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Running with grief-stricken hearts

Platte Canyon harriers compete days after tragedy

Scott Stocker, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 30, 2006 at midnight

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Perhaps it was only fitting that the Platte Canyon boys and girls cross country teams elected to participate Friday in the Dave Sanders Invitational at Clement Park in southeast Jefferson County.

While the meet honors the memory of Sanders, the teacher who was killed during the shootings at Columbine in 2001, it also gave Platte Canyon athletes the opportunity to honor fallen classmate Emily Keyes, who died Wednesday in a shooting at the school.

Emily's twin brother, Casey, ran in the junior varsity portion of the race.

"Their team voted to come and run," Columbine athletic director Ed Woytek said. "Emily's twin brother is on the team. It takes courage."

The Platte Canyon boys sported "I (heart) Emily" on either their arms or legs. Otherwise, the Platte Canyon runners kept a low profile.

Once their races were finished, team members departed with few comments to the media. Platte Canyon coaches and parents stood at the finish line and escorted the runners away from the area.

The Platte Canyon boys finished 12th, while the girls team, led by a second-place finish by Class 3A defending state champion Kristen McGlynn, finished 10th.

McGlynn was expected to be at the forefront of the event before Wednesday's tragedy. It was the first opportunity for her to race against defending 4A champion Kaitie Vanatta of Ralston Valley, in the Division 2 race. Both are ranked among the top 20 runners nationally.

When the girls teams lined up for the start of the race, the Platte Canyon runners were at the far left, with Ralston Valley at the far right. When the horn sounded, Vanatta and McGlynn broke out in front.

Vanatta immediately crossed the field to run next to McGlynn. Many watching from the sideline were awed by the show of sportsmanship. From there, the two girls turned the race into their own and stayed close for the first two miles of the 5-kilometer event.

Vanatta eventually broke away and won with a time of 16 minutes, 59.1 seconds. McGlynn finished second in 18:08.6.

McGlynn was surprised to see Vanatta next to her so soon at the start.

"I thought it was cool she was right there," said McGlynn, who declined to answer any questions not associated with the race. "My coach and I talked about the race before and we decided that my best strategy was just to run my own race. She kept the pace up and my plan was just to keep her in sight. Kaitie is just out of my league."

Said Vanatta: "I was very happy to race (McGlynn). She is a phenomenal runner and I like to run against the best. Always good competition will push you, and I like friendly competition."

In the Division I boys race, Bobby Nichols of Regis won with a big kick to beat Chaparral's Steven Busch with a time of 16:01.2. Busch ran 16:08.5. Wheat Ridge, led by a seventh-place finish from Henry Cowhick, won the Division 1 boys title with 49 points.

Littleton's Leigh Ann Ganzar won the Division 1 girls race with a time of 18:53.1. The Fort Collins girls, ranked No. 9 in the nation, won the team title as four runners finished among the top six. The leaders for the Lambkins were Lisa Reyna (second, 19:10.6) and Miranda Benzel (third, 19:14.4).

In the Division 2 boys race, Denver North's Joseph Manilafasha proved he is the Class 4A runner to beat at state. He smashed the meet record with a time of 15:07.4.

BOYS

Division 1

Team scores - 1. Wheat Ridge, 49. 2. Fort Collins, 60. 3. Chaparral, 69. 4. Regis, 125. 5. Smoky Hill, 132. 6. Pomona, 166. 7. Chatfield, 205. 8. Bear Creek, 250. 9. Horizon, 282. 10. Grandview, 312.

11. Ponderosa, 332. 12. Green Mountain, 343. 13. Aurora Central, 354. 14. Mountain Vista, 364. 15. Gateway, 418.

Individuals - 1. Bobby Nichols, Regis (16:01.2). 2. Steven Busch, Chaparral (16:08.5). 3. Bryant Mason, Fort Collins (16:15.2). 4. Will Everett, Fort Collins (16:22.3). 5. Clif Campbell, Fort Collins (16:25.). 6. Michael Pandolfo, Regis (16:28.9). 7. Henry Cowhick, Wheat Ridge (16:30.9). 8. Mike English, Horizon (16:37). 9. Dart Schwaderer, Wheat Ridge (16:42.7). 10. Micky Nelson, Wheat Ridge (16:46.6).

Division 2

Team scores - 1. Ralston Valley, 45. 2. Columbine, 52. 3. D'Evelyn, 57. 4. Denver North, 65. 5. Evergreen, 82. 6. ThunderRidge, 93. 7. Littleton, 97. 8. Arvada, 142. 9. Conifer, 143. 10. Heritage, 161. 11. Mullen, 167. 12. Platte Canyon, 231. 13. Hinkley, 274.

Individuals - 1. Joseph Manilafasha, Denver North (15:07.4). 2. Kevin Williams, D'Evelyn (15:16.4). 3. Kurt Vanatta, Ralston Valley (15:52.9). 4. Steve Seguin, Ralston Valley (16:15.3). 5. Steven Weeks, Arvada (16:39.4). 6. Ryan Heabe, Evergreen (16:41.5). 7. Tyson Blatter, Columbine (16:48.5). 8. Eric Ndikumana, Denver North (16:51.0). 9. Steve Hovdesven, Evergreen (17:02). 10. Grant Wahl, Columbine (17:07).

GIRLS

Division 1

Team scores - 1. Fort Collins, 27. 2. Chaparral, 84. 3. Littleton, 93. 4. Bear Creek, 115. 5. Smoky Hill, 127. 6. Green Mountain, 177. 7. Mountain Vista, 191. 8. Wheat Ridge, 208. 9. Chatfield, 248. 10. Gateway, 317.

11. Pomona, 333. 12. Ponderosa, 340. 13. Grandview, 364. 14. Horizon, 410.

Individuals - 1. Leigh Ann Ganzar, Littleton (18:53.1). 2. Lisa Reyna, Fort Collins (19:10.6). 3. Miranda Benzel, Fort Collins (19:14.4). 4. Kara Lubieniecki, Bear Creek (19:16.6). 5. Rachel Viger, Fort Collins (19:24.5). 6. Alicia Holt, Fort Collins (19:35.8). 7. Sarah Lyle, Smoky Hill (19:36.3). 8. Camille Logan, Littleton (19:40.6). 9. Caroline Hine, Chaparral (19:42.1). 10. Lexie Pavlich, Chaparral (19:42.2).

Division 2

Team scores - 1. Evergreen, 34. 2. D'Evelyn, 53. 3. Mullen, 62. 4. Ralston Valley, 74. 5. Conifer, 80. 6. ThunderRidge, 112. 7. Heritage, 132. 8. Regis, 135. 9. Columbine, 145. 10. Platte Canyon, 187. 11. Hinkley, 215. 12. Denver North, 221. 13. Lutheran of the Rockies, 226.

Individuals - 1. Kaitie Vanatta, Ralston Valley (16:59.1). 2. Kristen McGlynn, Platte Canyon (18:08.6). 3. Jen Webers, Conifer (18:34). 4. Erin Brunko, D'Evelyn (19:34.4). 5. Kyla Berendzen, Evergreen (20:06.3). 6. Genevieve London, Evergreen (20:29.3). 7. Jo-Anne Glynn, D'Evelyn (20:35.1). 8. Abby McMillen, D'Evelyn (20:41.3). 9. Mallari Gomer (20:43.6). 10. Megan Schulte, Evergreen (20:45.6).

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