On Friday Sept. 12, the boys varsity Cross Country team placed 1st and the girls varsity team placed 5th at the Liberty Bell Cross Country Invitational. More than 80 teams competed in the meet held at Heritage High School in Littleton, CO.

The boys’ win comes one year after a disqualification lost them 1st place at last year’s meet. This year, led by Jordan Lesansee ’17, the Chargers were able to take home the trophy. Lesansee led the Chargers with a 6th place finish and a time of 15:36:00 in the men’s 5K Division 1A. “I feel like everyone on the team contributed to the victory by setting personal records and putting in a solid effort,” Lesansee said.

Other male runners included A.J. Kedge ’18, Aric Kedge ’17, Carlos Cdebaca ’15, Cody Bratzler ’16, Mark Harrington ’17, and Will Stanopiewicz ’16, who all finished among the top 60 out of the 157 runners who participated in the race. Jorge Otero ’15 and Mason Clugston ’16 also competed, running in the men’s Division 1B race. The boys’ team finished with 113 points, beating out 2nd place Monarch High School, who finished with 117 points. The average time for the top five Academy male runners was 16:05.

Cameren Kristensen ’17 led the girls with a time of 18:54.00 and an accompanying 25th place finish. The team included Lillian Brunacini ’19, Dara Procell ’18, Alex Dean ’17, Jane Archibeck ’19, Celeste Martinez ’19, and Erin Archibeck ’16. Stacy Pollack ’15 and Carly Wall ’18 competed in the women’s Division 1B race, both achieving times under 21:00.00. The girls team finished with 170 points, while 1st place Monarch High School finished with 57 points.

“Even though we did get 5th, we were up against some really tough teams, and four girls were able to break 19 minutes in a 5K. So we’re really happy with how we did,” Dean said.

The next cross country race will occur on Sept. 20 at Cleveland High School.

To see the boys’ results and times, click here.

To see the girls’ results and times, click here.