In It To Win It

The Saratoga Panther cross-country team finished their season at state in Cheyenne on October 26 with freshman Vanessa King earning all state honors.

“A big congratulations goes out to our newest All-State performer, Vanessa King,” said Head Coach Rex Hohnholt. “A great honor for you Vanessa and you and others are just scratching the surface of what you can achieve in the future.”

While the teams did not stand on the podium for a team win — the gains made over the course of the season were evident.

Girls’ Varsity Results—(Race distance 5000 meters/3.1 miles)

Vanessa King—8th Place—23:29 (7:34 per mile pace); Zoe Butler—14th Place—24:39 (7:57 per mile pace); Aspen Sewell—20th Place—26:05 (8:24 per mile pace); Madi Dunning—21st Place—26:26 (8:31 per mile pace); Eden Scott—23 rd Place—29:06 (9:23 per mile pace)

Varsity Boys’ Results—(Race distance 5000 meters/3.1 miles)

Elijah Williams—17th Place—19:45 (6:22 per mile pace); Zane Butler—29th Place—20:53 (6:44 per mile pace); Decker Sipe—39th Place—21:46 (7:01 per mile pace); Dylan Greenberg—47th Place—23:09 (7:28 per mile pace)

When the first race of the season hosted by Wyoming Indian is compared to the state competition — the time and effort put into the season is impressive.

Girls’ Varsity First Race versus State

King — 28:33/23:29 (5 minute improvement); Butler 27:13/24:39 (3 minute improvement); Sewell — 29:32/26:05 (3 minute improvement); Dunning 27:22/26:26 (1 minute improvement); Scott 37:23/29:06 (8 minute improvement)

Boys’ Varsity First Race versus State

Williams — 23:52/19:45 (4 minute improvement); Butler 22:36/20:53 (2 minute improvement); Sipe 24:50/21:46 (3 minute improvement); Greenberg 26:03/23:09 (3 minute improvement)

“It was great to see so many of you make great strides in your performances throughout the season and from one year to the next,” said Hohnholt. “It seems like this season should not be over as I felt we had a lot more to achieve.”

The Panthers will hang up their shoes for this season, but their coach has some good advice for training for next year.

“It is important to stay active throughout the year and if you want to be one of the state's top runners or teams, your summers need to be filled with mileage, cross-training, and strength training,” said Hohnholt.

Saratoga will attack the roads again in the fall of 2025.