Senior Skye Alker took home first place out of 138 girls and won the Western Equinox XC Festival 5000m varsity race in Gilbert Saturday, Sept. 23.

The Falcons had their first break in weather and several ran a new personal record (PR) by over 20 seconds. Alker set a PR by 27 seconds (20:10.6), and helped the Falcons finish seventh.

“Skye was in the lead pack from the start,” head coach Andrea Hall said. “The pack pushed each other until Skye made a move they couldn’t respond to. She had a great finishing kick, and I love to see that confidence in the home stretch. She’s four for four on medals and winning an Invitational is something she and I will never forget.”

Alker did an interview with Henry Domine of MileSplit, Inc., and told him she was shocked by her win. Alker stayed back in the beginning of the race and made her push to the front once the course flattened out in the second half.

Senior Erin Hooley (22:08.0) and sophomore Allison Guerrette (23:22.0) both placed in the top 50, at 26th and 45th, respectively. Hooley ran her best of the season as did fellow senior Eliana Bartman, who broke 30 minutes for the first time this season in 119th place (29:02.7).

Junior Racine Homyak tied her season best (24:57.8) from the Chandler Invitational Saturday, Sept. 2, and finished 78th.

Five boys set new personal records (PR) and four finished with sub-20 times on their way to an 11th place finish. Senior Caleb Lara (18:46.2) led in 58th place, followed closely by sophomore Colby Wright in 62nd place (19:00.1). Sophomore Aiden Rollins finished 72nd and ran a PR by 22 seconds (19:20.0).

Senior Dylan Romans placed 84th out of 180 runners and beat his PR from last year. He trimmed minutes off his time from his first race of the season, from 22:54.4 to 19:51.1.

Junior Yahshua Harris finished just outside the top half in 93rd place (20:05.3), and senior William Breen rounded out the Falcons with a season best in 138th place (22:15.9).

“Caleb had a great start and ran a solid, smart race with a PR by 32 seconds,” Hall said. “Dylan Romans, pulling double duty with football and xc, turned in a PR and a very smart race. He teamed up with Yahshua Harris to keep a good pace.”

“This is our fifth race of the season, and the team just keeps getting better,” Hall continued. “They show up, put the work in, do their best on race day and get the results. Our next meet will be the Downey Classic in San Diego on Sept 29.”

The Falcons traveled to Walnut, Calif., for the 74th annual Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational, and this will be the first time competing in the Downey Classic.

The Falcons will be tested on a new course and against new competition, but it will help prepare them for sectionals in late October and state championships Saturday, Nov. 4.

After the road trip to California, the Falcons will run in the Epic Tourneys XC Invite at Crossroads Park in Gilbert Friday, Oct. 13.