The Pahrump Valley High School cross country team had a remarkable weekend, with athletes competing in two different states and achieving impressive results. A group of 13 Trojans traveled to Minnesota to compete at the Dragon Twilight Invitational at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) on Friday, September 5, while the rest of the team represented PVHS at the Larry Burgess Invitational at Sunset Park in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 6.
Nearly every Pahrump runner set either a personal record (PR) or season record (SR) for the entire weekend. Leading the girls, Kaylan Robinson crossed the line in 21:50.7 (PR), followed closely by Savannah Thompson at 22:42.5 (PR), Addi Nelsen at 22:43.2 (PR), Alexis Clouser at 23:12.6 (PR), and Keelee Gieni at 25:20.8 (SR). Ella Odegard also competed in a shorter distance race.
On the boys’ side, Joaquin Flores paced the Trojans with a time of 17:26.6 (PR), with strong finishes from Josh Gent (17:40.2 – PR), Timmy Stutzman (18:13.6 – PR), Logan Tilley (18:16.1 -PR), Daniel Thompson (18:32.2 – PR), Josh Flores (18:34.4 – PR), and Aydon Veloz (18:40.5 – SR).
Meanwhile in Las Vegas, PVHS runners continued to shine at the Larry Burgess Invitational, which featured separate divisions for large schools (4A and 5A) and small schools (1A, 2A, 3A).
For the varsity boys, Ben De Santiago led the Trojans with a time of 18:43.5 (PR), earning a medal alongside teammate Nicoli Money, who posted a 19:46.7 (PR). They were followed by Kris Trejo at 20:27.0 (PR), Jacob McLaughlin at 21:04.9 (SR), Sam Grabbe at 21:21.1, and Akim Khan at 22:28.9 (SR).
The varsity girls also had a standout showing, with every runner finishing in the top 25. Rylan Bliss clocked 22:15.4 to place third overall in the small schools division. She was followed by Sophie Romero in 24:51.9 (PR), good for ninth overall, and Kimberly Trejo in 28:52.7 (SR) for 16th. Lynette Doty capped the group with a 34:58.1 (PR) to finish 23rd overall. All four girls earned medals for their efforts.
In the Freshman/Sophomore boys’ race, the Trojans secured a sweep of personal bests. Alexander Martinez led with a 23:27.1 (PR), followed by Evan Risk at 23:56.6 (PR), Emmanuel Dupart at 25:50.3 (PR), Mozes Quinonez at 25:51.4 (PR), and Isaiah Veloz at 32:45.1 (PR).
The weekend demonstrated not only the depth of the PVHS cross country program but also the continued growth of its runners. With multiple personal records, medals, and strong finishes across two major events, the Trojans are showing early-season momentum that will carry them into their next competitions.
*All pictures from the event in Minnesota were provided by Lori and Erik Odegard.
