The Carson High School girls cross country team poses after winning the Class 5A North regional team title for the second year in a row. Pictured from left to right, head coach Jason Macy, Brianna Rodriguez-Nunez, Hannah Budd, Vea Miner, Eleanor Romeo, Madison Hager, Jinnie Ponczoch, Anna Shane and assistant coach Jon Hager.
Photo by Carter Eckl.
Last season, Carson High School girls cross country won the Class 5A North regional title by six points, scraping past Bishop Manogue.
This fall, the team title wasn’t much of a contest as the Senators had all seven of their runners finish inside of the top 14.
As a team, Carson put up a score of 33 points beating out second place Bishop Manogue (81 points) by a 48-point margin.
One set of expectations and goals have been checked, but now the Senator girls want another state title.
“It feels great. There was so much stress on us,” said Vea Miner. “It was a really good opportunity to run it today. You learn where to push
“It’s kind of a relief. We have been putting the pressure on ourselves,” said Jinnie Ponczoch.
They’ll do so with a bit of home-field advantage as the Nevada State Cross Country meet will be held back at Rancho San Rafael Saturday, Nov. 4.
Dominating at the front
Though Carson didn’t have the first or second place finishers as individuals, it was once again the team aspect for the Senators that carried them to a regional crown.
Hannah Budd took third in 19:40, finishing four seconds behind second place.
“I’m actually really proud. My goals were to help my team win and get third,” said Budd.
Miner crossed the line in sixth in 20:22 while Brianna Rodriguez-Nunez was seventh in 20:31.
Budd, Miner and Rodriguez-Nunez were all given medals for finishing top seven.
Right behind them were Ponczoch (20:42) and Madison Hager (20:50) who were eighth and ninth, respectively.
Eleanor Romeo was 13th in 21:35 and freshman Anna Shane was 14th in 21:48.
“It was a goal we knew we could achieve. It was kind of expected that we could do something we have been working for for six months,” said Romeo. “I felt great. I knew where I needed to be and what people to be in front of.”
“Running with Eleanor is honestly one of the highlights of my week, every single week,” said Shane.
The team wasn’t concerned with their times more than their places as the challenging, hilly course doesn’t align with some of the quicker times Carson has posted on quicker, flatter course this fall.
(Four Carson High School girls cross country runners try to gain on the front of the pack Friday afternoon, during the Class 5A North regional girls cross country meet. Pictured from front to back are Vea Miner, Brianna-Rodriguez-Nunez, Jinnie Ponczoch and Madison Hager. Carter Eckl / Nevada Appeal)
Getting a first look at the course
A soggy, muddy Rancho San Rafael Park made the regional meet a bit more challenging than a standard meet from this season.
The Senators couldn’t have asked for much better temperature, but they still left Friday’s regional meet with evidence that they had been running in some sloppy conditions.
The 5K course started on grass that had been muddied from use in previous races before transitioning onto a dirt path and looping up a hill before dropping back down onto the grass.
The Senator girls essentially paced each other the whole way and locked up the team regional title before 10th place had even finished.
It was an ideal preview of the course as the Senators now know how to run the hills more efficiently.
“There are some parts of the course that are super muddy, … so we know for next week, which spots to avoid,” said Ponczoch.
The downhill portions will be where the Senators hope to gain ground on any runners in front of them.
“Bringing extra socks,” laughed Romeo. “We have to push as hard as we can up the hills and then cruising on the way down and passing as many people as we can.”
“Today I learned once you’re on the top, don’t slow down,” said Madison Hager.
Of course, with how much work and running the team has put into this season, running the same course a second time wouldn’t necessarily have the same appeal if it wasn’t for a state title.
“It’s not our favorite to run our course two weeks in a row,” said Budd. “It’s nice to know what to expect and it’s kind of an advantage over the south teams.”
(Carson High’s Hannah Budd and Bishop Manogue’s Amaya Aramini run side-by-side through the early portion of the Class 5A North girls regional cross country meet at Rancho San Rafael Park Friday. Carter Eckl / Nevada Appeal)