Runners see success at Liberty Bell

The Panthiger cross country team had another good weekend for their runners as they competed at the Liberty Bell Invitational in Littleton, Colo. on Sept. 7. The men’s varsity, who were 1A/2A Champions last year, finished in the top 10 over the weekend as a team with most of the individual runners placing in the top 50 percent.

“The group has made some great strides over the first three weeks of the season and I want to thank all of them for the effort they put into being successful,” said Rex Hohnholt, head coach for cross country. “It is not easy running everyday, but this blue collar group knows that they can accomplish anything with hard work and consistency.”

In the women’s varsity, out of 191 runners, Amber Stubbs placed 73rd with a time of 24:28. Kaitlyn Campbell came in seconds later with a time of 24:44 and placed 81st.

In the men’s varsity, a total of 270 runners competed. The Bartlett twins were the top placers for the team as Grant Bartlett placed 2nd with a time of 17:03. Grady Bartlett followed by only two seconds and came in 4th place. Jarom Herring finished with a time of 17:42 and placed 19th. 

Joey Gonzales and Kelton Johnson placed in the top half of the nearly 300 runners with Gonzales finishing with a time of 19:54 and placing 102nd and Johnson finishing with a time of 20:33 and placing 124th. Calvin Condict and Brayden Barkhurst were at the top of the other half of runners, with Condict placing 138th after finishing with a time of 20:56 and Barkhurst finished with a time of 21:03 and placing 146th.

All together, the men’s varsity team finished in 6th place among 23 teams that competed in the invite.

“I’m looking forward to continued growth in all of them and consistency through the season,” Hohnholt said.

Due to some scheduling conflicts with other meets and Saratoga Homecoming, the Panthigers are tentatively scheduled to compete in Kimball, Neb. on Friday.