“Undefeated”– a term used in many sports, but rarely used to define a cross country season. However, an undefeated season is exactly what the Broomfield girls’ cross country team accomplished this fall, winning every meet they entered.

Emily Mitchem (10), Ivy Gonzales (10), Katelyn Mitchem (10), McKenzie Gaines (9), and Alena Valdez (10) were the top five runners on the Broomfield cross country team for the entirety of the season. Due to the fluidity and competitive depth of the team, the sixth and seventh varsity positions fluctuated, week to week.

Before the season began, it was obvious that the dedicated Broomfield girls cross country team was going to accomplish something big this year. With preseason starting on June 15, the girls ran countless miles during the five-month training season, in weather ranging from 100 degree heat, to pouring rain and near-freezing conditions. The stamina and commitment of these girls never faltered despite the demanding six-day training week.

Over the course of the season, the girls steadily improved their pack-time, subsequently winning all seven of their meets leading up to state. Especially impressive was the girls’ performance at the all-conference meet. Head Coach Greg Weich notoriously holds his varsity teams back at the conference race so that they are less likely to injure themselves in the two weeks period leading up to the all-important state meet. However, even with the girls starting the race much slower than they normally would and running as a pack for the first half, they still won the meet by a phenomenal 33 point spread.

Because the Broomfield girls’ varsity team was made up entirely of underclassmen and because they didn’t get much local media attention, most people in the Broomfield High community had no idea these girls were on track to compete for the State Cross Country Championship title. However, throughout the season, Broomfield’s girls’ team quietly and steadfastly worked their way up in the rankings. After a sixth place finish at state last year, they entered this year’s championship race ranked third place, behind Cherry Creek and Mountain Vista, with a strong Fairview team that also held potential to take the prize.

Cross country operates differently compared to most sports. The varsity team consists of the top seven runners each week, based on their place-finish at the previous week’s meet. In cross country, the first five runners across the finish line score for the team. Team scoring is accomplished by adding the top five racers’ place across the finish line, per school. The team with the lowest score wins the meet.  All seven runners maintain a crucial part to creating success on a cross country team. Even if a runner does not score top five for the team, other teams’ fifth runners can be displaced by another team’s sixth and seventh runners, allowing their team an opportunity to score a better finishing position.

The 5A state meet was a close race between the top four 5A teams, with only a 20 point final spread between the first and fourth place teams, a tight race by cross country standards. At the completion of the race, many people did not know which team was going to come out on top. In the end, Broomfield finished in first place with a score of 112, Emily Mitchem (8th), Ivy Gonzales (18th), Katelyn Mitchem (19th), Kenzie Gaines (23rd) and Alena Valdez (44th), capping off the 2015 season with the coveted 5A state title. Emily Galvin (50th) and Vanessa Kort (53rd) rounded out the state championship team finishing in the 6th and 7th positions for the team.
The girls will finish off their 2015 season with one more event, the Nike Cross Regional race, in Casa Grande, Arizona, on November 21.