (18:42.9).
Senior Zane Reed didn’t factor into the team score as the sixth Central runner to cross the finish line, but his time of 18:53.4 was good enough for 11th.
Cheyenne East captured third with 87 points. Freshman Lucas Steveson led the Thunderbirds with a 10th-place time of 18:49.6. Cheyenne South didn’t have enough runners to register a team score. The Bison had a trio of freshmen who finished 35th, 36th and 37th.
Central’s girls also claimed the team title, finishing with 23 points. Sheridan was second (54), and East took third (63).
Central senior Sydney Morrell won the individual crown in 20:23.3. That was more than 2 minutes slower than her winning time at the Leroy Sprague meet a week prior.
Morrell was familiar with the North Park course, having run it a couple times during the 2020 season. She expected to run a slower time because of the grass at the soccer complex that is both taller and longer than most of the golf courses that host cross-country races.
The wind was an unexpected challenge, though.
“I wanted to get out fast and build a lead to build up my confidence,” Morrell said. “I have never had as painful a race as what I experienced out here. I was to the point where I felt sick because of the wind. There’s no wind block anywhere. I was already tired by mile 1 and ready to be done.
“My legs also hurt so bad because of the grass. I was running up on my toes most of the time.”
Central senior Averie Perriton and junior Emma Hofmeister placed second and third, respectively. Perriton finished in 20:46.4, while Hofmeister crossed the line in 21:06.9. Sophomore Rian Cordell-Reiner placed sixth in 21:35.3. Senior Lauren Clarke rounded out Central’s scoring runners, placing 11th in 22:05.1.
The East girls were led by junior Ynes Ronnau, who took seventh in 21:49.6. Senior Mikaila Trujillo finished eighth in 21:56.3.
Cheyenne South was led by freshman Sarah Hedum, who took 27th in 24:36.8.
All three Cheyenne schools will return to action Saturday at the Wyoming Class 4A state championships in Ethete.
PREP CROSS-COUNTRY
CLASS 4A EAST
CONFERENCE MEET
at North Cheyenne Community Park
GIRLS
Team Scores
1. Cheyenne Central 23; 2. Sheridan 54; 3. Cheyenne East 63; 4. Campbell County 91; 5. Thunder Basin 123.
Top 10 Individuals
1. S. Morrell, Central, 20:23.3; 2. Perriton, Central, 20:46.4; 3. Hofmeister, Central, 21:06.9; 4. Haugen, Campbell County, 21:28.4; 5. Alicke, Sheridan, 21:30.5; 6. Cordell-Reiner, Central, 21:35.3; 7. Y. Ronnau, East, 21:49.6; 8. Trujillo, East, 21:56.3; 9. Fehlauer, Sheridan, 21:59.5; 10. Miller, Sheridan, 22:00.2.
BOYS
Team Scores
1. Cheyenne Central 25; 2. Sheridan 37; 3. Cheyenne East 87; 4. Thunder Basin 91; 5. Campbell County 122.
Top 10 Individuals
1. Brokaw, Central, 17:31.6; 2. Akers, Sheridan, 17:42.0; 3. Wiley, Sheridan, 17:45.9; 4. Barrington, Central, 17:57.1; 5. R. Morrell, Central, 18:23.4; 6. Schmidt, Central, 18:29.3; 7. Miller, Sheridan, 18:38.7; 8. Hardesty, Thunder Basin, 18:42.6;. 9. Rohde, Central, 18:42.9; 10. Steveson, East, 18:49.6.
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