CMC x-country runners race up the record sheet

Personal or season bests set as regional championships near

By Mike McKibbin

Oct. 9, 2023 — Records were set by Colorado Mountain College’s cross-country team at the Friday, Oct. 6, University of Colorado Colorado Springs Open.

Eleven schools from Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico participated, with the men racing 8 kilometers and the women 5 kilometers. There were no team scores, but head coach Darren Brungardt noted nine out of 12 CMC runners ran their personal or season-best times:

• Miles Fischer (76th in a time of 28:06.0).
• Daniel Velasco (84th, 28:38.5). Velasco missed his personal record by one second.
• Kenneth Obregon Orozco (102nd, 31:58.4). This was Orozco’s season best by 0.16 seconds.
• Connor Ripley (105th, 33:51.4).
• Harrison Walter (91st, 29:07.1). “He said he was going to keep up with a faster runner,” said Brungardt. “I was surprised by his goal, but he did it. It was the greatest race he had ever run. Harrison set a personal record in nearly every distance under 8K. The race was his first one under 30 minutes, and he almost broke 29 minutes. Harrison moved into 10th place on CMC’s all-time list.”
• Nate Encinias (94th, 29:30.8). Encinias set a one-minute personal record after starting in last place and joined the sub-30-minute club.
• Lee Shackleford (98th, 30:33.3). Shackleford set a one-minute personal record. At the finish, he was able to out-kick a runner from one of CMC’s rivals, Trinidad State.
• Mikah Gay (58th, 21:40.5). Gay set a 3.5-minute personal record and now stands in third place in CMC history.
• Adaline Fulmer (60th, 22:09). Fulmer set season best by 2.5 minutes and now stands in fifth place in CMC history.
• Zoe Plumer (63rd, 22:34.8). A personal record by 2.5 minutes. Now sixth place in CMC history.
• Brooklyn German (64th, 22:35.7). German set a one-minute personal record. She ran so well, given how hard she has worked in and out of the classroom. Now she stands seventh in CMC history.
• Ayslynn Wardall (65th,25:33.2). Wardell set a one-minute personal record. She has been injured and fought through the pain to finish strong.

“I am overjoyed with the team’s performance,” Brungardt said. “While it as all but a forgone conclusion that Trinidad State will win the regional title on the men’s side, the CMC women have a long-shot chance to win the Region IX title.”

The Eagles host their annual Haunted Hills fundraiser at the Leadville campus on Saturday, Oct. 21, then travel to Beatrice, Nebraska, for the NJCAA Division 1 Region IX Championships on Saturday, Oct. 28.