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PREP CROSS COUNTRY

Gessner, Eldorado girls dominate Lobo Invitational

Freshman Helene Gessner led an Eldorado sweep, while Albuquerque Academy’s Diego Friedrich won the boys race at UNM.

Eldorado’s Helene Gessner, left, and Gianna Rahmer pull away from the pack during the Lobo Cross Country Invitational at UNM North Golf Course on Saturday.
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The University of New Mexico North Golf Course was decorated in Eldorado burnt orange Saturday morning.

Not that the Eagles girls cross country team has anything to prove, but they’re already in full flight, dominating the Lobo Invitational.

Freshman Helene Gessner of Eldorado and Diego Friedrich, a sophomore at Albuquerque Academy, were the individual champions Saturday.

Diego Friedrich leads the way during the Lobo Cross Country Invitational at UNM North Golf Course on Saturday.

Gessner, who placed second last week at the season-opening meet at Cleveland, led a parade of Eagles at the top of the standings.

She finished in 18 minutes, 36.22 seconds, just a scant two seconds in front of teammate, junior Gianna Rahmer (18:38.31). Rahmer’s sister Isla (81:53.52), an eighth-grader, completed a 1-2-3 sweep for Eldorado.

“I just felt like I still had a kick,” Gessner, 14, said. “And I felt I had been working really hard, so I decided to go.”

Eldorado’s Helene Gessner cross the finish line, winning the Lobo Cross Country Invitational at UNM North Golf Course on Saturday.

This is Gessner’s first season running competitively for Eldorado, though she has run in clubs.

But she’s off to a great start, with a second and a first. She also plays volleyball and basketball and decided to join the Eagles cross country program, she said, “to pick it up for fun.”

The Eagles had six of the top eight finishers, with Gianna Rahmer, a junior, the oldest of the six. She was coming off a tough finish at Cleveland, where she collapsed at the finish line due to a combination of heat exhaustion and dehydration. Ava Denton, another freshman, was fifth in 19:27.83 on Saturday. Eldorado finished with 18 points.

“I was really excited for our team,” Gessner said. “My team helps me a lot, they all push me. Gianna has taught me a lot about running. … I haven’t been running for too long, I just want to learn and get better.”

The only non-Eldorado runner in the top five was Santa Fe High freshman Andi Severy (19:16.44).

Diego Friedrich crosses the finish line with a time of 15:55 at the Lobo Cross Country Invitational at UNM North Golf Course on Saturday.

Friedrich was the only boy to finish in under 16 minutes, crossing in 15 minutes, 55.85 seconds.

Junior Christopher Severy of Santa Fe was a distant second, in 16:20.36.

“UNM is a great course, but it can be kind of tough,” Friedrich said. “One of the other kids ran with me for a little while, but last mile he fell off.”

Cache Webb of Farmington (16:38.15), Keller Ford (16:40.90) of Centennial and Aiden Roybal of ϼ Vista (16:42.59) rounded out the top five.

Friedrich ran third at Cleveland a week ago. Saturday marked his first varsity victory.

“It was really cool,” he said.

Cleveland posted a narrow victory over Centennial (112-122) in the boys team standings. La Cueva (174) was third.

NOTE: One name that won’t be seen during cross country or track is the last name Coombs; the Las Cruces family, which has had multiple athletes at Organ Mountain, moved to Utah during the summer. Daxton Coombs was ninth at state last November and was a factor in the distances at state track last spring.

LIBERTY BELL: Last week’s Cleveland girls champion, junior Mariah Galbraith of Rio Rancho, competed at the prestigious Liberty Bell Invitational in Littleton, Colorado, on Saturday, placing 13th overall out of 154 runners in the Sweepstakes Varsity division.

COLLEGE DIVISION: Noel Barlette of UNM (18:13.98) and freshman Rhys Crawford (16:07.60) from Scotland, also from the Lobos, captured first in very limited fields.

James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at .