For the first time ever in the rich history of Air Academy sports, one of our own cross country teams has won a state title. With a strong showing by the boys’ and girls’ teams, both were able to finish in the top 5, with the girls finishing 1st overall and the boys finishing 5th. The Kadets also had an individual champion, senior Katie Rainsberger, who ran the fastest time for all girls in the state with a time of 17:38. On the boy’s side, Luc Hagen was the team’s top finisher with a time of 16:36, placing him 9th overall.

On October 31st at the Norris-Penrose Event Center, the Kadets ruled the day. First up were the boys, who ran a very solid race. Luc Hagen was followed by Ethan Powell who finished 24th with a time of 17:01, and Cal Banta in 44th at 17:30. Having three finishers in the top 50 was enough to push the boys into fifth place overall.

Two hours later, the girls took to the course to prove they were the best team in the state, and they did just that. “Domination” is a word that comes to mind, as four of the team’s seven runners finished in the top 17, and all of the team finished in the top 80. As a team, the lady Kadets totaled just 60 points, which was good enough to beat second-place Battle Mountain by 17 points. When all the times and scores were merged together from all classifications, the Kadets remained on top. 

Air Academy was led by Katie Rainsberger, who tied together her high school cross-country career quite nicely by winning her second straight title, in grand fashion. Her time of 17:39 was 35 seconds faster than the next fastest girl, and it was a key step towards the team taking state.

The next Kadet to cross the finish line was freshman Paige Embaugh, who took 6th,  with a time of 19:16. Following her was junior Maria Mettler at 19:35, MacKenzie Moss at 19:52, Kayla Wiitala at 20:35, Lilliana Hamilton at 21:01, and Jessica Luedtke at 21:15. When it was all said and done, Air Academy claimed a team title, and Katie Rainsberger claimed an individual title.

As the Kadets wrap up the school season, both the boys and girls teams will continue to train. There are a variety of national races that the teams will be participating in, and most of the runners will then participate in track and field in the spring.

Winning the first ever team cross country title in the history of the school has laid the foundation for success. The girls will graduate two senior varsity runners this year, Katie Rainsberger and Kayla Wiitala. That leaves the team with five returning varsity runners, three of which finished in the top 17 runners at the state meet. While the team will lose one of the most respected runners in the history of Colorado, this year’s team has built a legacy of success that will surely continue in the coming years.