WATONGA – Bethany freshman Shayne Vonfeldt finished second at the Watonga Cross Country Invitational Saturday (Oct. 12).
Vonfeldt, who led for a good portion of the race, finished with a time of 12:24.7.
Senior Gracie Sparks finished 28th with a time of 13:48.6.
Bethany coach Zac Coulson reminded his team that times weren’t as important due to the difficulty of the course.
“These girls are running so phenomenal at the right time,” Coulson said via text. “I can’t say enough how great Gracie Sparks, Jocelyn Balderas, Ava League, and Sonya Murphy are running at the right time.”
As a team, the Bethany girls finished fourth.
The Bethany girls squad is looking to reach state as a team for the first time since 2018.
“Running cross country isn’t about 1 person, it takes 5-7 kids to bring something together to accomplish team goals,” Coulson said.
CALDERON PACES BETHANY BOYS
Bethany’s boys finished seventh, paced by Artur Calderon. The senior placed 12th individually with a time of 17:58.3.
“The boys ran solid as well,”Coulson said. “Artur Calderon ran a strong race yet again.”
Coulson said he was proud of the effort from sophomore Oliver Thompson (26th, 18:31.1)
“I could tell he was truly leaving it all out there,” Coulson said of Thompson.
The Bethany coach also highlighted freshman Aidan Donoghue (54th, 19:45.8).
“Aidan is coming on strong at the right time of the year, I am extremely proud of his effort the last couple of races,” Coulson said.
Coulson also praised freshman Salyer Stayton (32nd, 18:56.9) and sophomore Clay Powell (44th, 19:32.4) for their consistency.
WATONGA COURSE TOUGH PRECURSOR TO REGIONALS
Coulson called the Watonga course “a legit cross country course.”
“It’s hilly. It’s a lot of turns, it has a lot of sand, you are running in woods and on your own a lot of the time,” Coulson said. “Not a the best spectator friendly course.”
Coulson said this course challenges his runners physically and mentally.
“I told them after their races those words, and that I will take responsibility on not having them better prepared for hills.
“But the end goal is to be ready for regionals and the state.
This race today gets you mentally prepared for regionals.”
UP NEXT
Bethany takes a little bit of a break before Class 4A Regional competition Oct. 26.
WATONGA CROSS COUNTRY INVITATIONAL
GIRLS TEAM SCORES
| PLACE | SCHOOL | AVG. TIME | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hooker | 12:58 | 42 |
| 2 | Watonga | 13:41 | 102 |
| 3 | Chisholm | 13:53 | 118 |
| 4 | Bethany | 14:02 | 141 |
GIRLS INDIVIDUALS
| PLACE | NAME | SCHOOL | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Shayne Vonfeldt | Bethany | 12:23.5 |
| 28 | Gracie Sparks | Bethany | 13:48.6 |
| 38 | Jocelyn Balderas | Bethany | 14:12.6 |
| 43 | Ava League | Bethany | 14:24.9 |
| 68 | Sonya Murphy | Bethany | 15:15.2 |
| 88 | Hattie Adkins | Bethany | 16:00.1 |
| 110 | Emma Green | Bethany | 17.56.2 |
WATONGA CROSS COUNTRY INVITATIONAL
BOYS TEAM SCORES
| PLACE | SCHOOL | AVG. TIME | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chisholm | 17:45 | 69 |
| 2 | Hooker | 17:56 | 74 |
| 3 | OKC Knights | 18:30 | 113 |
| 4 | Mooreland | 18:35 | 121 |
| 5 | Weatherford | 18:42 | 135 |
| 6 | Laverne | 18:46 | 137 |
| 7 | Bethany | 18:57 | 154 |
BOYS INDIVIDUALS
| PLACE | NAME | SCHOOL | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Artur Calderon | Bethany | 17:58.3 |
| 26 | Oliver Thompson | Bethany | 18:31.1 |
| 32 | Salyer Stayton | Bethany | 18.56.9 |
| 44 | Clay Powell | Bethany | 19:32.4 |
| 54 | Aiden Donoghue | Bethany | 19:45.8 |
| 97 | Hunter Wyett | Bethany | 22:15.2 |
| 100 | Ethan Fine | Bethany | 22:19.3 |
| 109 | Ian Redinger | Bethany | 22:56.0 |
| 113 | Michael Clemmer | Bethany | 23:00.8 |
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