Runners take on Camp Washoe

Carson holds its own against Northern powers South Tahoe and Reno

Click to Enlarge Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal Christy Works finished first for Carson's girls cross country team Wednesday afternoon at Washoe Lake. The 3.1 mile course included a section in the water near the finish line. Browse and Buy Nevada Appeal Photos

Steve Yingling
Nevada AppealNews Service
September 21, 2006, 4:01 AM

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WASHOE VALLEY - It was a race course that could have doubled as boot camp for the military.

Sand dunes, soft sand and the edge of Washoe Lake presented several of the top cross country teams in the nation and Nevada with more obstacles and leg work than they may face all season.

Reno's Mel Lawrence, one of the nation's top runners, was wearing part of the 3.1-mile course as she crossed the finish line with a soaked top.

"It was so hard," said Lawrence, who won by 42 seconds with her time of 19 minutes, 53.68 seconds. "The start was nice, but then you get into the deep sand. There was hard dirt along the beach, but the boys tore it all up so we didn't have any to run on, so it was really hard to push off."

South Tahoe's Joey Summerhill, who finished 14th and Chris Gamage (23rd) were unimpressed with the new terrain they had to overcome.

"I want a better course. It's hard to tell on this one, because I could have run better," Gamage said.

Added Summerhill, "I want to see them come back on a flat, hard-surfaced course and see what happens."

But at least one runner was truly in heaven on Wednesday. Carson senior Chad Shroy, who once competed in the "Mud Run," running 6.2 miles over hay bales and mud pits in combat boots.

"It made running fun because it was different. That was what today was all about," said Shroy, who took second in 17:08.28. "Nobody expected to have a PR or fast times because this is a course to go out and work hard and have fun."

What the meet revealed is that the Reno boys are by far the class of the North, and likely Nevada as well.

Seven of the first nine runners to cross the finish line wore Huskies' blue and red uniforms. Walter Juarez, a transfer from Oregon, led Reno with a winning time of 16:48.25.

"There is no one who can touch them this year," STHS coach Dominique Westlake said. "They are out there by themselves."

As dominant as Reno was, the Shroy brothers showed they were equal to the challenge. Shroy's younger brother, Richard, finished a strong fourth, less than 2 seconds behind Lawrence's twin brother John at 17:31.39.

"I started out running in the 19s and he's already below 18 in his freshman year," Shroy said. "I expect him to do very well in the future."

Shroy said the friendly brother rivalry is good for each other.

"I think I can hold him off (the rest of this year), but he's going to make me work, that's for sure," Shroy said.

Carson coach Pete Sinnott is already dubbing the brothers as the dynamic duo - Batman and Robin.

"They are both really tough," Sinnott said. "They both love running, they both love to compete and I like coaching them because they'll go out and do the workouts they are supposed to do."

Three other Senators finished in the top 15 with Caleb Carter placing 11th (18:52.33), Ethan Graber 12th (18:58.20) and Nick Schlager 15th (19:16.20).

Overall team scores were Reno 39, Carson 58 and South Tahoe 77. In the dual meets, Reno defeated Carson 32-39 and South Tahoe 15-50, while the Senators conquered the Vikings 33-42.

The Carson girls held their own against the schools who have combined to win the past five state titles. The Senators placed five runners in the top 13, with Christy Works leading the way in seventh place at 22:29.01. She was followed by Yvonne Hollett, eighth, 22:33.09; Kristin Dockery, 11th, 22:49.63; Gloria Sosa, 12th, 22:57.07; and Yvette Hollett, 13th, 23:12.48.

The Senators finished seven points behind the two time-defending state champion Vikings. Team scores were Reno 27, South Tahoe 44 and Carson 51. Dual scores were Reno 19, Carson 36; South Tahoe 25, Carson 30; and Reno 23, South Tahoe 32.

"South Tahoe is a great team, so just to be close to them is good," Sinnott said. "My girls don't really surprise me. They are really strong and have a lot of ability.

"Reno and South Tahoe are still pretty far ahead of us, but we're coming along pretty good and we're where we should be right now. We're trying to emulate them right now."