(CHANDLER, Ariz.) Cross Country season is up and running and the Knights are wasting no time, with six Gilbert Christian athletes placing in one of the biggest meets of the year, the Chandler Invitational.
"We ramped up training this year on the boys' side and I'm so proud of how hard these kids have been working," Head Coach Amy Ford said. "The effort that they have put in during the preseason really showed big today. These kids are consistent. They show up, they work hard and they are some of the most coachable kids I've had the pleasure of working with."
The Chandler Invite is raced in age groupings. Two freshman boys, Jacob Shields and Caleb Katzorke, started the day for GCHS, representing their class well in the first meet of their respective high school careers. Shields finished in 20:48, while Katzorke ran a 22:21 for the Knights.
On the girls' side, first-year runner Anniston Ervin was impressive, placing 23rd among ninth graders and medaling, with a time of 24:10. Freshman Charlotte Bisceglie also completed for the GCHS freshman, crossing the line in 27:16.
Asa Jones demonstrated his growth in the sophomore race, where he medaled and claimed eighth overall for the Knights. His time of 17:11 blew his 2023 Chandler Invite mark of 18:46 out of the water.
Sophomore Holden Lang also medaled (34th) with his 18:46 finish. Like Jones, Lang was able to improve drastically on his previous course time of 20:21.
Vaughn Sees and Bradley Craven added to the second-year talent pool, running a 19:39 and a 23:42, respectively, for the GCHS sophomore class.
Two familiar faces competed for the GCHS 10th-grade girls, and both finished in the top-25. Kodi Bell posted a time of 21:39 to collect a medal in 17th place, while Madyn Allan clocked in at 22:15 to claim 25th.
Team captain Chaucer Tutty was the lone GCHS competitor for the junior boys, but didn't let that deter him, as he placed 30th overall, finishing a minute faster (18:11) than he did in 2023 on the course.
In the girls' third-year competition, Alexa Swearingen ran the Tumbleweed course in 24:24, crossing the line in 54th. Swearingen posted another huge PR from last year's meet, when she ran a 27:50.
The Knights are back in action on Saturday, September 7th at the Great Western Equinox XC Invite (Freestone Park).
-GO KNIGHTS-
