X-Country treks to Liberty Bell

The Saratoga High School cross country team went on a road trip to the Centennial State of Colorado Friday to compete in the Liberty Bell Invitational in Littleton.

The invite, which was the 40th annual, is one of the largest in the Rocky Mountain region and invites teams from all over Colorado, as well as teams from Wyoming, Nebraska and New Mexico.

With stiff competition from four states, including massive high schools in the Front Range area, the Panthers represented the Valley quite well, with Senior Ashlynn Johnson of taking a 38th place finish in the 5-kilometer run amongst a huge field of competitors. Her time was 21:57.

The sheer number of competitors was a factor for the boys as well. Saratoga’s boys ran times in the 5K that included Joey Gonzales’ 45th place, 18:48 time. Gavin Bartlett ran the race in 19 minutes even, good for 49th place.

Most races at the event featured hundreds of runners from schools of all sizes.

The Saratoga Panthers’ next cross country outing is the John Martin Invite Friday in Fort Collins.