Cavemen Finish 3rd of 42 Teams at LCU

By Don Eskins

They say good things happen to those who work hard. Evidently, the Carlsbad Cavemen and Cavegirl cross country teams have been doing just that, as good things continue to come their way.

The Cavemen, led by Javion Scott and Rex Reynolds, placed third among a field of 42 teams assembled to compete in the Lubbock Christian University Invitational three-mile run on Saturday, September 12, in Lubbock. All told, 317 runners competed.

In the girls’ division, 271 runners from 32 teams competed. The Cavegirls, led by Rainelle Ruiz and Soledad Martinez, placed 21st. At the LCU meet, the girls covered a distance of 3200 meters.

“We got great performances from all of our kids. Javion, Rex, and Rainelle, all three with top 20 finishes, ran extremely well,” said CHS head coach Michael Sims. “Watching our boys place third in a field of 42 teams and 317 runners, and the girls place 21st in a field of 32 with 271 runners, made our staff very proud of just how far these kids have come.

“With our District 4/5A meet just a month away, our boys beating Clovis, who finished fourth, was encouraging,” he said. “But we didn’t get Hobbs, who won the LCU Invitational. If we’re to push the Eagles for this year’s conference title, we still have a lot of hard work ahead of us. We have to keep improving; we have to get better.”

Leading the Cavemen at the LCU Meet, Scott posted a time of 17:04 to place 13th. Reynolds, with a 20th-place finish, turned in a time of 17:26.

Also contributing to the Carlsbad boys’ effort were 35. Kaleb Vasquez, 17:57.00; 46. Josiah Waddle, 18:10; 64. Mason Medrano, 18:42.00; 65. Kleyvin Hernandez, 18:43.00; 69. Caisen Smith, 18:46.00; 125. Gavyn Jones, 19:55.00; 153. Makaio Rodriguez, 20:32.00; and 228. Alan Bautista, 22:12.00.

Rainelle Ruiz, out in front for the Cavegirls, crossed the finish line in 20th place. She was clocked with a time of 13:50. Soledad Martinez, with a time of 15:12, placed 74th.

Accompanying Ruiz and Martinez’s effort were Cavegirls 138. Harmonie Frye, 16:08; 162. Jocelyn Baca, 16:35, 165; Alessandra Aguilar, 16:39; 217. Chaleesta Gonzalez, 18:03; 220. Ariel Gonzalez, 18:09; and 247. Jeanette Gonzalez, 20:01.

Next up for the Cavemen and Cavegirls is the NMMI Invitational in Roswell on Saturday, September 19.

LCU Meet Results

Boys’ 3 Mile Division: 1. Hobbs 115, 2. Andrews 138, 3. Carlsbad 163, 4. Clovis 209, 5. Dumas 210. 6. Crane 217, 7. West Plains 236, 8. Frenship Memorial 311, 9. Hereford 326, and 10. Lubbock High 333. Teams: 42; Total Runners: 317

Cavemen: 13. Javion Scott, 17:04.00; 20. Rex Reynolds, 17:26.00; 35. Kaleb Vasquez, 17:57.00; 46. Josiah Waddle, 18:10, 64. Mason Medrano, 18:42.00; 65. Kleyvin Hernandez, 18:43.00; 69. Caisen Smith, 18:46.00; 125. Gavyn Jones, 19:55.00; 153. Makaio Rodriguez, 20:32.00; 228. Alan Bautista, 22:12.00

Girls’ 3200 Division: 21 of 32 teams and 271 runners.

Cavegirls: 20. Rainelle Ruiz, 13:50; 74. Soledad Martinez, 15:12; 138. Harmonie Frye, 16:08; 162. Jocelyn Baca, 16:35; 165. Alessandra Aguilar, 16:39; 217. Chaleesta Gonzalez, 18:03; 220. Ariel Gonzalez, 18:09; and 247. Jeanette Gonzalez, 20:01.