Berthoud Girls Take Class 3A Cross Country Title in Colorado Springs

Berthoud claimed the Class 3A girls cross country championship on Saturday at the Norris Penrose Event Center.

Juniors Anna Bagley and Lydia Cabrera crossed seventh and eighth, separated by .08 seconds on the clock. Emily Dennison placed 14th in 19:49.5, Aubrey Clopper 23rd in 20:16.8, and Jordan Jones 27th in 20:29.4. With those five finishers across and no other team having five in yet, the Spartans secured the title. Bagley finished in 19:16.6. Zoe Ervin was 43rd in 20:57.6 and Blythe Cartwright 49th in 21:04.7. Berthoud finished with 62 points; Manitou Springs was second with 126.

It is the first cross country title for the program and Berthoud's first state championship in any sport since the girls track and field team won in 2011. The team had placed 14th in Class 4A last season and 16th the year before.

The Spartans entered the meet ranked No. 1 in 3A by both the Colorado High School Coaches Association and MileSplit.com. They won their division at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede on the state course to open the season, then took the Patriot League and Class 3A Region 4 championships. The team traveled to Colorado Springs on Saturday morning. Coach Luke Spitz said the move down from 4A changed the team's position. "We were fighting for our life to get into state last year in 4A," Spitz said. "Coming down to 3A just makes us so much more competitive."

Cabrera said the opening was clean before the course turned difficult. "The start was pretty good. It was a little slick, but we got out and felt good. Then, up that first hill, it became more of a mental battle from there on out," Cabrera said. "I do it for my team and for my friends." Bagley ran alongside her teammate through the finish. "It's awesome. It's really fun to have a partner running that's on your team," Bagley said. Cabrera said the result had not settled in. "I think it's just so surreal," she said. "I just can't wait to see my team."

Eaton's Delaney Reuter and Brush's Evelyn Lapp led finishers into the arena. Jones became the fifth Berthoud runner across while Manitou Springs had three. Zoe Ervin and Blythe Cartwright also competed for Berthoud. Of the nine Berthoud runners at the meet, seven entered the race and two were alternates; one is a senior.

The Spartans lined up in the first box Saturday morning with the state title in reach. Berthoud's roster returns next season to defend the championship, with eight of the nine runners at the meet still eligible.