The Rosemary Clarke Middle School cross country teams wrapped up their season with their longest race of the year on Saturday, Oct. 3, competing at Floyd Lamb Park in a meet hosted by the College of Southern Nevada.
The season finale gave the Sharks one last opportunity to put their training into practice over a longer distance. Paul Clouser led the boys to an eighth-place finish among 12 teams, while A’riyah Ruffin paced the girls to ninth overall.
Clouser completed the boys’ 2.1-mile course in 12 minutes, 58.8 seconds, finishing 13th overall. Ozias Ofseur followed with a time of 13:24.5, placing 23rd overall and giving the Sharks two runners among the top 25 finishers.
Lance Tracy was the next Shark across the finish line in 16:33.7, followed by Conner Nelsen in 17:20.7 and Marzelo Nunez in 17:45.1. Levi Tracy completed the course in 18:45.8.
Matt Cruz and Edward Shemp finished just four seconds apart, with Cruz recording a time of 19:17.0 and Shemp following in 19:21.0. Noah De Santiago finished in 21:00.2, and Pierre Oryem rounded out the boys’ lineup in 22:30.7.
In the girls’ race, Ruffin led Rosemary Clarke with a time of 16:04.6, placing 36th overall. Monica Littau was next for the Sharks in 17:21.1, followed by Sierra Eichner in 17:30.8.
River Carson finished in 19:25.9, followed by a pair of Sharks separated by just half a second. Emma Fields crossed the line in 20:06.4, with Ellie Allen close behind in 20:06.9.
Delilah Haver and Brooke Menjivar each recorded a time of 20:18.5, finishing consecutively for Rosemary Clarke. Sophia Maurillo followed in 20:39.4, and Charlaine Maurillo completed the course in 21:07.4.
Gracelyn Goodbeau finished in 22:49.9, with Anabella Ramos following just over a second later in 22:51.1. Abriella Oryem recorded a time of 23:18.1, followed by Maddlyn Scott in 24:00.2 and Scarlett Ouezada in 24:38.7. Winter Perez finished in 25:00.2, and Scarlett Blumer completed the Sharks’ lineup in 25:08.5.
Head Coach Ben Veloz pointed to the progress runners made throughout the season as a highlight for the coaching staff.
“Coach Floyd and I enjoyed coaching another season of cross country,” Veloz said. “We saw a lot of improvements in mile times throughout the season and hope to see everyone back next year. We wish farewell to our 8th graders and hope to see them on the high school cross country team next year.”
For returning runners, the meet provided experience covering a longer course before their next season with the Sharks. For the eighth graders, it marked the conclusion of their middle school cross country careers, with their coaches encouraging them to continue running at the high school level.
