Varsity Continental League Championships (10/12)

The varsity boys had the best team run of the year so far!!! 130 points for 7th this year....the League is better than ever before and so are they. Massive improvements from 2022. We finished 31 points behind the #1 ranked team in the State today....not too shabby when you think about it like that.

There is more in the tank though!!! The Continental League is the best league in Colorado, regardless of classification. DC, CV and Heritage are very solids teams in addition to the 3 nationally ranked teams of MV, RC and TR. No bad losses for sure! But I know you have more inside of the 7 who competed and they are primed for another great race on Thursday at the Regional Championships!

Braeden aced his day, he's a guy who can be top 10 in the State of CO. First team All-Continental League. David had a tough one but he races better when he has a couple races back to back without time away. He toughed out 14th place for 2nd team All Continental. He has the capabilities of running with Braeden. Caleb placed well in 23rd, if he runs closer to David and puts himself further up in the race, he could also be a top 14 type character. He has been our steady rock at #3 all season. Liam Sullivan is on a tear lately, he will continue to take risks early and trust his senior strength. He is also a very steady and strong #4. He will only get better next week. Liam Martin stepped up big to score in his first varsity league championship race, he still has more inside of him, expect another great run next week at Regionals. Zane and Carson will be back and ready to roll on Thursday! Throw in Hayden and Mason and these mighty 9 will focus everything on placing in the top 4 next week at Arapahoe County Fairgrounds....the boys are not overlooking this meet. They will need to game up to place top 4 in our region to punch a ticket to the State Meet.

Junior Varsity Continental League Championships (10/12)

The JV 7 of (Mason, Hayden, Jack, Logan, Thomas, Joey and Tom) placed a fantastic 4th overall with 118 points. The spread between our #1-5 of 33 seconds was epic. Hayden and Mason were our top finishers running 18:31 and claiming their spot to compete at the Regional Championships with the rest of the top 7. Tom and Jack stepped up at the last minute to compete in the JV race instead of the Open race. Two freshman competing at the JV level is a great sign early in their careers. The junior tripod of Thomas, Logan and Joey raced tough to round out the 7. Shout out to Jack who got a PR on a very windy and tough course today!

Open Continental League Championships (10/12)

The Open squad placed a very solid 6th with 147 points. Andrew Beatty and Patrick Greene both ran LIGHTS OUT placing 9th and 12th, both running official PRs and getting some low sticks for the team. FRESHMAN….Sam and Lucas scored for the first time in their young careers being our #3 and #4. They helped the team out by moving up the second half of the race. Nash Sayers the newcomer to XC was our #5 guy and scored some important points Freshman WILL K AND TEDDY O displaced to push other teams’ scores higher. 4 FRESHMAN in the TOP 7 of this one. THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR RJXC if these youngsters continue to have fun and work hard!!! Shout out to all the other 18 guys who ran in the open race yesterday!

1. Varsity Boys (2nd Place)- 67 points

• 2 boys in the top 5 (2nd for David and 4th for Braeden)

• 5 boys in the top 30

2. JV Boys (1st Place)- 27 points

• 2 boys in the top 3 (2nd for Hayen and 3rd for Logan)

• 5 boys in the top 10 (Hayden, Logan, Thomas, Tom, and Jack)

• 7 boys in the top 14

• 8 boys in the top 18 (all earning ribbons 😊)

• 40 boys competed!!!!!!!!!!!!

• 49 out of 49 boys on the roster have now completed a 5K race in the Regis Jesuit singlet!!!!!

3) PR List (*2023 Steve Lohman Invitational at Cherry Creek has been determined not be a full 5k race, best estimate is that it was a 3 mile course*)

*Lots of hand calculations for this one!!!

• Braeden (8 sec)- 15:54

• Zane (1 sec)- 17:24

• Hayden (24 sec)- 17:49

• Mason (18 sec)- 17:49

• Logan (42 sec)- 17:50

• Tom (41 sec)- 18:32

• Jack (55 sec)- 18:32

• Reese (13 sec)- 18:42

• Patrick (9 sec)- 19:30

• Andrew B (22 sec)- 19:52

• Gabe (46 sec)- 20:46

• Nash (41 sec)- 20:48

• Connor (1:55 min)- 20:59

• Lucas S. (1:36 min)- 20:59

• Sean (1:03)- 21:02

• Chase (1:03 min)-21:10

• Lucas P. (59 sec)- 21:22

• Teddy (9 sec)- 21:39

• Sawyer (8 sec)- 21:44

• Jason (56 sec)- 23:17

• Robert (33 sec)- 23:24

• Luke (1:11 min)-23:25

• Jordan (30 sec)- 27:55

• Fernando (1:39 min)- 26:16

• John (36 sec)- 26:24

SHOUT OUT TO THE 10 BOYS WHO CAME OUT TO WATCH WHO WERE NOT RACING: WE HAD 14 GUYS RUNNING and 10 GUYS OUT WATCHING. THAT IS HALF THE TEAM TAKING IN THE LIBERTY BELL VIBES!!!! *WITH NO PRESSURE FROM COACHES, PRETTY COOL STUFF!!!!!!!!!!! Regis Harriers are rolling!

Take a peek at how we fared compared to 2021 when we ran here last!

While out on the course, XC is all about competing. Courses vary, distances can vary (even when listed as a full 5k) weather varies, etc etc so times can often be misleading. The nice thing about Liberty Bell is that it is the same course held on the same weekend for the past 48 years! We even had a parent or two who competed at this meet back in the day! 

The varsity boys placed 21st out of 24th with strong runs by each of the Harriers! Despite the race being called back because of some falls at the beginning, the guys competed tough and are getting calloused to racing with the best! Leading the way with a BIG PR by David with a 15:23 which is the 2nd fastest LB time in RJ history. Braeden ran the 6th fastest LB time in RJ history. Caleb, Liam and Carson rounded out the scoring 5 with brave runs by Zane and Joey to get more varsity experience!

The JV boys ACED their day led by sub 18 performances in the JV race!!! Liam and Matty both ran around 17:40 which shows the quality of a strong program. When JV athletes can break 18 minutes, it shows that there is depth across the entire team. Mason ran a cool PR of 18:19 (who was a last minute addition to the meet) with Hayden and Reese rounding out the scoring 5. Logan and Max were our #6 and #7 representing the crest on their chest well!!

Liberty Bell is a fun meet but we are always trying to run our best races in October at the League, Regional and State Championships! Opportunities like Liberty Bell are races to LEARN and GROW from. These are opportunities to try new race strategies, take risks, learn and improve from for future races. Every race is a chance to learn more about yourself as an athlete. With a mindset towards learning, each race provides opportunities to find success regardless of time or place! I believe that all 14 boys have something to be proud of from their race and also something to work and improve on for next time!

The boys battled on a VERY HOT day out at DeKouvand Park. The elements and the course are the same for ALL competitors, so all 2000 kids out there deserve a shout out!

A special acknowledgment to the 6 Regis Harriers who toeing the line for the first time this year on Friday! Luke W and Tom O had their first HS XC races EVER, Zane W., David F. and Robert B. had their first of the season which brings the total of 40 out of our 49 boys who have run a 5k XC race this year so far! The goal is for ALL 49 to race by the end of the year!!! Shout out to Colston, Jason, Carson, Max, and Thomas who weren’t racing but just came out to support and BE GOOD TEAMMATES!!! Coaches are fired up that we have a crew of boys who are being awesome guys working hard on the course and being great representations of RJ off the course!!!

Due to the varying XC courses and conditions, remember that XC is all about placing and competing, times are secondary to placing as high as possible during races. It is hard to compare times from course to course and day to day ie) Cherry Creek’s course last week was far flatter and had much more ideal conditions than Friday at Arapahoe! Sometimes it is fun to compare the same course from year to year though! We had 15 boys run this race last year and 13 of them dropped some serious time in the course of 12 months of training….. check it out below!

David Flaig- 16:27 (9 seconds)

Braeden Focht- 16:42 (1:20 min)

Caleb Aex- 16:54 (28 seconds)

Liam Sullivan- 17:54 (19 seconds)

Joey Beatty- 18:51 (1:53 min)

Zane Wilson- 19:00 (37 seconds)

Matty Gallagher- 19:22 (4:38 min)

Hayden Stokes- 19:30 (1:10 min)

Logan Jedlicka- 20:02 (1:04 min)

Reese Jedlicka- 20:07 (2:37 min)

Mason Saum- 20:11 (3:28 min)

Patrick Greene- 20:33 (1:44 min)

Gabe Shekelton- 21:32 (2:21 min)

Nickolas Munn- 28:59 (11 sec)

The boys competed tough despite challenging conditions across all 3 RACES (FR/SO, Varsity, and Open).

1. The FR/SO placed 6th out of 26 teams with a total of 189 points. They were fearless out on the course. Being the guinea pigs for the team they were BRAVE running in 95 degree temperatures before everyone else! They represented well!!!

2. The Varsity Harriers placed 5th with a total 164 points out of 35 teams! There is a sickness floating around the team and we had 2 last minute illnesses which allowed for Joey B and Zane W. to step up to the varsity line up and race with the top dogs! David F. made a brave move to take the lead at 2 miles but ended up getting caught and finished a strong 4th place overall. It was a courageous move and one that he will learn from and improve upon as the season progresses; athletes who take risks and fully commit to them find themselves reaching new heights . Braden F. fought off some sickness to place a solid 7th. RJ had the best 1-2 punch at the meet! Caleb A. ran another monster race placing 15th overall. Liam S. was a steady 4th runner who improved from last year. Joey B. scored for the first time in his RJXC career, Zane W ran his first race of the year being our #6 guy and Liam M. rounded out the squad in his first ever varsity appearance.

3. The JR/SR boys finished off the day placing 4th out of 12 teams with 94 points. Matty G placed in the top 10 and all the guys worked hard despite still 90+ degree heat and represented the crest on their chest well! It is cool to see a lot of the boys being awesome teammates by cheering for the younger and varsity boys earlier in the day and then step up to the plate to round out a great day of racing!!

What a great way to start the 2023 XC season! We had 35 athletes compete, 4 boys come out just to watch their teammates despite not running in the race and 3 students who transferred away from RJ but still came over to the tent to say hello to their former coaches and athletes! Parents, thanks for cheering on at the meet today, being respectful of the athlete tent, and joining us for the post race talk and prayer (THIS WILL HAPPEN AT THE CONCLUSION OF EVERY MEET!). 

2023 Steve Lohman Invitational

35 Regis Harriers stepped to the line this morning to compete in the Cherry Creek home invitational. The music was bumping, the track was loaded with teams/fans and the boys were ready to showcase the fitness they have been building since the start of summer training in June! We had 11 athletes compete in their first ever HIGH SCHOOL 5K RACE!!! Shout out to Nash, Andrew, Jack, Lucas, Sean, Teddy, Ryder, Will, Grant, Sam and Sawyer….welcome to the Regis Harrier Family, you are just getting started! We had 4 boys come out just to cheer on their teammates, shout out to David, Paul, Ethan and Luke! We had a few boys who we had to say goodbye over the past few years but we are so pumped that they still came over to say hi, shout out to Aedan, Alec and Saj!

The day started out with the FR/SO race! Led by a gutsy run from Liam Martin, the Young and Developing Harriers scored 55 points. We placed 3 boys in the Top 10: Lia, Reese and Andrew! We had tons of PR’s and it was a fantastic way to start the meet! The freshman and sophomores set the tone for the Varsity boys who were up next! These Young and Developing Harriers are the FUTURE of the program, it looks as if they are ready to keep helping RJXC take on the State of Colorado in the coming years!!

The varsity boys stepped to the line to take on very strong Cherry Creek and Arapahoe teams! All 7 boys PRed in the race (can’t complain about that!)….they had a team strategy to have the #2-7 runners pack up for the first mile and move up for the next 2. Braeden led the way running 15:39 to place 3rd and Caleb had the strongest middle part of the race closing strong to break 16 minutes for the first time to place 6th overall! These boys are peaking in late October and racing into the middle or late parts of November, this was a nice rust buster to get back into the swing of running 5000m! The team finished 3rd overall and scored 60 points behind Arapahoe and Creek, a fantastic opener to the season for our varsity crew!

The finale was another great showing by the Regis boys! The JR/SR boys scored 63 points placing 2nd to Cherry Creek led by a strong 1-3 punch by SENIORS, Matty and Hayden! There are a few pictures attached of the awards. It was a strong showing by a group of boys who have been running XC at RJ for 3-4 years, they represented the program well by cheering on teammates for nearly 2 hours before they stepped to the line! Attached are a few pictures thanks to Monica Morris of the team awards!

Coaches were extremely proud of the efforts the boys displayed on the course, every athlete looked to give their best effort regardless of time or place. Coaches WERE MORE PROUD of the sportsmanship that the team displayed before, during and after their races. It was evident that the boys were excited and genuinely cheering for their teammates and ALL Regis runners looked to congratulate other runners from different schools too, WAY TO REPRESENT HARRIERS!!

Check out the 21 new PR’s set by Returning Regis Harriers, pretty cool stuff!!!

Liam Martin (5:37 min PR)- 17:12

Matty Gallagher (4:28 min PR)- 17:32

Chase Reyes (3:23 min PR)- 21:17

Mason Saum (2:31 min PR)- 18:36

Joey Beatty (2:21 min PR)- 17:23

Thomas O’Keefe (2:04 min PR)- 16:50

Reese Jedlicka (1:58 min PR)- 18:20

Hayden Stokes (1:57 min PR)- 17:43

John Wood (1:55 min PR)- 24:59

Braden Focht (1:30 min PR)- 15:39

Ari Kleinberg (1:25 min PR)- 20:44

Gabe Shekeleton (1:23 min PR)- 20:53

Liam Sullivan (55 sec PR)- 16:36

Patrick Greene (55 sec PR)- 19:01

Connor Grammatke (47 sec PR)- 21:10

Max Ficco (46 sec PR)- 17:37

Caleb Aex (45 sec PR)- 15:54

Carson Schuler (38 sec PR)- 16:52

Logan Jedlicka (35 sec PR)- 19:00

Michael Kurko (35 sec PR)- 19:22

Jason Lee (8 sec PR)- 23:36