For the third year in a row, Lady Pirate Sienna Rose will represent the Pagosa Springs High School Pirate cross-country team at the 3A state championship.

Rose will run in the state meet on Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Norris Penrose Events Center in Colorado Springs.

The 3A girls will run at 9:40 a.m.

Rose earned his berth to state at last week’s regional meet in Colorado Springs.

“As usual, it was a warm and sunny day in Colorado Springs,” coach Rachael Christiansen wrote in the team newsletter. “But fortunately we had a slight increase in temperature compared to previous years. We saw some PR (personal records), but not as many as we expected. Monte Vista last week was a great day and for most, they just couldn’t get over it.”

The Lady Pirates finished eighth as a team that day, led by Rose’s 14th-place finish.

Rose ran a time of 20 minutes, 56.03 seconds to earn his way to the final competition of the season and beat his personal best by one second.

“He came into the competition in 22nd place and was able to climb 8 places,” Christiansen highlights. “Over the last 3 years, Sienna has ranked well outside the top 15 (25th the previous two years) and has been able to execute a perfect race 3 times in a row. That speaks volumes about his mental strength and patience with racing. “We are all very proud of her and very excited to see her race once again in Colorado Springs.”

Adison Johnson finished in 36th place with a time of 22:22.64, and the coach noted that she beat her personal best by 24 seconds.

“She has really started to understand racing and we are very excited to see what she will bring to the table next year as a senior,” the coach wrote.

Kaiya Lyons was the third Lady Pirate to cross the line, finishing in 38th place with a time of 22:27.66.

Christian notes that while Lyons didn’t have his best day, he ran his second-fastest 5K yet and improved his time from last year by 43 seconds.

“We know that next year he will come back stronger than ever and lead our team,” adds the coach.

Madisen Stretton finished 42nd overall with a time of 22:44.18, and Christiansen noted that Stretton earned a new PR, breaking the 23-minute mark for the first time and beating her previous time at regionals by 44 seconds.

“It was really exciting to see her run so well, as she has been so consistent and committed all season,” the coach wrote.

Bella Jackson was the team’s fifth runner, finishing 59th overall with a time of 24:39.75.

“He has been running extremely well as a freshman, and even if he didn’t get the PR he wanted, he still ran well and has the next few years to adjust his race strategy,” Christiansen wrote.

Hailey Sams followed in 63rd place with a time of 25:33.71, and Christiansen noted that Sams capped her high school running career by beating her time from last year by 22 seconds.

He adds, “Hailey has been a big part of our team for the past 3 years and we will miss her dearly.”

Vivy DavRem finished 74th overall with a time of 27:49.86, and the coach wrote, “Vivy is another freshman who we are excited to watch grow in the coming years.”

Christiansen further explains that Mila Miller attempted to run the race, but was dragged approximately 1.8 miles due to hip pain.

“We are proud of her and all the girls for coming out and competing. “Each one of them pushed themselves and their team to be better,” the coach wrote.

The Pirate men’s team also finished eighth as a team in the event, with Christiansen noting, “The boys had a lot of second-fastest runs, but unfortunately no PRs.”

Connor Thomas was the first Pirate runner to cross the finish line, posting a time of 18:34.18 to place 29th.

Christiansen points out that Thomas achieved his second-fastest time and was almost two minutes ahead of the previous year.

Jesse Beck followed in 32nd place with a time of 18:58.44, 32 seconds faster than last year.

“This was his last race with PSHS XC and like the other seniors, it doesn’t feel real and he will be incredibly missed,” Christiansen wrote.

Merrick Tudor recorded his second-fastest 5K time, according to the coach, finishing 55th with a time of 20:36.33.

“As a freshman, he had a breakout year and we look forward to seeing what he can do next year,” Christiansen wrote.

Dylan Dempster finished 57th overall with a time of 20:40.41.

“This race went well for Dylan compared to other races this season, but looking back and comparing it to last year, he has grown a lot,” the trainer wrote. “He improved 37 seconds from last year and still has a lot of potential to move forward.”

Weston Sweet followed in 58th place with a time of 20:49.04, with the coach noting: “He’s had some ups and downs this season, but the last two weeks he’s been strong. He was just 10 seconds off his PR from last week in Monte Vista.”

Peyton Jackson ran a time of 21:06.89 to finish 61st overall in her final high school race.

“Peyton’s season was set back due to an injury last season, but he stood out considering the adjustments made,” Christiansen wrote. “He ran well and finished with (his) second fast 5K of the season.”

Eli Nehring finished 65th overall with a time of 21:19.21, and the coach acknowledged that it was not Nehring’s best race and that he had problems during the race that set him back.

“However, we know he is resilient and will recover and return next season even stronger,” Christiansen wrote.

Isaac Hanto followed in 66th place with a time of 21:19.68, his second-fastest 5K time.

“He’s strong and he’s getting faster,” Christiansen points out.

He adds: “We are also very proud of the effort these guys put into the race. “They worked incredibly hard and we hope to see many of them come back and improve next year as well.”

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