The Fountain Hills High School cross country team started the 2023 season taking part in the Opening Night in Paradise event on Monday, Aug. 28. Senior Caleb Lara and sophomore Colby Wright led the boys team with new personal bests, and senior Skye Alker earned a medal with her seventh-place finish.

First-year head coach Andrea Hall said the solid opening performances prove this season will be another great one. The Falcons sent the girls team and two boys to the state championship last year, and they aim to continue improving as the season goes on. Hall also said the girls brought a lot of highlghts already.

Alker finsihed seventh out of 91 runners and her time of 22:08.8 5000m was close to her personal record (PR) from last year, 21:16.9. Senior Erin Hooley came in 27th (24:09) and sophomore Alli Guerrette placed 33rd (24:34).

Guerrette was only four seconds shy of her PR from the state championship race last year. Junior Racine Homyak (26:41.7) and senior Eliana Bartman (33:16.2) rounded out the girls team.

Lara ran track last spring, but missed his junior cross country season due to an injury he suffered in a golf cart accident, first reported by the Times Independent back in Feburary this year. His previous best as a sophomore was 20:44.1, but he finished 38th out of 104 runners with a 19:51.4 PR.

Wright came in 34th place with a new PR of 19:35.5. His best 5000m as a freshman was 20:26.0. Sophomore Yahshua Harris (22:24.1), senior William Breen (23:56.9) and sophomore Aiden Rollins (24:27.9) all finished within 12 places of each other.

“To be under 20 minutes in August is a very good sign of things to come for these two guys and our team,” Hall said. “Yahshua Harris and Aiden Rollins running their first cross country meets brought very good times and performances. William Breen was right in the middle and can always be counted on for a good race.”

The Falcons’ next stop is the Chandler Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 2, and then they host the Fountain Hills Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 9.