The Pahrump Valley High School girls’ cross country team delivered an extraordinary performance at the Class 3A Southern Region Championships on Friday, October 31, at Veterans Memorial Park in Boulder City, capturing first place overall as a team and claiming six of the top seven individual spots.
Leading the charge was Senior standout Julianna (Jules) Ondrisko, who crossed the finish line in 22:53.7, earning the title of Regional Champion in just her third race of the season. Close behind her were teammates Sophie Romero (23:22.6) in second, Rylan Bliss (24:04.4) in third, and Kaylan Robinson (24:15.6) in fourth. Rosie Miller finished sixth in 24:41.1, Addi Nelsen seventh in 24:50.0, and Keelee Gieni rounded out the varsity squad in thirteenth with a time of 28:39.4.
The Lady Trojans finished in first place as a team with a score of 16 points, while Moapa Valley placed second with 45 points. Teams must have at least five runners to be considered a full team. Both Pahrump Valley and Moapa Valley will advance to the State Championships, along with the top seven individual runners from the region and six teams from Northern Nevada.
Head Coach Erik Odegard expressed pride in the team’s depth and growth throughout the season. “I’m just so happy for our kids,” he said. “They have put so much work into improving this season on both the boys and girls teams. We started this year with a few returning runners, but we added so many new girls that everyone had to compete within the group to find their spot. It made them so much stronger and ready to compete because they had to do it with each other all season. I have been telling them for the last few weeks that we wanted all seven spots on the podium—we almost got there.”
For Odegard, seeing both the boys’ and girls’ teams claim the Regional title together was a milestone moment. “Having both teams bring home the Regional title at the same time for the first time ever was so much fun,” he shared. “But I told the team we have the opportunity to make a little more history and bring home a trophy from Reno, so we just need that focus for a little longer.”
Among the standout stories of the day was Ondrisko’s rapid rise to the top despite starting the season late due to injury. “She was a strong middle school runner, and we finally got her back into cross country this year,” Odegard explained. “She was dealing with an injury from the summer, so we needed to bring her along very slowly. I knew that if we could get her ready to run she would bring something good to this team just because she is a competitor. Today was her third race of the season, and just like that she is the Regional champ! She is still nursing that injury, but I can’t wait to see what she does next week in Reno.”
Romero also emerged as a major contributor down the stretch. “Sophie had a really good end of the season,” Odegard said. “Rolling into the Regional meet, she jumped from the number six runner on our team to number one or two in the last couple of races. She is turning it on at just the right time.”
Odegard also highlighted the consistent efforts of Bliss and Robinson, both first-year high school runners. “Rylan and Kaylan have been working hard all season and have been leading the team all year,” he noted. “They gave great performances at the Regional meet. They are learning when to push and when to maintain, and I think they’re starting to trust their ability—knowing they can still have a good finish even though they’re pushing throughout the race.”
The Lady Trojans’ success is the result of preparation that began months ago. “We have been preparing for the postseason from the very beginning,” Odegard said. “We knew that state was going to be in Reno, and not only do they have strong teams up north, but the elevation is always something that gets the southern kids. So we planned ahead for that. We’ve been going up the mountain weekly and running at about 5,700 feet all year. We also made a trip to run in Flagstaff, Arizona—not only is there strong competition there, but you’re running at around 7,000 feet, giving these kids the experience of knowing what it was going to be like at the state meet.”
With the Regional title secured and momentum on their side, the Lady Trojans now set their sights on Reno—ready to make history once again at the Nevada State Championships, which will be held at Rancho San Rafael Park on Saturday, November 8.
