Go to main contentsGo to main menu
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 1:06 AM

Fernley girls make State cross country meet for first time in 36 years

Fernley girls make State cross country meet for first time in 36 years

Boys qualify two runners as individuals

Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter

For the first time since 1985, the Fernley High School girls cross country team has qualified for the State Meet.

The Vaqueros finished fourth overall in last Friday’s Northern 3A Region Meet at Shadow Mountain Park in Sparks, to be one of the four teams qualifying for this Saturday’s NIAA 3A State Cross County Championships, which will also be held at Shadow Mountain Park.

In addition, the boys team qualified two runners as individuals, including the program’s first runner to make the all-league first team in 10 years.

“It was great to have a Regional meet and to have the opportunity to qualify for a State meet this year,” Fernley coach Todd Wright said. “The Vaqueros ran extremely well in both the boys’ and girls’ races.”

Wright said the girls’ team knew entering the meet they had a chance to qualify for State, and that’s exactly what they did.

“They ran a strong, consistent race to place fourth,” Wright said.

Fernley scored a total of 95 team points, beating out Elko for fourth place by 17 points.

Fernley’s top 3 runners: Myla Bottt, Trinity Garcia-Anders, and Laila Kinnick finished before all of the Elko runners to set the stage for Fernley pushing past Elko. Lilly Bacock, Kori Scott, Cora Maldonado, and Sasha Smith then finished the deal. 

Bott finished in 14th place with a time of 23:38, Garcia-Anders came in 16th with a time of 23:44 and Kinnick was the next runner to finish, I 17th with a time of 24:11. Behind them, Bacock finished 32nd 25:38, Scott came in 42nd in 27:28, Maldonado finished 45th in 29:04 and Smith placed 46th with a time of 30:47.

Spring Creek won the regional championship with 41 points, while South Tahoe was second with 49 and Truckee took third with 66 points.

The boys’ team was facing an uphill battle to try and qualify the team for State, but ran tough and finished in fifth place with 109 points. Spring Creek won the regional championship with 43 points, Lowry was second with 59, Elko finished third with 79 and North Valleys was fourth with 88 points.

Individually, freshman Kael Paz finished sixth overall, which places him on the Northern Nevada Region 3A 1st team. He ran a time of 18:19 and he was the first underclassmen in the race. Senior Rylan Roth also will be running at the State meet this week. He ran a time of 18:56, which placed him 12th overall.

Senior Connie Hunter ran well and just missed qualifying for State. He was 29th overall with a time of 20:22, which put him 20 seconds behind the last individual qualifier. Lamar Woods finished 33rd with a time of 20:53, Spencer Blackorby was 39th in 21:56 and Evan Richardson placed 47th with his time of 23:39.

The State meet will be run this Saturday on the same course as the Regional meet at Shadow Mountain Complex in Sparks. The 3A boys race at 11:10 a.m. and the girls at 1:40 p.m. Admission is free.

“Come out and support the Vaqueros,” Wright said.


Share
Rate

Comment

Comments

COMMENTS
Comment author: PFB Comment text: Why can't you guys find competent contractors.. For a large municipal facility like the indoor-outdoor Fernley Swimming Pool located at 300 Cottonwood Lane, a complete ground-up commercial build or major structural renovation typically spans 6 to 12 months or longer when factoring in large-scale engineering, public municipal permitting, specialized commercial HVAC/roofing, and health department inspections. The current renovation has been- The Fernley Swimming Pool has been closed for approximately six to seven months since late February 2026 for a major roof replacement and facility renovation. Now you sat October. Soooo 8 months for a new roof. The picture shows no other renovations. Comment publication date: 9/17/26, 7:14 PM Comment source: Electrical problem delays Fernley pool opening Comment author: P Comment text: Relative of the Mayor is to over see this site. Anyone who knows Fernley KNOWS this is more of the who you are related to and know business in this town. VOTE THEM ALL OUT AND THE CALIFORNIA TRANSPLANTS. Comment publication date: 9/16/26, 10:31 PM Comment source: Lift Station Failure Released Untreated Sewage Comment author: Christopher Walsh Comment text: Could you look into the strong recurring smell around Fernley? It smells like sewage and it can be bad enough that people don’t want to be outside or open their windows. It would be helpful to get an investigative journalist help the Fernley residents get a clear answer from the City, NDEP, and any involved facilities. I was really disappointed that the smell was not disclosed by my realtor when I moved here. I enjoy Fernley and am seeing the improvements that are being made. With Appreciation Comment publication date: 9/12/26, 2:49 PM Comment source: Sewage spill near City of Fernley Municipal Well 9 Comment author: Alicia Euresti Comment text: We are all so blessed to have Pastor Matt and Mrs. Regina in this town. They have become a major part of pur family and our children adore them. Thank you both for all you do for qll of us. We love you!!!! Comment publication date: 9/6/26, 9:24 PM Comment source: Fascinating Fernley: Meet Your Neighbors at Living Faith Food Pantry Comment author: R Conley Comment text: Is the deputy receiving any additional training or reinforcing prior training? Comment publication date: 9/5/26, 10:08 AM Comment source: Inmate escapes from Fernley substation Comment author: Kayla Allen Comment text: Suzie was a wonderful woman. I was pleased to call her my "godmother" as she helped me to become a better version of myself. I think about her a lot. Comment publication date: 7/10/26, 8:31 PM Comment source: Susanne Lynn Foster