The DVCC Boys Cross Country traveled to Tumbleweed Park on Saturday, September 12th, to kick off the 2020 Cross Country season at the 25th annual Chandler Invitational.
This was the Thunder's first visit to the Chandler Invitational since 2013.
The Chandler Invitational is a long-standing event that offers a series of class-based races instead of the typical Varsity and JV/Open model. This unique format allows runners the chance to run as a team against others from their grade level. Due to the size of the field, and recent health events, each race was further divided into two heats. The results of each heat were then combined to determine the final order of finish and scoring.
In the Freshmen race, the DVCC Boys captured second place with a total of 69 points. The team was led by Kaden Evans, who posted a time of 18:04, barely edging fellow freshman Mason Klann who finished in 18:04.9. They were followed to the tape by TJ Strubbe (18:12), Aaron Martin (18:58), and Kaiden Hathaway (19:35).
In the Sophomores race, the Thunder Boys took home a 4th-place finish with a total of 113 pts, just eight points from 3rd-place. Ty Anderson (16:28) was the first Thunder runner to cross the line. Next across the line were Shaud Becenti (17:58) and Stevie Saurini (17:59). Max Worthen (18:10) and Jake Schenach (18:38) rounded out the scoring for the race.
In the Juniors race, the Desert Vista squad grabbed a second-place finish with a total of 101 pts, a mere ten points from first place. The team was led by Ethan Bukowski, who finished in 16:07. He was followed by Nolan Billeter (16:27), Jonathan Estrada (17:07), and Diego Rueda (17:38). Jack Landers completed the scoring with a time of 18:04.
In the Seniors race, DVCC totaled 138 pts to finish in fifth place, missing 4th by only five points. The veterans were led by Chris Broze, who ran a time of 16:46. He was followed by Jacob Cardon (17:04) and Noah Patch (17:41). 2020 Co-Captain Caleb Yaso was next with a time of 17:49. Martin Fuller, recently returned to the squad, wrapped up the scoring with a time of 19:08.
Next up for the Thunder is the Western Equinox Cross Country Festival in Gilbert on Saturday, September 19th.
GO THUNDER!