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Telluride runs away with Chris Severy titles

Dale Strode
The Aspen Times
Rangely's Patrick Scoggins (in green) and Telluride's Jack Plantz (281) lead at the start of the boys varsity race in the Chris Severy Invitational on Saturday morning in Aspen. Plantz went on to win the Aspen 5K for the second consecutive year.
Dale Strode / The Aspen Times |

Telluride ran away with all the top prizes Saturday.

The runners from Telluride High School swept all the top honors at the annual Chris Severy Invitational cross country meet in Aspen on Saturday morning.

Sophomore Soleil Gaylord won the girls varsity race for the Miners on the hilly and challenging course that was laid out on the cross country ski trails in the Moore Open Space adjacent to Aspen High School.



She led the Telluride girls to the team title as the Miners totaled 41 points.

Summit was second as a team with 59 points, led by third-place individual finisher Ruthie Boyd.




Kent Denver was third in the girls with 92 points, paced by Julie Jaschke, who finished second in the Severy Invitational for the second consecutive year.

Telluride senior Jack Plantz repeated as the boys varsity winner at the Severy meet. He added the 2015 title to his 2014 crown when he crossed the finish line in 18 minutes, 36 seconds — the only prep runner under 19 minutes on the 5-kilomer course.

Patrick Scoggins of Rangely High School finished second Saturday; he was the early race leader.

Jed Wilson of Grand Junction was third, helping the Tigers finish second in the boys varsity team standings.

Telluride won with 53 points. Grand Junction was second at 80. Glenwood Springs was third with 92.

Lyle Luckett of Basalt was the top local finisher. He was seventh in the boys varsity race (19:45).

Nina Beidleman led the Aspen girls in the varsity race.

“Both our guys and girls teams are doing really well,” Plantz said after his second consecutive cross country win in Aspen. “It’s awesome for training. It’s really fun.”

Plantz said the Telluride teammates are helpful and supportive.

“And we’ve been doing hill workouts,” Plantz said, “and they’ve been really tough.”

The hill training and the Aspen race are valuable preparations for the State Cross Country Championships in Colorado Springs, Plantz said. That course has significant hills at the Penrose Equestrian Center.

“The season has gone well,” Plantz said. “I still feel like there is more in the tank that I can lay down at regionals and state.”

He is the son of Mark and Melissa Plantz of Telluride.

Gaylord, likewise, said the Telluride hill training helped her win the Aspen race Saturday.

“I love these types of courses,” the Telluride sophomore said. “They are so painful, but I do love them.”

She led the girls varsity race from the start Saturday.

“That was totally unexpected,” she said. “But I just went with it.”

She said she ran a strong first mile and then picked up speed on the downhill sections of the second mile.

“The last mile was so painful; I can’t even tell you,” said Gaylord, the daughter of Kent and Ramona Gaylord of Telluride.

Junior varsity and middle school races also were held Saturday at the Severy meet.

A citizens 5K kicked off the festivities. Michael Barlow and Amy Rollins won the open 5K races.

Aspen’s Kelsey Fitzgerald won the girls junior varsity race Saturday. Teammate Logan McNamee was second.

Complete results are available at milesplit.com.

dstrode@aspentimes.com