Eagle Valley runners break cross-country 5K program record at Liberty Bell Invitational

Dylan and Tyler Blair continued along their quest to completely rewrite the Eagle Valley record books at the Liberty Bell Invitational last Saturday in Littleton. Both seniors dipped under the previous cross-country 5K program record, posting the first sub-15-minute times in team history at the notoriously competitive and quick Front Range meet.

“They knew what their goal was, they executed their race plan perfectly and it was just an amazing day,” said Eagle Valley head coach Melinda Brandt. “They were both ecstatic. It was great to have both of them perform so well.”

Dylan Blair placed fourth overall in the boys sweepstakes event in a time of 14 minutes, 43.90 — besting his previous school-record set at the meet last year (15:04.1) — while his twin brother, Tyler, came through 10 seconds later to place sixth.

“Feeling great,” Dylan Blair told Colorado MileSplit after the performance. “Had a really fun time racing the best boys in the state.”

Mountain Vista’s Benjamin Adams pulled away in the second mile for a 7-second win in 14:32.3 as Summit’s Jay McDonald took the runner-up spot (14:39.8). McDonald, who set the course record at the Eagle Valley Invitational on Sept. 6, said the race was a battle between Adams, Dylan Blair, himself and Fort Collins Cadel Ruthven.

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“Then Ben broke away and the other two of us, we just pushed down that hill and carried each other to a fast time,” the Summit junior stated. Dylan Blair ran his first mile just under 4:40 before going 4:50 on the second and a shade over 4:40 to close.

“I felt like it was perfect,” he said to MileSplit regarding his strategy. “I was planning it out earlier this week with my coach and that’s exactly how we wanted to play it.”

The Blairs were the only athletes from Eagle Valley to contest the 5A-heavy sweepstakes race, one of the meet’s four varsity competitions. There were also two junior varsity sections and an “open” race. Logan Drever led the Devils to a 10th-place result out of 23 teams in the DII varsity race, coming through in 17:29.1. Eric Asselin (17:32.8) finished in 38th while Henry Hovet (17:51.6) and Jason Flaherty (17:54.5) — who shaved 37 seconds off his previous best — were tied at the hip in 50th and 51st. Sophomore Micah Winkel (18:36.5) rounded out the scoring in 73rd out of 160 runners.

“That was fun to give some of those other guys an opportunity,” said Brandt, whose ladies also competed in the DII race, placing 14th. Paisley Kraft posted the 12th-best time in program history (20:14.0) to lead the way in 27th while fellow freshman Nina Hesseltine (20:30.6) took 33rd with the 18th-best program mark.

“That puts them with some of the better runners that have come through Eagle Valley and we’re only a few weeks into the season,” Brandt said. “They were going for those low 20s and it’s fun to see them really have the success at these bigger meets.”

Lucita Stowell (21:16.1) placed 56th, Olivia Ingoldsby (22:45.7) was 96th and freshman Henley Brown (23:22.1) rounded out the top-5 scorers in 106th. All told, 22 Devils recorded personal bests at the meet. While the team was far from tapering, Brandt said the goal going in was to feel a little fresher than normal.

“We definitely focus in on this race,” she said. “We want the kids to feel great and it’s a great indicator of how far their fitness has come in the first five weeks.”

Brandt said her young girls team is taking strides with every practice session. In a tough workout completed the Tuesday after the meet, Hesseltine and Kraft posted faster times than last year’s top athlete, sub-20-minute runner Ginger Reilly.

“There’s no ceiling at this point,” Brandt said of the pair. “We just keep pushing them each week.”

Even with the gains, it’s going to be tough to make the top-4 state team cut at the region meet on Oct. 23 in Gypsum. Battle Mountain returned everyone from its second-place state team squad and Summit took down defending state champion Tinmath at Liberty Bell on Saturday. MileSplit’s mock meet team score has the Devils ranked eighth in the ever-intensifying 4A Region 1.

“Which is kind of shocking,” Brandt said. “But, I think the huge piece is just believing that there is continued growth down the way. These girls believe they’re going to keep getting faster and stronger.”

“In terms of state, that is a goal; I totally believe they can do it,” Brandt continued. “But the reality right now is that everyone is elevating their game on the Western Slope.”

After an off week, the Devils will head down to Arizona for the 19th-annual Desert Twilight. Dylan Blair said he’d like to set another personal best there.

“Around 14:30s this time,” he told MileSplit. “And hopefully just go out there, try to win it of course, and just put it all out there and just go and have fun.”

Having watched the program record drop from Gino Giovagnoli’s 2014 time of 16:03 to Jake Drever’s 15:22 in 2022 to the Blair’s sub-15-minute marks, Brandt said the reverberations of each broken barrier has been palpable — and powerful.

“Other guys dream big,” she said. “It gives other kids the belief that it’s possible.”

Assistant coach Charlie Janssen pointed out in an email that “of the almost 100,000 boys who have run at Liberty Bell over the last 52 years, Dylan and Tyler’s marks are the 6th and 16th-fastest ever on this course.” Both athletes are currently ranked in the top-25 in the country, regardless of class, Janssen added. Brandt admitted the twin’s remarkable times are a testament to their perfect blend of talent, dedication and love for the sport.

“In running, there’s always more. And Dylan and Tyler keep finding that,” she said. “I’m just going to enjoy the ride, because it’s really fun to witness.”