Senior, Carson Wetzel is a student at Shadow Ridge and a devoted cross country runner who has traveled nationally, racing with his heart and soul.

Wetzel states, ¨I tried all types of different sports and was always good at the running side of the sport but never the actual sport, so someone mentioned cross country to me and I decided to try it and loved it.¨

Cross country is a team sport, they all compete running a certain distance scoring points based on their placement in the race. The top 5 runners’ scores count towards the final points for the team. The team with the lowest amount of points wins.

Wetzel also states, ¨I think cross country can benefit most students. It could help students stay more active and fit. Cross country can also be pretty fun too. The team is always kind, with amazing coaches and other awesome student athletes.¨

At the beginning of the year, there were 5K tryouts and runners had to reach a certain time to be able to run in the races. The time differs depending on if they are a boy or girl. If they don’t make the time, they won’t be able to race. However they can still be a part of the team. 

Coach Flynn states, ¨One quality that Carson has that I wish more runners had is that he loves to lead the pack. It can be scary when you are out in front of everyone else, but for Carson, it’s the perfect spot for him and he doesn’t like to give it up easily.¨

One of the more recent races Wetzel ran in was the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic and finished 31st with a time of 14:16.1 in the 3 mile run. Wetzel is constantly training to better his performance and skills. 

Coach Flynn stated, ¨It has been great to see Carson’s improvements over the years. He’s a great example of what happens when you start training for distance running early. Carson came to us as a very talented freshman. He grew up running for a club team and that really helped him get off to a good start when he started running for the high school team.¨

With more races ahead for Wetzel, it’s clear that he has a lot of dedication and persistence when it comes to cross country. One of Weltz’s best races include last year’s state meet in Reno where he placed 3rd place overall. 

Wetzel has recently raced at the 2024 Nevada State Championship. With a lot of effort and dedication, he placed 2nd place, the highest position for a Shadow runner. Fortunately, both the Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams won the State Championship which is the first time that has happened in Shadow Ridge history.