With many team making their final preparations prior to their upcoming district meets, it was a somewhat slower week for both Washington & Oregon but there were a few meets of note in those two states. Idaho had a number of district races and notable qualifiers to the state meet. The biggest action unfortunately took place off the course as the bulk of the Highland runners were ruled ineligible, because they had too many meets already. Nice going officials – we know those teenage runners just can not recover as fast as someone in their 60’s. Happily the DQ did not included defending champion Dallin Farnsworth, who won the District title again, and who now must run without his team mates. Dallin wonwith 16:07 & won by 55 seconds.
WESCO/Cascade Conference
The WESCO Conference race at Lakewood High School was the one race with national implications, because Am-Eloise Neale zipped around the course, which was made even more challenging due to wet & slick conditions, yet almost broke the course record. Her time of 17:48 was only two seconds off her record set in dry conditions and is a testament to her high level of fitness. Katie Bianchini of Glacier Peak followed alone in second in 18:40, while Marlee Rothschild made it three runners from the Peak in a row with her effort of 19:20. Only Gigi Vujovich of Shorecrest (19:35) & Haley Suarez (19:40) of Meadowdale prevented a Glacier Peak sweep but their runners still claimed 6th & 7th as well as 9th & 10th.
Bri Gibson of Snohomish won the WESCO 4A race in a time of 19:09. Brooke Klingma of Henry Jackson placed second in 19:27, while her team mate Jessica Rawlins took third. Tiana Roe of Kamiak placed 4th. Snohomish topped Henry Jackson for the team title 44 to 46. Mason Newton of Everett raced away to an easy victory in the boys’ 3A race by clocking 16:24. Carter Osborne of Shorecrest ended up second with his mark of 16:45, which topped Mountain Terrace ‘s Jack Pearson by three seconds. Mason Nicol of Lake Stevens triumphed in the guys’ 4A race. His time of 16:17 saw him cross the line seven seconds ahead of Steven Stratham of Cascade-Everett. Collin Holman of Henry Jackson earned third. Jackson topped Snohomish for the team title in a close battle.
Kacey Kemper of King ‘s made a stirring comeback in the Cascade Conference to edge Rachel Cundy of Lakewood by a second. Cundy made a valiant attempt to win from the front but her time of 19:36 just missed. Michaela Bartz of Archbishop Murphy secured third in 19:56 but Cedarcrest topped Lakewood for the girls’ team crown. Hap Emmons made it two individual victories for King’s with his time of 16:18. Sam Holeman of Archbishop Murphy topped Logan Orndorf of Cedarcrest by three seconds with his mark of 16:25. Mitchell Montgomery added a 4th place finish for Cedarcrest, which won the team title 41 to 61 over King’s, while Lakewood was close behind with 63 points & Archbishop Murphy had 68.
https://wa.milesplit.com/articles/74835-wesco-cascade-conference
Narrows League (Wa)
Wolfgang Beck of Gig Harbor gave a dominating performance at Fort Steilacoom Park and raced home alone in a time of 15:42. Logan Carroll of Gig was the only other runner to break sixteen with his time of 15:57 and his Gig Harbor team mates Casey Peloquin & Tristan Peloquin added 3rd & 4th place efforts for the team, which posted a very low total of 17 points in winning. Bellarmine, led by T J Grant, who finished fifth behind Michael Thorsen of Central Kitsap, secured second in the team race. The girls’ race saw a three-way duel between Brenna Peloquin of Gig Harbor, Sofia Kane of Olympia and Daryl Phill of Bellarmine, which lasted until the very end of the race. Brenna turned on the jets at the end to win in a time of 18:51 to top Kane by four seconds. Phill placed third but in so doing led her team to a 33 to 78 victory over South Kitsap. Rose Christen of Central Kitsap closed well to finish fourth in 19:04, while Jessica Peterson of South Kitsap claimed fifth in 19:17. Hannah Derby & Jordan Thurston contributed 6th & 7th place finishes for Bellarmine.
https://wa.milesplit.com/articles/74699-narrows-league-championship
Country Fair Classic (Or)
Maggie Schmaedick of Sheldon lost a fair portion of her season due to various issues but on Thursday she made her third race of the season a winning one. Running without her team mate Gracie Todd, Maggie found herself in an individual duel with Sierra Brown of Hidden Valley. The duo left all challengers well behind but Maggie won in the end with a time of 18:19 to best Sierra by two seconds Theo Puentes of Newport ran 15:55 topped his own team mate Deklyn Wood, who ran 16:03. Chris MacMurray of Estacada finished third with 16:05. In the team battle Marshfield led the guys with a low of 77 points edging Sheldon’s 79. Marist triumphed in the girls’ race by defeating Sisters and Sheldon 70 – 96 – 97.
Idaho Districts
Twin Falls 4A
Erik Harris rolled to victory by almost a full minute, as he ran 15:29. Ben Stout finished 2n in 16:28. Mikesell Klegg of Jerome triumphed in the girls’ race with a time of 19:18. Her team mate Jasmine Nesbett came in 19:27 in second.
District 3 at Eagle Island
Emily Nist of Bishop Kelly was an easy victory with her mark of 18:29. Kuna’s Sierra Manzer placed 2nd with 19:03. Bishop Kelly’s Rebecca Lassere (19:35) & Natalie Blodgett (19:44) secured the next two places. Alberto De Los Reyes of Caldwell triumphed in the boys’ race with his time of 16:26. Daniel Williams of Bishop Kelly finished 2nd in 16:31 and Javier Del Hoyo of Caldwell added third in 16:43.
4A/5A District at Post Falls
Coeur d’ Alene runners stormed to victory in the boys’ race by taking the top five places. Cody Curtis led the way with 16:23 & was followed across the finish line by Ben Wooley, who ran 16:35. Michael Dunton was the only other runner to break 17 minutes with his 16:53. The CDA girls made their victory even more emphatic by garnering the top six places. Josie Brown won the crown with her 19:14 clocking & was followed by Kara Story in 19:41. Punky Duran (19:45) & Noelle Ball (19:48) were the only other runners to break the twenty minute barrier.
4A Fifth District
It does not happen often but Elijah Armstrong, a freshman from Pocatello, won the boys’ championship. He ran a strong 16:16 to defeat his team mate Haydin Herndon, who ran 16:48. Caitlin Elgan, a sophomore from Preston, claimed the girls’ title in 20:52 & was followed by her team mate Whitney Groll, who ran 21:12.
2A Fifth District
Soda Springs gals won again as they claimed their ninth straight championship. Cierra Simmons won with 19:49 & Hannah Fames earned second with 20:13. Tyler Olsen of Westside topped the boys with his 17:16 & Austin Schnitzer of Soda Springs followed with 17:46.
5A District 3 Championship
Boise ‘s Emily Hamlin, who has been on a roll of late, scored on the Eagle Island course with a winning time of 18:34 and Jordan Mathes of Mountain View placed 2nd in 18:48. Mikayla Malaspina of Vallivue ran 18:53, which was good for third and a second in front of Victoria O’ Neil of Boise. Cheryn Trapp of Vallivue came in at 18:55 to earn fifth, while Sam Mckinnon had an off day placing 14th in 19:31. Boise topped MV in the team race winning 72 to 79 & Vallivue was third with 83.
Justin Ross of Rocky Mountain secured the guys’ title with his mark of 16:02. Thomas Rigby of Boise followed him across the line six seconds later & Jake Meeker of Mountain View claimed third with 16:14. Eagle’s Conor Smith took fourth in 16:23 & David Steele of Capital placed fifth in 16:24. Eagle won the boys’ team race with a low of 56 to top Boise’s 74. Rocky Mountain finished third with 76 points.
Greater Spokane League action
North Central locked up yet another league title, its fifth straight, with its defeat of Mt. Spokane & University . Kai Wilmot led the team with his second place finish behind Nathan Weitz of Shadle Park, who won with a time of 15:40. Katie Knight (18:32) of North Central & Kendra Weitz (18:58) of Shadle went 1 – 2 in the girls’ race. Andrew Gardner topped the bill with his mark of 14:49 against lewis & Clark, which was led by Summer Goodwin of L & C (15;20) Gracie Ledwith of Lewis & Clark won thegirls’ race with 19:17.
Great Northern League (Wa)
Dan Amann ran 16:06 & Dayde Collins ran 16:09, as both Deer park runners broke their course record. Deer Park’s victory over West Valley completed a perfect 6-0 season.
Mid-Willamette Conference Action (Or)
Brigid Behrens of Corvallis ran 20:55 on the tough course at Silver Falls State Park. Morgan Anderson, who has had such a fine season, did not run for Silverton & we hope she is alright. Alex Bird of Dallas topped the guys with his time of 17:36.
South Puget Sound League
Fort Steilacoom Park featured two divisions and Jordan McPhee of Mt. Rainier had the best time of both divisions with her 18:34 clocking. Rachel Atwood of Auburn Riverside earned second in that division with 18:48. Antoinette Tansley scored in the other division with her time of 18:48, while Lauryn Wate of White River placed second with 18:50.
Izaic Yorks of Lakes had the best time of the day, as he won his division in 15:19 to top Curtis King of Peninsula, who ran 15:41. Auburn Riverside’s Korey Krotzer secured the other divisional title with a mark of 15:43 and Marcus Dickson of White River placed second behind Korey with 15:55.
Wildhorse Invitational
Katriel O’ Reilly of Union and her team mate Mckenzie Evans ran 1 – 2 with times of 19:44 & 20:04 respectively. Sandy Torres of Pendleton finished third in 20:17. David Ribich of Enterprise topped the guys with his time of 16:37. Ken Sipp of Union (17:05) earned second & Ryan Montgomery of the host team took third in 17:10.
Mt. Hood w/ The Dalles-Wahtonka
The race at Centennial saw Mt. Hood Conference teams Central Catholic & David Douglas take on TDW. Alex Dillard made the trip down the Columbia River Gorge worth the effort by going out hard & winning by a big margin over the rest of the field. Alex looked well in yet another race, which has been part of a strong season for him. Kyle Thompson of Central Catholic & Tyler Hybl of Centennial appeared content to run with their team mates early but moved out on the last big loop of the course. Thompson broke away from Hybl after that point and cruised to a second place finish in 16:21. Tyler Hybl placed third with 16:21. Freshman Sam Truax of Central Catholic led a parade of Ram runners, who took fourth through ninth place. Maggie Riley of Central Catholic ran alone for much of the race and finished well ahead of the field with her 20:02 clocking. Maddie Wood of The Dalles ran in third place for the bulk of the race but closed well to claim second (20:27). Janessa Dyk of David Douglas finished in third with a time of 20:49, which was a PR by over a minute. Julia Stevenson of CC earned fourth with 20:52. (Thanks to Coach Jim Satterfield for his rundown of the action).
News from Around the Nation
Mt. SAC Invitational
The top event in the nation was California’s Mt. SAC Invitational, which is a three mile version of the Foot Locker West Regional course. The race has had a stellar field for years and Saturday’s race was no exception. Sarah Baxter finally returned to the trails and made it an impressive debut with her triumph in 16:59, which was the top time in all divisions. The field in the Team Sweepstakes behind her was especially loaded and Sarah Fakler of Xavier Prep (Az.) had a fine time of 17:31 for second. Cami Chapus of Harvard-Westlake placed third in 17:45, which gave her a three second margin over Shannon Souza of La Costa. Karla Vernola, also from Simi, took fifth with 17:56, as she nipped Pauline Mandel of Great Oak. Emma Abrahamson earned 7th in 17:58 & Ashlyn Dadkhah of Torrey Pines followed in 8th with 17:59. Rounding out the top eleven were Jena Pianin (18:00), Kelli Sugimoto (18:02) & Rachel Vinas (18:07). Kelly Lawson of La Costa had an off day finishing in 21st with a time of 18:25.
Karis Frankian of Saugus scored in the Girls Individual Sweeps with her mark of 17:12 & Xochitl Navarrete of Colony claimed second in 17:21. Erika Reddish secured third with 17:25. Foot Locker finalists claimed other divisional titles, as Anna Maxwell ran 17:44 and Karlie Garcia blazed the trail in 17:01.
Darren Fahy of La Costa, yet another Foot Locker finalist, remained undefeated after his triumph in the Team Sweepstakes in 14:41, which was the fastest time for all runners. Sergio Gonzalez of Arcadia took second with 14:49 and was followed by Kristian Martinez with 14:50. Cameron Miller (14:51) edged Dylan Blankenbaker by a second to take 4th, while Luis Gutierrez earned sixth with 14:59. Juan David Garcia came home 7th in 15:03 & Bernie Montoya ran 15:08 for 8th place. Jon Dileva
finished one second later & Eric Causey placed tenth ahead of Blake Haney, who ran 15:16.
Bryan Guijarro of Knight won the Individual Sweepstakes in 14:56 topping Isaiah Amos of Burbank by 15 seconds. AJ Yarnall took third (15:12) and Sergio Fraire was fourth in 15:14. Richie Soto & Steven Martinez secured fifth & sixth respectively. Billy Gaudreau, who won last week’s Orange County Race, won his division of Mt. SAC with 14:59, while Danny Martinez topped another with 14:44.
Maine State Qualifying Races
There was a Western as well as an Eastern race and both qualified the top thirty individuals to the State meet, but it was the West that had the girls’ star power. On paper it looked to be another head to head match-up between two-time Foot Locker finalist Abbey Leonardi & 2009 Foot Locker finalist Emily Durgin but Durgin has had some problems the last three weeks and dropped out on Saturday. That left Kennebunk’s Leonardi alone at the front, as she romped to victory in 18:05. Fiona Hendry followed in second with 19:15 and she led the remainder of her Bishop Cheverus team mates to victory in spite of the loss of Durgin. Shannon Conley & Kiera Murphy secured third & fourth for the team and they also received 15th & 21st place efforts. Erzsebet Nagy won the Eastern Division with her time of 18:51, while Teresa Murphy placed second.
Nick Morris led the Western guys with his time of 17:03 topping Chris Dunn (17;21) & Bryant Perkins (17:33). Harlow Ladd had the best time of the day and triumphed in the Eastern Division with his time of 16:41. Both Benson Worthington (16:45) and Andy Reifman-Packett (16:53) had the misfortune of being in the same division as Ladd & could have triumphed in the other section but they took second & third instead. Justin Tracy took fourth with 17:07.
Indiana Semi-State Meet
Futsum Zeinasellassie had no problems with the rest of the field, as he sped to an easy victory in a time of 14:36. Troy Reeder finished second in 17:25. Renee Wellman received a challenge from MacKenzie Caldwell of Columbus North and ran well behind her rival before making a move on the final hill. Wellman won with a time of 18:15, while Caldwell finished in 18:19. Wellman led her Carmel team to a title – the team had only 34 points with placements of 1 – 3 – 4- - 10 – 16.
Utah State Championships
Kelsey Braithwaite triumphed in 4A with her time of 17:36. Ashleigh Warner followed in second with 18:02. Shea Martinez garnered the 5A title with 18:28 & the Davis girls claimed the team victory. Mackenzie Morrison & Brad Nye were less than a second apart in the 5A race with Morrison getting the victory. Ben Saarel broke away in the last 800M of the 3A race to claim the boys’ title in 15:50, while Jordin Cross was next with 16:01. Jamie Stokes easily won the girls’ 3A race with Sarah Feeny placing second once again.
Massachusetts State Meet
For the first time in state history the meet was run at night under the lights of Barnstable County Fairgrounds. Jordan O’Dea ran 18:16 to win by almost half a minute over Olivia Brackett, who ran 18:43. Cherenet Sisay of Brookline won the guys’ title with 15:58, while Mark Perry (16:01) & Henry Dodge (16:04) earned 2nd & 3rd.
South Dakota State Championship
Foot Locker finalist Tony Smoragiewicz won the 5K boys’ title in 15:24. The girls only run 4K and Alex Hess won the long sprint in 14:19.
North Dakota State Championship
Jake Leingang is recognized as one of the nation’s top male runners and his winning time of 14:59.8 did nothing to suggest otherwise and in fact he broke the course record. Like their southern counterparts the girls are limited to 4K and Tarin Laehowitzek ‘s 14:16 was good enough for her third state crown.
Palatine Regional (Il.)
Pat Juras ran the three mile course in a winning 14:54 to top his rival Erik Peterson by three seconds. Anthony Gregorio followed with 16:01. Tess Wasowicz of Palatine ran off and hid with her 17:38 clocking. Jessica Lincoln (17:52) & Rebecca Batliner (18:01) took the next two places.
Montana State Meet
Sadi Henderson led the girls with 18:30 & Alexia Horel was 2nd with 18:47. Derrick Williams topped the boys with 15:30. Chase Stocker was 3rd in 15:39 & Emerson Connelly took 3rd in 15:44
Akron District (Ohio)
Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy and (Akron) St. Vincent – St. Mary are two of the top girl’s team in the state but on Saturday before their race, instead of acrimony there was a gift exchange. CV has won the past five State titles in their division but SVSM came away on top to uphold their number one ranking. The teams were certainly close up front, where Sammy Bockoven of CV placed first prior to SV’s Tess Weigand & Marissa Rosetti. CV’s Sarah McIntosh earned 4th. Nick Pupino topped the guys with 15:56 & Tony Hawkins of Walsh secured second with 16:23.
Wisconsin Sectional
Molly Seidel won the 4K with 13:33.
Bergen County Championships (NJ)
Don Bosco runners Christian Costello (15:46.0) & Ryan Tucker (15:46.2) went 1 – 2 to lead their team to victory. Levi Jennings (15:52) & John Pujols (15:52) earned 3rd & 4th respectively.
Passaic County Championship (NJ)
Kristen Traub was the best of the girls with her time of 18:45 & Dan LaBlock led the guys in 16:26.
Somerset County Championships (NJ)
Dana Giordano of Bernards won in a time of 18:10 after being pushed early in the race by Marisa Ruskan (18:27) & Kelly Janokowicz (18:36)
New York Coaches
Mary Cain ran 18:02 in triumph while Mike Turi ‘s 16:15 captured the boys’ title.
PCL (Pa)
Tom Cole’s 15:56 edged Dan Savage, who was credited with the same essential time. Tori Gerlach ran 17:47 to top Meghan McGovern by a second.