High Country Sports

Author: David

  • Double jeopardy dooms Whitnel in Tar League 15U play

    By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Piling on to their own misfortune, the Whitnel team entry in the Tar Heel League District 2, 15-and-Under baseball tournament double faulted over the weekend and were dismissed from the double elimination format with hardly a thrown ball.

    On Feb. 12, Whitnel forfeited to Wilkes County because they didn’t have enough players. A day later, after advancing to the loser’s bracket to face Watauga, Whitnel was disqualified after one inning of play for using ineligible players.

    A group comprised of Tar Heel League president Mack McLeod, District 2 commissioner Stephen Poulos, and the three umpires stopped play and conferred briefly at home plate before moving toward the Whitnel dugout with a Boone Police escort to confront the team and its ineligible players, according to league eligibility standards. Satisfied with their findings, the league principals promptly asked the team to immediately leave the venue, Watauga High School.

    With the disqualification, Watauga’s 15U team has renewed life and advances to another potential elimination game on Monday, July 15.

    Fortunately, Whitnel left without much in the way of incident other than some inflammatory language and gestures on the part of a couple of players. Upon further questioning by High Country Sports, we learned that there had been previous problems with the Whitnel program and they were likely to be permanently barred from future participation in the Tar Heel League, although we were unable to confirm that likelihood with the THL officials by the time of this report.

    POSTSCRIPT: LIFE LESSONS

    When all is said and done, baseball is most often a game played by young people so there is a natural frustration when something like this happens. One line of thought is that these are young boys becoming men and it is JUST a game, so let ’em play. Canceling a game because of two ineligible players deprives at least 16 others of a chance to have fun playing and hone their skills against competition.

    That said, rules and laws are put in place for a reason and when you sign up to participate in a league or organizational format, you are voluntarily promising to abide by whatever rules or laws go with it.

    Organized youth development activities like sports usually have a far reaching impact on young athletes and that goes beyond developing their physical skills. Though sometimes harsh, there are life lessons to be learned. Those lessons better equip the participating young men or young women for adulthood, with all of its responsibilities, up and downs, and challenges.

    Ultimately, this incident is all about that and we applaud the THL organizers for their diligence and administration.

     

     

  • Watauga falls to Hickory, 9-3 in second round of Tar Heel League’s 15-and-Under tourney

    By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Leaving runners stranded with the bases loaded a couple of times didn’t help Watauga’s 15-and-Under team on July 13, losing to a hard hitting Hickory squad, 9-3.

    For best photo viewing on laptop or PC monitors, click on any image for Slide Show mode.

    Watauga was aggressive on the base paths with six stolen bases, but simply didn’t have enough firepower to get runners on base to take advantage. The Watauga batters were patient, collecting seven walks.

    Watauga’s Isaiah Shreve (6) slides into third base vs. Hickory in the July 13 Tar Heel League second round game. Photographic image by David Rogers

    The game only went six innings due to the Tar Heel League’s 2-hour time limit, rather than the full seven innings.

    Both Watauga and Hickory had first round byes and played their first tournament game on Saturday morning instead of the night before because of inclement weather.

    Noah Brown was on the mound for Watauga 15U team on July 13 vs. Hickory in the Tar Heel League District 2 tournament at Watauga High School. Photographic image by David Rogers

    With loss, Watauga falls into the loser’s bracket of the double elimination Tar Heel League’s District 2, 15-and-Under tournament and will play next at 2 p.m. on July 13. Hickory advances with an unblemished record to the next round in the winner’s bracket, playing on July 13 at 4 p.m.

  • Bigfoots trample Zookeepers, 11-5

    By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A 4-RBI night for Watauga alum Tristan Salinas, including a 3-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, helped power the Boone Bigfoots to an 11-5 win over the Asheboro Zookeepers on July 13, at App State’s Smith Field.

    In taking the win, the Bigfoots leveraged six strong innings by starting pitcher Jacob Lauderdale, who limited the Zookeepers to just two runs on four hits and throwing 53 strikes in his 95 pitches of work.

    Bigfoots starting pitcher Jacob Lauderdale threw six strong innings on July 12 against the Asheboro Zookeepers in an 11-5 win. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports

    The Bigfoots’ designated hitter, Cameron Benson, put the finishing touches on the home team’s 6-run explosion in the bottom of the second inning with a 2-run home run, hammering the ball over the fence on a 2-0 count. Previous to Benson’s blast, an array of Bigfoot batters manufactured four, “small-ball” runs by beating out infield singles, patiently waiting for walks, taking advantage of passed balls allowed by Asheboro starting pitcher Noah Samol and catcher Alex LaCoste, and a 2-RBI single to right field by Boone catcher Kory Klingenbeck.

    With the win, the Bigfoots are 6-6 in the second half of the Coastal Plain League season. They face league leader Martinsville (8-3) at Smith Stadium on Saturday, July 13, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

  • My Life: Certainly not looking for a fight with these guys

    By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — In the early 1980s, I went to a friend’s wedding in San Diego, where I was living and working at the time. It was a California-casual event in the early summer at a country club, so I was dressed in an all-white outfit: a short-sleeve golf shirt and long Canterbury trousers, with white tennis shoes.

    I had some champagne at the reception but not that much, really, because I usually worked on Sunday, doing some pretty intense stock market research. So I wasn’t looking for any kind of distraction, even if it was the weekend.

    On the way home from the wedding reception, I decided I was hungry for some Mexican food from my favorite drive-up eatery a little south and west of downtown. Operated by a family from south of the border, it was pretty authentic fare and really good.

    Next door to the restaurant was a non-descript bar, a dark gray building with no windows and little in the way of lights or signage to beckon a visitor. I had never been interested in setting foot in the place but as I was waiting for my food, up walked a young woman I had met before while waiting for my tacos and burritos. It turns out, she worked as a waitress at the bar and after some banter back and forth she invited me to drop into where she worked.

    After I finished my meal, I ventured over to the bar. Now I knew nothing about this place, but when I walked in it was very dark, with the only real light coming from floodlights pointed at a dance floor in the back of the room. It may have been very dark but it didn’t take me long to realize that I, in my all-white outfit, was the only Caucasian in the place. The waitress was Hispanic and this was San Diego, after all, so it never occurred to me that I would be stumbling into any kind of special nightclub.

    It didn’t bother me that I was in what was obviously an African-American establishment, although I did get a few curious stares. It would be an understatement to say I stood out in my all-white garb. A young Black woman approached and chatted for awhile before asking me to dance.

    I was having a good time, movin’ and groovin’ to the music and talking with my new friend when the waitress came up, tapped me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear, “Those gentlemen over there at the first table would like to speak with you.”

    Suddenly, I became more aware of my surroundings and grew nervous. Thoughts raced through my mind: Had I offended someone? Was I dancing with someone’s girlfriend?

    My anxiety grew as I approached the table and the three men stood up to seemingly tower before me. While I was not tiny in stature, these guys struck me as huge, broad-shouldered and very muscular, looking to be in their 30s or 40s.

    The guy closest to me extended his hand in greeting and said with a big smile, “We just had to meet you. You have some cojones and you look like you are having fun.”

    When I responded that I was having a good time but hoped I was not offending anyone he said, “Oh no. My name is Ken Norton. This is Ernie Shavers and Joe Frazier.”

    I am pretty sure I got the names right. In turn, I was shaking hands with three of the world’s greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.

    They invited me to sit with them and I did but don’t remember much about the conversation. I had to admit to them that I wasn’t much of a boxing fan, but certainly was a sports junkie already by that time in my life and knew who they were. What I didn’t know, of course, was how terrific they were as individuals. Gone were the menacing snarls in the boxing ring. They were just everyday people, out having a good time.

    I grew up in a very bigoted culture, in Oildale, California, just north of Bakersfield. But beginning with my freshman year in college when my best friend was a nationally ranked quarter miler and through experiences like this one in San Diego, I grew to realize that we all have more similarities than differences. We are all people with joys, problems, accomplishments, goals and passions coursing through the highs and lows of life.

    And life is good… if we just allow it to be.

     

  • Goin’ pro: Chirico, Holderbach sign baseball contracts with Florence Y’alls

    By Matt Present. BOONE, N.C. — Right-handed pitcher Dante Chirico and first baseman Drew Holderbach from App State have signed professional baseball contracts with the Florence Y’alls.

    The Y’alls compete in Florence, Ky., and are a member of the Frontier League, an independent professional baseball league that operates as one of Major League Baseball’s partner leagues.

    “I’m thrilled for Dante and Drew,” head coach Kermit Smith said. “They are two guys who love the game and have an opportunity to continue their career. They will make the most of this opportunity and will no doubt continue to give their all. It’s a great day to be a Mountaineer.”

    Chirico pitched in 36 games for the Mountaineers across two seasons and was a member of the Mountaineers’ weekend rotation in 2024. The righty went 4-2 with a 6.25 ERA this past season, striking out 59 batters in 67.2 innings of work while holding opponents to a .240 batting average.

    A native of Chapin, S.C., Chirico’s season was highlighted by tossing seven innings in a combined one-hitter against South Alabama on May 2. Two weeks later, Chirico fired a career-high eight innings in App State’s win over Old Dominion. In his final outing in a Black and Gold uniform, Chirico retired the first 12 batters he faced, including seven strikeouts, in the Sun Belt Tournament against Troy on May 22.

    “It means the world to me to have the opportunity to be able to come and compete with the Y’alls,” Chirico said.

    Dante Chirico on the mound for Boone Bigfoots in June 25 win vs. Martinsville Mustangs.
    Dante Chirico, pitching for the Boone Bigfoots. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports

    Holderbach started all 55 games at first base for the Mountaineers in 2024, in his lone season in the High Country. The Fairfield, Ohio, native slashed .321/.465/.550 with 19 doubles, nine home runs and 48 RBIs. Holderbach reached base safely in each of the first 43 games of the season, the second-longest on-base streak in program history. He finished the season tied for fifth in the Sun Belt in doubles (19), sixth in runs scored (64), and fourth in hit by pitch (19). He also finished eighth in single-season program history for runs scored and tied for 10th in single-season doubles.

    Holderbach registered 19 multi-hit games and 14 multi-RBI games. In the power department, the Rice transfer hit a go-ahead, two-run home run at Texas State on March 17 for the longest App State home run in the TrackMan era, traveling 465 feet. He also blasted a go-ahead, three-run home run in seventh inning of an elimination game against Coastal Carolina on May 23 to help the Mountaineers advance in the Sun Belt Tournament. Defensively, Holderbach committed just three errors in 395 chances for a team-best .993 fielding percentage.

    “I couldn’t be more excited to start my professional career,” Holderbach said. It is great to be able to play at the next level.”

    The duo joins Jeffrey Springs (Tampa Bay Rays), Chandler Seagle (Padres, Triple-A), Kaleb Bowman (Brewers, Double-A), Jack Hartman (Rays, High-A), Xander Hamilton (Twins, Single-A) and Jaylin Davis (American Association) as former Mountaineers playing professional baseball.

  • Legends Gala breaks another record, Carter opens up

    By Bret Strelow. BOONE, N.C. — One question resonated with Omar Carter as he faced an uncertain future at App State.

    Thinking back to that same question provided helpful perspective following a life-changing health emergency.

    “Do you even want to be here?”

    Carter, a standout for App State Men’s Basketball from 2010-12, served as the keynote speaker Friday at the 2024 Legends Gala: Forever a Mountaineer, presented by Double Wood Farm. The event raised a record $340,000+ and has raised more than $1.25 million in support of App State student-athletes since its 2017 inception.

    App State athletic director Doug Gillin acknowledges someone in the crowd at the Legends Gala, June 28. Photo by David Katzenmaier

    Carter was one of six individuals recognized as a legend, addressing a large crowd that included fellow legends Katie Boyd (softball), Lindsay Edmonds (women’s basketball), Jerry Harmon (football), Mike Ramsey (baseball) and Kate Ward (soccer).

    Carter earned all-conference and all-district honors as an App State junior in 2010-11 before leading the team in scoring as a senior in 2011-12, but the transition wasn’t smooth following his transfer from Charleston Southern, where he had averaged 14.4 points over his first two Division I seasons.

    when asked the question, Carter lowered his head and started crying…

    Dell Curry’s endorsement of Carter, a Charlotte native, to then-coach Buzz Peterson played a big role in Carter’s relocation to Boone, and NCAA transfer rules at the time forced him to sit out the 2009-10 season.

    After struggling academically during his first semester at App State, Carter met with academic advisor Jean Roberts — Miss Jean — and was asked a direct question.

    “Do you even want to be here?”

    Carter lowered his head and started crying, but Roberts quickly reassured Carter that he would succeed if he followed her direction and advice.

    “That’s the Appalachian way,” Carter recalled Friday. “We have coaches, educators, our parents — everything that’s in this room. That’s everything I thought about on the way up here, how she pretty much saved my life.

    Former App State football head coach Jerry Moore shares a moment with his former quarterback, Armanti Edwards, at the June 28 Legends Gala. Photo by David Katzenmaier

    “We as athletes are tested through our studies, through our social life, through our performance, all while trying to balance all those things at once. As athletes we are afforded the opportunity to learn to work through trial and error, whether that’s as a cohesive unit or as one. You learn focus and perseverance and dealing with adversity. That’s what I was dealing with at the time. I believe these are all the ingredients that this great university taught me as July 9, 2013 came about.”

    That’s the Appalachian way.

    Carter, who played professionally overseas following his App State career, was on the court back in Charlotte during the summer of 2013 when he suffered sudden cardiac arrest.

    Unconscious on the court, he received CPR for 13 minutes until an emergency transport arrived. Carter ended up in a local hospital on life support and in a medically induced coma, but he fully recovered and later founded the Omar Carter Foundation with a mission to prepare others to assist in the case of a cardiac emergency.

    “I remember leaving the hospital,” Carter recalled, “sitting in my room for a month or two, and the thing that came back in my mind is what Jean Roberts had told me. ‘Do you even want to be here?’ This was outside of App. This was life, and this is what she had groomed me for.”

    Those impactful words from Roberts contributed to more success, with a grateful Carter sharing his incredible story to the attentive crowd of App State-affiliated guests Friday night.

    This was life, and this is what she had groomed me for.

    Charley Belcher emceed the annual event, with Director of Athletics Doug Gillin making introductory remarks in the Grandview Ballroom of the North End Zone facility. A fireworks show beyond the south end zone of Kidd Brewer Stadium provided entertainment following a live auction that included contributions that will increase scholarship support for App State student-athletes.

    “We get a lot of good friends together, we get to celebrate legends and we get to hang out and break bread together with friends,” Gillin said. “That’s what being a Mountaineer is all about.”

  • High Country’s van der Els advances to Men’s 5000m final at U.S. Olympic Trials with torrid final 800m in Heat 2

    By David Rogers. EUGENE, Ore. — Most mere mortals are challenged to run 800 meters in under two minutes, much less doing so after a fast-paced 4,200 meters. But that is exactly what 10 runners did on June 27 to advance to the 5,000-meter semifinals of the U.S. Olympic Trials — including Blowing Rock-based ZAP Endurance’s Eric van der Els.

    van der Els, now in his second year training with the High Country’s professional distance running team of elite athletes, covered the last 800 meters in 1:55.

    “He ran unreal,” said ZAP Endurance head coach Pete Rea after the race.

    The former University of Connecticut star at 1500 meters and 5000 meters on the track, as well as in cross country, now advances to the U.S. Olympic Trials’ final on Sunday, June 30, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT.

    ZAP Endurance has one other athlete still in the mix for the U.S. Olympic Team. Amanda Vestri runs in the 10,000-meter final on Saturday, June 29, slated for 9:09 p.m. EDT.

    The U.S. Olympic Trials are televised on NBC, USA and Peacock channels. Check local listings for exact broadcast schedules.

  • Blowing Rock’s Colley surges to personal best in the Men’s 10,000 Meters at U.S. Trials

    By David Rogers. EUGENE, Ore. — With under six laps to go in the Men’s 10,000 Meters final at the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 21, Blowing Rock-based ZAP Endurance’s Andrew Colley decided the pace was much too slow. His long, flowing locks sweeping back and forth behind him, the veteran marathoner and cross-country runner surged to the front of the star-studded field of U.S. athletes, pushing the pace faster.

    Grant Fisher, the pre-race favorite from Michigan, the veteran and 2-time national champion Woody Kincaid, and the 21-yearold NCAA champion at 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, Nico Young, went with Colley, eventually overtaking him and finishing 1-2-3 to secure positions on the U.S. Olympic Team going to Paris. While the slow early pace meant that none of the runners crossed the finish line under the Olympic standard of 27 minutes, all three of the top runners had already beaten that mark in earlier races this season.

    For his part, Colley faded to a No. 8 finish but still established a personal best for the 10,000 meters distance. Of interest: Colley was the only runner in the field to record a pers

    ZAP Endurance had two of the top 10 U.S. runners in the 10,000 Meters finals, including Andrew Colley’s personal best.

    For much of the early half of the race, the field broke into two groups, with Colley coasting at the back of the 6-man lead group and ZAP Endurance teammate Ryan Ford positioned near the rear of the second group.

    Ford, however, was among the second pack runners who helped reel in the lead pack to form what amounted to a “peloton,” if put in cycling terms. At one point, Ford rallied to run among the top three athletes on the track before tucking in behind Colley in about sixth place.

    But with six laps to go, Colley pushed to the front, perhaps hoping to run away from the field and take away any last lap finishing kick opportunities harbored by the pre-race favorites. Fisher and Kincaid, both running under the NIKE banner, as well as Young (Northern Arizona University) and adidas athlete Drew Hunter were up to the challenge.

    “In a field featuring 24 of the nation’s best runners at the 10,000 meters distance, for ZAP Endurance to have two athletes in the top 10 is pretty special,” ZAP Endurance head coach Pete Rea said after the race. “I am really proud of our guys, especially Andrew’s personal best. Both of them continue to get better and better.”

    ZAP Endurance still has three opportunities to send a High Country athlete to the Paris Olympics as a member of the U.S. team. Colley and Eric van der Els compete in the first round of the Men’s 5,000 Meters on Thursday, June 27, with the Final set for Sunday, June 30, and Amanda Vestri toes the line in the Women’s 10,000 Meters Final on Saturday, June 29.

    Also of High Country interest among the events run on June 21 at the Olympic Trials, Boone’s Abby Cooper just missed advancing to the semifinals of the Women’s 5,000 Meters, finishing No. 7 in a slow-paced Heat 2. The top six finishers of each heat advanced, plus the three fastest of the other runners. All three of the auto-qualifiers came from the faster-paced Heat 1.

    Elle St. Pierre (New Balance Boston) ran away with Heat 1, challenged by veteran Karissa Schweizer (NIKE/Bowerman Track Club) and recent NCAA champion Parker Valby (University of Florida). Elise Cranny took top honors in Heat 2, which also featured former NC State runner Katelyn Tuohy, now running for adidas. Heat 2 was also a debut of sorts for Elizabeth Leachman, who just completed her sophomore year at Boerne Champion High School, a suburb of San Antonio, Texas. Leachman finished No. 13 in the heat but the 16-yearold gave notice that the running world may be hearing more from her in the future.

    RESULTS: Men’s 10,000 Meters Final

    PLACE ATHLETE AFFILIATION TIME
    1 Grant Fisher NIKE 27:49.47
    2 Woody Kincaid NIKE 27:50.74
    3 Nico Young Northern Arizona Univ. 27:52.40
    4 Drew Hunter adidas 27:53.35
    5 Casey Clinger Brigham Young Univ. 27:59.71
    6 Conner Mantz NIKE 28:00.90
    7 Sam Chelanga Saucony 28:04.36
    8 Andrew Colley ZAP Endurance 28:05.05
    9 Ryan Ford ZAP Endurance 28:08.72
    10 Paul Chelimo American Distance Project 28:18.31
    11 Chandler Gibbens Kansas University 28:31.63
    12 Futsum Zienasellassie HOKA NAZ Elite 28:32.43
    13 Wil Smith Gonzaga University 28:33.30
    14 Alex Phillip University of North Carolina 28:35.15
    15 Zach Panning Hansons-Brooks Distance Project 28:36.82
    16 Aidan Reed Tracksmith/Roots Running Project 28:59.54
    17 Creed Thompson Brigham Young University 29:06.38
    18 Afewirki Zeru McKirdy Trained 29:06.77
    19 Ryan Johnson Unattached 29:30.13
    20 Aidan O’Gorman University of North Florida 29:55.42
    21 Ben Perrin Montana State University 30:09.11
    22 Evan Jenkins University of Washington 30:33.47
    DNF Dillon Maggard BROOKS Beasts Track Club
    DNF Alex Maier Oklahoma State University

  • Two more ZAP runners earn spots at U.S. Olympic Trials — with a nod to ‘losing’ MVP teammate

    By David Rogers. PORTLAND, Ore. — Whether consciously or sub-consciously, a long distance runner’s otherwise losing performance can make him a track team’s MVP on any given day.

    Blowing Rock-based ZAP Endurance team member Ryan Ford unofficially earned that honor  on June 9 while competing in a 5000-meter race at the Portland Track Festival.

    Ford, who was joined by ZAP teammates Andrew Colley and Eric van der Els in the elite international field for the 5000 race in Portland, had previously qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials (June 21-29, Eugene, Ore.) at the 10,000 meters distance. All three were hoping to automatically qualify at the shorter, 5000-meter distance, too, by running faster than 13:25, the auto-qualifying standard set for the Trials. The Portland event was the last opportunity before the qualifying window closed, according to ZAP Endurance head coach Pete Rea.

    “The race started out slow,” Rea recalled to High Country Sports. “So Ryan picked it up and did all of the heavy lifting. He pulled the rest of the pack with him until burning out with two laps to go. He didn’t win but his understanding what was needed and his initiative vs. our goals proved critical.”

    Without Ford’s torrid pace, Rea said, there was a lower probability that van der Els, Colley and the other top seven competitors would have bettered the automatic-qualifying standard because of the slow, early pace.

    As it turned out, both van der Els and Colley lowered their personal bests for the 5000m, to 13:21.78 and 13:23:24, respectively, in placing No. 4 and No. 6 in the elite field.

    Dylan Jacobs, running under the Switzerland-based On athletic apparel banner, finished No.1 (13:18.18), followed by India national team member Gulveer Singh (13:18.92) at No. 2 and Wesley Kiptoo (13:21.77) at No. 3 (just 1/100th of a second ahead of ZAP’s van der Els).

    van der Els’ No.4 finish established a new ZAP Endurance team record for the 5000-meter distance, the long-standing old record set by Tommy Morgan (13:27; 2004-2011). Morgan, who now lives in Oregon with his wife and children, was on hand to help celebrate the ZAP team’s accomplishments.

    Also among the 20-man field of runners in the 5000-meter event was Daniel Simmons, an American Fork High School (Utah) athlete who smashed his own national high school record in finishing No. 8, in 13:25.86, a fraction of a second short of the automatic qualifying standard for  U.S. Trials.

    ZAP Endurance, the Blowing Rock-based, professional running team organized in 2001 by former women’s elite marathoner Zika Rea, will have almost half of their elite distance running team members competing in Eugene’s U.S. Olympic Trials, vying for berths representing the United States at the Paris Olympics.

    • Women’s 10,000m: Amanda Vestri
    • Men’s 10,000m: Ryan Ford, Andrew Colley
    • Men’s 5000m: Eric van der Els, Andrew Colley

    Of the other members of the ZAP team, Tristin Van Ord, Tyler Pennel, Josh Izewski, Annmarie Tuxbury and Whitney Macon are focused on the marathon. Dan Schaffer just missed qualifying for the U.S. Trials at 1500 meters.

  • ZAP’S Vestri sparkles in NYC 10K

    By David Rogers. NEW YORK CITY — Running a long distance race through the swales, hills and curves of Central Park is a lot different — and more challenging — than competing on a flat, oval track.

    That didn’t seem to bother Blowing Rock-based ZAP Endurance professional team member Amanda Vestri on June 8 as she negotiated the historic Mastercard Mini Women’s 10K course, finishing the road race just seven seconds slower than the personal best she ran on the outskirts of London (England) three  weeks ago.

    Photo courtesy of ZAP Endurance

    Vestri’s effort in the Big Apple was top American and good enough for No. 4 overall in the elite international field. Her time of 31:17 was a little more than six seconds slower than the 31:10.53 she recorded on the London oval on May 18, and just 30 seconds behind Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi’s winning time of 30:47. Two Kenya runners, Sharo n Lokedi (31:04) and Sheila Chepkirui (31:09) were all that separated the High Country’s Vestri from a podium finish.

    At 24, Vestri was the youngest athlete among some of the world’s best. The former Syracuse University distance star has made dramatic strides since joining ZAP Endurance in late summer 2023.. Her 31:10.53 in London is the eighth best performance by an American this season, according to World Athletics, and makes her a “dark horse” contender to make the U.S. Olympic team headed to Paris later this summer. The Trials are scheduled for June 21-29, in Eugene, Ore.

    Photo courtesy of ZAP Endurance