Carson High girls cross country won their second straight Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) 5A Team State Title, this past Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, at Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno. The girls defended the title, with five runners finishing in the top 10.
Sophomore Hannah Budd lead the girls team for the win with a third-place finish (and a time of 19:51), followed by sophomore Vea Miner in sixth (20:05), sophomore Brianna Rodriguez-Nunez in seventh (20:08), junior Jinnie Ponczoch in eighth (20:19), sophomore Madison Hager in 10th (20:37), freshman Anna Shane in 22nd (21:34) and junior Eleanor Romeo in 32nd (21:43).
The girls dominated the field, putting together a lower score (29) than they had in last weekend’s regional championship (33). Bishop Manogue’s team was second with 63 points followed by Bishop Gorman in third (127), Faith Lutheran in fourth (135) and Reno in fifth (136).
The boys cross country team took sixth place overall with a score of 142. Junior Sawyer Macy finished in the top 10 in ninth place with a time of 17:24, followed by sophomore Sean Thornton in 17th (17:52), junior Alex Miner in 21st (17:53), sophomore Nate Freed in 53rd (18:51), freshman Ivan Romeo in 72nd (19:41), freshman Quinn Kuchnicki in 73rd (19:43) and sophomore Mark Walther in 79th (20:40).
More than 100 students and community supporters (including the Carson High Blue Thunder Band, the CHS Cheer Team and basketball athletes) surprised the girls and boys cross country teams with an inspirational sendoff as they left Carson High School Saturday morning before the races. Additionally, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office provided the teams with a police escort through town, past Lakeview. Watch the sendoff video on Instagram.
“We are extremely proud of our team in representing our school and community,” said Dan Carstens, principal of Carson High. “This triumph not only reflects their exceptional athletic abilities but also underscores the unwavering spirit and relentless pursuit of excellence that defines our school and our community.”
Carson Girls Cross Country Team – Photo Credit Jeff Mulvihill, Instaimage – Left to Right: freshman Lillian Barker, freshman Myakoda John, junior Eleanor Romeo, sophomore Vea Miner, sophomore Brianna Rodriguez-Nunez, sophomore Madison Hager, sophomore Hannah Budd, junior Jinnie Ponczoch, freshman Elizabeth Barker, freshman Anna Shane and senior Ella Dooley.