Faith Christian Eagles Cross Country

2012 Season

State Cross Country Championships 10/27/12

Twelve members of the FCA cross country team headed to Colorado Springs in the wee hours of the morning to compete against the other top runners in the state.  The last time we competed at the Norris Penrose Event Center was Labor Day weekend, when 90 degree temperatures were a challenge.  This morning our runners battled to stay warm, with sub-freezing temperatures greeting our boys for their 10 am race and our girls enjoying only slightly warmer temps for their race at noon.

Both squads ran well, showing significant improvement since our Labor Day outing.  The boys team finished in 15^th place and our girls team took 18^th, great performances in light of our relatively young group of runners – we only lose three of our twelve state meet runners to graduation.

The 2012 cross country team consisted of 38 runners, and 24 of them were underclassmen.  Every member of our team showed great progress throughout the season, positioning the program well for seasons to come.  Our harriers are already busy preparing for the 2013 track and cross country seasons – come join in the fun next year!

Regional Championship Meet – 10/18/12

Our team arrived at the Clement Park course on a bright sunny afternoon to compete for a chance to run at state.
Our girls led us off and did not disappoint.  Four of our girls (Hannah Payne, Laura-Li Gaide, Thayne Ritter and
Tabor Batug) set PRs en route to taking fourth place in the team race and qualifying for a berth at state.  The boys
squad notched five PRs (Kris Tanquist, Roger Queen, Zach Steitz, Matthew Judson and Matt Payne), also placing
fourth as a team and moving on to state.

Metro League Championships – 10/12/12

The Faith Christian cross country team gathered at Holy Family along with the rest of the Metro League for the annual showdown.  Just as the
boys team toed the line, lightning was seen nearby and everyone headed for shelter.  After a brief delay we headed back out to the course.  The
boys ran a strong race, placing four boys in the top 20 (Luke Yeager, Kris Tanquist, Andrew Renfrow and Roger Queen) and taking second place
in the team competition.  The girls hit the course just after the boys and also ran a strong race, paced by Hannah Payne, and taking sixth place
as a team.  We are headed to the regional meet on October 18^th, hoping to run well and qualify for state.

Pat Amato Classic - 10/5/12

The Faith runners headed to Northglenn on a bone chilling afternoon to take on a field of 4A and 5A teams.  Our boys team headed out first and
gritted out a 20^th place team finish (out of 33 teams), led by junior Luke Yeager.  Leading our girls to the finish line was senior Hannah Payne,
with the team taking 23^rd place.  Of our 33 runners competing, 26 set all their all-time PRs at this meet.

Dave Sanders Invitational - 9/28/12

We headed down to Clement Park on a warm afternoon to gain experience on the course where regionals will be held on October 18^th.  The
winding course traversed wet grass fields and included several long grades, but your Faith Christian Eagles persevered to the end.  The girls
team finished in 16^th place and the boys team finished 8^th.  Sophomore Daichi Jameson was the lone Faith runner to set a PR, finishing the
3.1 mile course in 20 minutes and 17 seconds.

Fort Collins John Martin Invitational - 9/21/12

For the fourth year in a row, we made the trek north to Fort Collins High School to participate in this mega meet.  Crisscrossing the school’s
grounds, this course provides many opportunities to be cheered on by teammates and fans.  Our Faith runners put up a good fight, with three
girls setting PRs on their way to a 9^th place team finish, and 3 boys setting PRs on their way to a 6^th place team finish.

St Vrain Invitational - 9/8/12

The FCA cross country team travelled to Lyons
High School on Saturday, September 8^th to take
part in the St Vrain Invitational, the mega cross
country meet of the weekend in Colorado, with
over 3,000 runners participating.

Hannah Payne once again led our girls squad,
with a season best time of 21:54, good for 20^th
place overall. Together, the girls earned an 11^th
place team finish. Seven of our girls recorded
their all time PRs (personal records) on Saturday: 
Laura-Li Gaide, Breana Rudiger, Candace Lowe,
Thayne Ritter, Jenni Kinney, Faith Shull and
Hannah Rust.

On the boys side, Luke Yeager led the charge
with a season best 17:03, good for 2^nd place in
the individual competition. Our boys team placed
6^th overall.  Nine Faith boys recorded PRs on the
day: James Marquardt, Levi Schultz, Matt Payne,
Matthew Judson, Jordan Nicks, Asher Voris, Cory
Rogers, Jack Corrette and Luke Inglee.

The team travels to Heritage High School on
September 14^th to take part in next weekend’s mega meet, the Liberty Bell Invitational, where we hope to continue competing at a high level.

Liberty Bell Invitational 9/14/12

Friday the 14^th saw your FCA Eagles compete in the Liberty Bell Invitational at Heritage High School, with over 3,000 runners
participating and thousands of fans lining the course.  The boys led things off this time, with 22 Eagles roaring out of the starting
chute.  Luke Yeager was the first of our athletes to finish, taking second place and recording a season best time of 16:10.  He
was followed to the finish by James Marquardt, Andrew Renfrow and Kris Tanquist, all setting PRs and combining for a 5^th place
team finish.  In all, 19 of our 22 boys recorded PRs on the day!

We sent 14 lady Eagles to the starting line and 11 of them recorded PRs.  Hannah Payne led the team to the finish line in a
season best time, followed in short order to Laura-Li Gaide, Breana Rudiger and Madison Batug, good for 13^th in the team
standings.

Our young team has made great progress in the first half of the season, now we begin fine tuning things as we look toward the
state meet in late October.  Our next meet is on Friday September 21^st at the Fort Collins John Martin Invitational.

Cheyenne Mountain Stampede 8/31/12

The Stampede, held in Colorado Springs, was run on a very hot, windy and dusty day on the same course that will host the state cross country championships in late October.  The course features two creek crossings and a major hill just before the halfway point, but the payback is a stadium finish.

Our girls team led us off, with Hannah Payne again pacing our girls team.  She was joined in the varsity race by Laura-Li Gaide, Madison Batug, Breana Rudiger, Thayne Ritter and Jenna Greiner.  This squad took 13^th place in the combined 2A/3A varsity race.  Our boys team of Luke Yeager, James Marquardt, Andrew Renfrow, Levi Schultz, Matt Payne and Zach Steitz finished in 12^th place, with Luke Yeager taking 7^th in the individual competition.

Our next race is the St Vrain Invitational at Lyons High School on September 8^th.  Come out and support your FCA runners!

Holy Family Scrimmage 8/25/12

The cross country team kicked off its 2012 season with a scrimmage at Holy Family on Saturday the
25^th. This was the first high school race for many of our athletes, and the mass start was exciting.  The
boys kicked things off on a cool, breezy morning.

Luke Yeager paced the boys with a finishing time of 17:15  (good for 2^nd place overall) and was
followed by Andrew Renfrow, Levi Schultz and Matt Payne.  The girls team was led by Hannah Payne
in 22:34, with Breana Rudiger, Laura-Li Gaide and Jenna Greiner the next Faith runners to finish. Three
Faith runners (Hannah Rust, Brandon Martine and Asher Voris) set all time personal bests at the
scrimmage.