PASCO — Alexandra Broome made a living in the 40s at the 2A state meet the past three years.
The Tumwater senior never finished higher than 40th or lower than 49th in her three state appearances, but a new mindset helped her break out of that tier.
Broome concluded her prep career with a 23rd-place finish and a time of 20 minutes, 7.3 seconds at the 2A girls state meet at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Her only goal for herself was simple.
Last race, best race.
“I feel like I came into this race with a different mindset than I’ve ever had. Last one, and I’m gonna have fun no matter what. I’m gonna make this the best one, and I’m gonna choose to make this the best one,” Broome said. “This course has a bad rap. It’s known to be really hard. You go into it being like, ‘This is gonna suck.’ And it does suck, but I went into it with a positive mindset.”
Broome set her best time on the course two years after her previous best at 20:21.0. Her state run concluded what’s been a dominant senior season in which she won the EvCo League title and was the runner-up at districts. She also reached sub-19 minutes for the first time on Oct. 10, running 18:55.4 at the Nike Hole in the Wall XC Invitational, the second-fastest time in school history and the fastest in 19 years.
Above all the races, personal records and medals, Broome will look back fondly at her relationships on the team.
“I don’t remember the races specifically, but I remember all the times we hung out in the hotel and played games. It’s more the memories that come with it,” she said. “We all have such great relationships. The girls and boys teams are really united.”
Broome’s 23rd-place finish is the best for a Tumwater girl at state since Olivia Bailon took 10th in 2019. Broome was joined in Pasco by Tumwater freshman Juliet Fox, who placed 87th at 21:54.6 in her state debut for a new personal record on the unforgiving Sun Willows course.
Black Hills junior Maddie Knight had her best state performance yet in her second trip, earning 62nd place at 21:12.8. Last year, she ranked 92nd with a time of 21:41.9. Senior Averie Reynolds finished her prep career with a time of 22:27.5 to finish in 102nd in her first state meet.
W.F. West senior Azami Eckerson ranked 66th at 21:18.8, eight-tenths of a second off from her 2025 state time but seven places higher.
W.F. West senior Joy Cushman completed her standout season of cross country with a time of 21:36.3 for 76th. Cushman’s lone campaign also included a second-place league finish and a seventh-place finish at districts. W.F. West sophomore Kate Turner took 95th at 22:07.0 in her Pasco debut.
Centralia sophomore Liesl Stout posted a 90th-place time of 21:58.6, and freshman Ellie Stout earned 111th at 22:40.5 in her first state race.
For the 2A boys, Tumwater sophomore Tyler Clark led all area runners in 55th place at 17:10.5, 20 spots better than his freshman state race. He helped the T-Birds finish in 18th place in the team standings.
In their state debuts, junior Landon Martin took 79th at 17:34.3 and junior James Smith ranked 116th at 18:02.1. Junior Thomas “TJ” Kressin placed 124th with a time of 18:08.6, junior Will Zahn earned a time of 19:35.4 for 153rd, and senior Hayden Newman’s final prep race was a 155th-place state run at 20:01.9. Sophomore Grayson Gallagher rounded out the T-Birds’ runners in 156th at 20:09.7
Black Hills’ lone state runner in the boys race was junior Seth Thomasson, who placed 70th at 17:23.0. His time was just eight seconds off of his PR and is a new season best.
Centralia’s lone boys competitor was senior Ethan Weiher, who logged a 72nd-place finish at 17:25.0, and W.F. West was represented by junior Connor Clary, who took 75th at 17:27.8.
In the 1A boys race, the Tenino Beavers ranked 16th in the team standings and were led by senior Porter Mowry in 82nd place at 18:02.2. Sophomore Weston Frank, 111th at 18:26.0, senior Josiah Marzolf, 126th at 18:45.3, and senior Darien Nelson, 137th at 19:30.8, all cracked the top 140.
Sophomore Nathan Pye took 148th at 20:15.8, sophomore Clarke Hanna placed 150th at 20:58.1, and sophomore Colton Huber’s time of 21:28.6 notched him a 153rd-place finish.
Rochester junior Kian Christiansen secured 107th at 18:22.2. Rochester sophomore McKenzie Blankenship was the lone area competitor in the 1A girls race, taking 141st at 24:42.3.
