Lady Cats cross country team runners up at state

The high school girls returned from the 2A State Championships in Afton with a second place win - Wyoming Indian placed first - and individual runners taking high spots in the top 10. Tahja Hunt finished fifth with 22:06.47; Hallie Martinez seventh with 22:14.22; and McKenna Bomengen eighth with 22:24.96.

Hunt, Martinez and Bomengen were also recognized by the Wyoming Coaches' Association as 2019 WCA All-State athletes.

Coach Steph Metz said the teams knew the course, having run it at the preview meet in September, and they had great placings at the start and knew what to expect.

In addition to the top 10 placings, Metz pointed out the girls dropped their times by two or three minutes compared to the September meet. For Hunt and Martinez, she said, it was certainly their best runs of the season.

They ran with heart, she said, and at one point Martinez even ran with her arms back, as if flying.

Bomengen, Metz said, has been a great competitor all four years of her high school career. Fighting through pain, Metz said Bomengen has given her all and unfortunately didn't finish as well as she would've like.

Dayna Crow and Rebekah Johnson also dropped minutes from their September times, Metz said. She noted Crow did well in the tight curves of the course. These sections can often cause runners to get pushed back, but Crow did a good job of commanding the lead as she went through them.

Metz said it was great to watch Crow and Johnson run hard and compete not just against other schools but themselves, as it was unclear until the end who would finish fourth for the team.

As for the boys, Metz said Cord and Corbin Simeral ran well, though Corbin did not finish in the top 10 like he hoped. Though he competed well, Metz said some side cramps affected him in the race. Cord felt great, she added, and he really went for it and competed strong.

For Isaac Robinson, Metz said it was good for him to be able to run with his team again. He was running solo at regionals, so having all four boys on the course was great.

Karsten Hart was unable to train these past couple weeks, but it didn't stop him from running with passion at state, Metz said. Though he struggled a bit, he ran strong and carried through.

Times from the state meet are:

Girls: Tahja Hunt fifth, 22:06.47, Hallie Martinez seventh, 22:14.22; McKenna Bomengen eighth, 22:24.96; Dayna Crow 25:43.18; Rebekah Johnson 26:01.16; Aspen Jensen 26:13.94

Boys: Cord Simeral 20:32.81; Corbin Simeral 21:06.88; Isaac Robinson 22:47.66; Karsten Hart 23:32.15

As for the season as a whole, Metz said it was successful and it was nice to have a large team. Though she knows Hunt and Bomengen will be off to great adventures in college, it's bittersweet to see them go. The two have been a big push in developing the summer trainings for the program, and are some of the most decorated cross country athletes the high school has seen.