On Oct. 24, the Holmes Middle School Cross Country team placed first in the the Colorado State Middle School Cross Country Championship with a 45 pt. lead over Longmont’s Westview Middle School.

The Holmes Cross Country team, coached by Jim Brinkman and Kelly Gross, began the season with a bang, racking up top three finishes at Leadville, Monument, and Denver meets. Coach Brinkman said, “The goal for the season was to create a team environment within a very individual sport. Also to develop all athletes into better distance runners…Most of all, [we wanted] to use the season as an introduction to distance running while having fun, when a team has fun together they naturally gravitate toward winning.”

Following a successful showing at the D11 Girls Track and Field Classic, Holmes taking second place behind cross-town rival Jenkins, itself a major contributor to Coronado’s student body, “…The team became more focused on distance training,” said Coach Brinkman, “…The athletes really came together as teammates. They seemed to sense they were part of something special; the girls were required to peak for Classics then extend their training to race and peak again…”.  

Come the 24th, the team was refocused and poised for success at the 3.5K course at Denver’s Fehringer Ranch Park.

Foremost were the open races lead by Holmes’ Leaf Waters, 147th place, Aidan Gould, 158th place, and James Balarama, 246th place, in the boys race and a 13th place finish by Tryna Brinkman, daughter of Coach Brinkman, in the girls open race, as well as a 17th place finish by Elizabeth Gumper.

In the girls’ championship race, runners Kindyll Wetta, 7, Grace Abernethy, 8, and Julia Solano, 8, formed a fast-moving pack at the front of the 379 runner wave, winding across the muddy autumn landscape as one. The pack endured throughout the majority of the race, dissipating only as the runners approached the finish line. Holmes’ top finisher was Kindyll Wetta, taking 13th place with a time of 13:14, followed by Grace Abernethy in 17th with a time of 13:18, Julia Solano in 23rd with a time of 13:30, Kylah Ricks, 7,  in 33rd with a time of 13:49, Kate Griffin, 8, in 59th place with a time of 14:16, and Aria Schleiker, 8, in 226th place with a time of 16:25.

In the boys’ championship race, Holmes placed eighth, with Eric White, 8, coming in 31st place with a time of 12:36, Devin Muzzy, 8, coming in 63rd place with a time of 13:01, Charlie Schroeder, 8, coming in 85th place with a time of 13:14,  Malachi Ricks, 8, brother of Kylah Ricks, coming in 121st place with a time of 13:35,  Mark Bloomfield, 8, coming in 262nd place with a time of  14:45, and Adam Austin, 8, coming in 321st place with a time of 15:28.

Coach Brinkman said of the season and win, “…I, as the coach, was repeatedly impressed [throughout the season] with the effort and dedication displayed by the athletes. They…represent[ed] themselves and Holmes Middle School extremely well in competition and in activities outside of the team events.”

Holmes’ win proved a community affair: runners Grace Abernethy and Devin Muzzy both have siblings at Coronado, varsity volleyball player Mara Abernethy, 10, and varsity cross country runner Elana Muzzy, 10, seventh grader Kindyll Wetta is the daughter of Coronado varsity football coach Rob Wetta, while eighth grader Aria Schleiker is the daughter of Coronado science teacher Kendra Schleiker, and Malachi and Kylah Ricks are the children of Coronado assistant cross country coach Justin Ricks.

Both teams’ successes potentially bode well for the future of Coronado cross country, Holmes proving among Coronado’s foremost feeder schools. “I’m just really excited for the Holmes’ team.  They are one of our program’s biggest feeders and Coach Brinkman just did an amazing job this year.  This sure is a talented and hard-working group of kids,” said Coronado cross country coach Doug Hugill, whose girls’ team took 5th at the 5A State Championships this season.

However, Holmes’ success is not solely limited to running, “The discipline and dedication required to participate is a lesson all athletes can and will carry over into other aspects of their lives, such as their studies, work ethic at a job and even into their personal lives,” said Coach Brinkman. Congratulations, Hawks.