The MHS Cross Country team competed in the 4A Region 5 Regional meet on Thursday October 21 in Pueblo. Overall, the team placed 5th but sophomores Kenzie Bush and Olivia Cook placed in the top 15. Bush placed 10th, and Cook placed 15th, making them the only two runners who will advance to the State competition October 30th in Colorado Springs.

       “I feel great and I’m proud of how far I have come this season!” Bush said. “I also feel very fortunate since last year I wasn’t able to go [to State] because of COVID, but now having that opportunity to go is beyond exciting.”

       At the regional meet, the team raced against schools from the Colorado Springs area, some Pueblo schools, and Durango. The top 4 teams from this meet, and the top 15 individuals go to state. This allows individuals from teams that might not do so well together a chance to still go to state individually.

       “For us, we have a girls team that ran really well, and placed fifth, so they didn’t place to go to state, but Kenzie Bush and Olivia Cook placed in the top 15 and so they get to go as individuals, not as the team,” head coach Brian Simpson said. “Now on the boys side, we didn’t have anybody that placed in the top 15 and the boys were one place off of being fifth.”

       Neither the girl or boys placed in the top four as a team, but since Bush and Cook placed top 15 individually at Regionals, they will be competing individually at State and not as a team. 

       “It just feels happy, when I found out I was super excited and I was jumping up and down! I think I ran with all I had that day, it may not have been my best or fastest race but I definitely put everything I had into that race,” Cook said. “I was super determined to be in the top 15 and I just let that motivate me,”

       Bush and Cook will run at the State meet this Saturday October 30th at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs.