Dogies shine on home course at conference meet

A little rain couldn’t dampen Newcastle’s spirits last Thursday as the Dogies hosted the 3A East Conference Cross Country Championships at the Newcastle Country Club. Despite soggy conditions and a course that needed last-minute adjustments after 2 inches of rain, the meet went off without a hitch — and the Dogies made the most of it.

“We had to redo some things in the morning, but we got it done,” head coach Kathy Beehler said. “Right when we were ready to start racing, it quit raining.”

The wet ground made footing tricky in places, but that didn’t stop Newcastle from turning in some of its best performances of the season. The Dogies recorded five personal records for the girls and six for the boys, including some massive time drops.

“Cheyanne Bloom had a two-minute PR, and Chanel Hansen and Caitlyn Blumenthal were both over a minute faster,” Beehler said. “Dylan Conley was 1:25 faster, and Gilberto was over a minute. Those were our biggest PRs.”

Senior Sam Cunningham led the charge for the Newcastle boys, finishing fourth overall in 17:01.05 to earn All-Conference honors. Archer Ohnstad also ran well, crossing in 15th place (18:39.14) and earning honorable mention All-Conference recognition.

As a team, the Dogie boys finished fifth out of eight teams with 112 points, showing continued progress as they move toward next week’s state meet.

“The boys were a little too spread out,” Beehler said. “If our group would have moved up another 20 seconds, they would have moved up 10–15 spots each.”

Beehler noted that this year’s roster includes a large group of juniors who will be seniors next fall — a sign that the team’s upward trend is likely to continue. 

“We had a big group of juniors who will be seniors next year, so we will just keep getting better,” she said. “We just need to move up a little bit.”

The Newcastle girls, meanwhile, placed fourth with 114 points and continued to build momentum for the future. Freshman Lillian Lopez led the team with a 23:50.86, while Chanel Hanson (25:48.97), Cheyanne Bloom (26:19.62), Liliana Cunningham (26:37.61) and Hollie Swentesky (26:53.14) rounded out the scoring five — all posting PRs.

“It was a good way to have a conference meet,” Beehler said. “The course was definitely soggy, so you had to pick a little bit where you ran, but the kids ran hard and had fun.”

While half the conference didn’t field enough runners to score on the girls’ side, Beehler was encouraged by the growth of her own program.

“There have been years when we haven’t had enough either,” she said. “It’s harder to get the girls out because they have three sports to choose from instead of two, with volleyball and swimming also going on in the fall. But I’m excited and hopeful for our girls because we’ve started adding more, and our middle school program is coming back again.”

Beehler believes that consistency and patience are key for the Dogies as they continue to rebuild.

“You’re running individually, and you have to be willing to work really hard,” she said. “Sometimes kids just don’t think they can, but they can and they just have to learn that. We’re proud of the runners we have and what they’re doing.”

The Dogies celebrated the successful meet with dinner afterward — a fitting end to a day that reflected the team’s character and progress.

“There were some good performances from some of the other teams, and they all thought it was a great meet,” Beehler said. “It was a good day.”

Newcastle now turns its attention to the State Cross Country Meet, set for Saturday, Oct. 25, at Little America in Cheyenne. The 3A boys’ race begins at 11 a.m., followed by the 3A girls’ race at 12:30 p.m.

“The kids are pretty excited,” Beehler said. “We’ll run on Saturday, and it should be a great way to end the season.”

Newcastle Results – 3A East Conference Meet (Oct. 16, 2025, Newcastle Country Club)

Boys – Team 5th (112 points)
4. Sam Cunningham – 17:01.05
15. Archer Ohnstad – 18:39.14
26. Jaden McGuire – 19:58.32
33. Lucas Scribner – 20:55.12
34. Lane Carter – 20:56.63
Also: Dylan Conley – 21:01.22; Gilberto Martinez – 21:12.36

Girls – Team 4th (114 points)
23. Lillian Lopez – 23:50.86
30. Chanel Hanson – 25:48.97
33. Cheyanne Bloom – 26:19.62
35. Liliana Cunningham – 26:37.61
37. Hollie Swentesky – 26:53.14
Also: Ashlyn Leonard – 27:23.00; Kaitlyn Blumenthal – 27:40.93