James wins JV title in Spearfish — Dogies battle heat, post personal bests

Newcastle’s cross-country team overcame nearly 100-degree temperatures Friday to turn in another strong performance at the Spearfish Invitational, highlighted by a junior varsity victory from L.J. James and a personal-best effort by Christine Swentesky.

“It was a hot, fast race,” head coach Sally Hoover said. “With temps nearing 100 degrees, it was a fight for hydration. But the team performed really well.”

Jaden McGuire led the Dogies’ varsity boys despite battling stomach issues, finishing the 5-kilometer race in 20 minutes, 24 seconds.

“Jaden was our top varsity finisher for boys, putting up a solid 20:24 while battling stomach issues,” Hoover said.

Swentesky paced the Newcastle girls with a personal-best time of 22:45, placing 22nd in the varsity race.

“Christine was our top varsity girl, going a personal best of 22:45, which should give her momentum going into the bulk of our season,” Hoover said.

James continued an impressive early season by winning the JV girls race in 22:08. Teammate Millie Paulton added a seventh-place finish, helping lead a strong showing by the Newcastle junior varsity girls.

“L.J. James continued her hot streak, winning the JV girls division in 22:08, with Millie Paulton placing seventh behind her,” Hoover said.

Hoover said she is pleased with how the team continues to develop as the season progresses.

“Overall they ran well,” she said. “We have a few front runners, and the rest are starting to run as a pack, which bodes well for later in the season.”

She also noted that the fast pace set from the starting line challenged runners and gave them confidence heading into the coming weeks.

“The start of every race Friday was smoking fast, which really showed the runners what they are capable of, and I am excited to use that confidence in the next few weeks,” Hoover said.

The Dogies have this week off before returning to competition Sept. 18 at Pine Haven.

“With a solid build week coming up, I expect us to be ready to drop some time,” Hoover said.

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