Cross Country State

Race in Reno!//Warming up for the biggest race of the year, the Coronado Women’s Cross Country team prepares to run. The adrenaline builds as these Cougars get ready for the excitement to come.

The Coronado women’s team went up to Reno this Saturday, November 8, to run at the NIAA State Championship. Jacob Sturm qualified for state on the men’s team, and the entire women’s team qualified. They are running this at Rancho San Rafael Park, with gorgeous views and a tough, but incredible course. The Men’s 5A race was at 10:00 am and the Women’s at 12:30.

Heading up, the team went on a couple runs to check the course out and tried to mentally prepare for the upcoming race. The team's coach, Tyrel Cooper is new this season but has helped to improve the runners mindset on races. Junior Isla Ulmer, an important member on the team, explains the day before the race. 

“We all had a really fun time on the bus. We were able to relax and hang out before the big race. I think it is important to be able to bond with my teammates because I am able to work hard for them in the race since I know how important it is to not only me but my team as well.” Ulmer said.

The men’s race, which only senior Sturm was running in, was at 10:00 a.m. There was lots of competition and Jacob Sturm was able to place 54th out of 84 of the state's best runners. Senior Jacob Sturm was able to qualify as an individual because of his top 7 place of the runners not on a state-qualified team placement.

“It was really exciting to get to go to state this year, and although the course was kind of hard with the giant hill, it was important for our team to be able to go out and work are hardest,” Ulmer said.

The women’s 5A varsity race was at 12:30 p.m., and Coronado was expected to race very well considering their incredible season. Senior Brooke-Lynn Miller has broken several course records this season and is reaching new heights. She raced an incredible time of 19:19, placing her in the top 10. Right behind her was senior Gabrielle Benoualid with an outstanding time of 19:41. Our three runners after that were close together. 

“Everybody on our team tried their best, and we have worked the entire season to get to this point. We stayed consistent with our times, and I thought it was really cool to be able to have that experience. All of us played important roles in our success overall as a team,” Ulmer said.

Overall, the girls’ team placed fourth in the hardest division in the state. This ended the season off in a great way, and we are excited to see what this team is capable of doing in the future.