The Rainier boys and girls cross country teams came out on top at the Rainier Invitational on Wednesday, a meet that had more than a dozen high schools competing.
Komaire Robles (19:40.90) came out victorious in the girls race, while Alexis Myers (19:59.26) and Kinsley Barlow (22:08.74) finished second and third. Mossyrock’s Joan Wedan (22:39.38) was the other local finisher to place in the top 10, finishing fourth.
Rainier’s Ruby King (24:49.56) finished 13th, Tenino’s Chloe Suess (25:00.03) placed 14th, and Rochester’s Kenzie Blankenship (25:04.41) rounded out the top 15.
Rainier’s Zach Hamilton (16:58.52) was the highest local placer in the boys race, finishing second, while James Morrison (17:58.69) placed sixth.
Rochester’s Kian Christiansen (18:22.02) just missed out on the top 10, placing 11th, while Morton-White Pass’ Noah Gilstrap (18:29.75) and Rainier’s Jake Hanson (18:31.39) finished 12th and 13th.
Tenino’s Sevrin Mickelson (18:35.56) finished 16th to lead the Tenino boys team that had an excellent all-around day.
Twelve of the 13 Beavers that ran set new personal bests, and the 13th set a new season-best time. Four female Beavers also set new PR’s, including Suess.
Tumwater boys top W.F. West and Aberdeen
The Tumwater boys cross country team picked up a victory in a three-team meet on Wednesday in Tumwater, where the T-Birds topped Aberdeen and W.F. West.
Tumwater’s Tyler Clark (17:21.24), Hayden Newman (17:23.29), and Landon Martin (17:41.03) took spots two through four, while Noah Pickard (18:27.22) and Thomas Kressin (18:29.29) finished ninth and tenth, respectively.
David Moeckel (18:13.77) finished as the top W.F. West boy at seventh, and fellow Bearcat Connor Clary (18:14.77) was right behind him in eighth.
Neither the W.F. West or Tumwater girls’ teams had enough runners to log a team score, but that didn’t stop W.F. West’s Kate Turner (22:15.20) and Azami Bortoletto (22:22.46) from finishing second and third individually.
Overall, 16 of the 19 Bearcats who ran on Wednesday set a new personal best.
“The entire team was focused from the start,” W.F. West coach Amber Cruzan said. “They went out and took some chances in the first mile, and for most of them it paid off.”
Tumwater’s Brooklyn Schenck (22:29.93) placed fourth, fellow T-Bird Audrey Hickman (25:43.51) finished ninth, and W.F. West’s Shaylee Miles (25:57.92) rounded out the top 10 of the girls race.
Centralia sweeps meet against Black Hills and Shelton
The Centralia boys and girls cross country teams picked up victories on Wednesday in Mason County, topping Black Hills and Shelton in a three-team meet.
Ethan Weiher (16:35.61) won the boys race and was one of six Tigers to place in the top ten.
Adam Leon (16:49.25), Evan Thummel (17:10.00), Will Guthrie (17:52.55), and Eli Baldwin (18:13.28) took spots four through seven, while Caden Hackett (18:36.27) finished tenth.
Seth Thomasson (16:43.26) took second for the Wolves, while Roberto Jeses (18:22.01) and Nathan Brazill (18:34.73) took eighth and ninth.
Centralia’s Elyse O’Dell (20:33.00) won the girls race, another race where the Tigers had six top-10 finishers.
Liesl Stout (20:44.15) and Eva Stout (21:01.30) took second and third, while Eden Hansen (23:23.81), Andi Voetberg (23:24.80), and Evelyn Hoy (23:41.09) finished in spots eight through ten.
Maddie Knight (21:08.86) finished fourth to lead the Wolves in the girls race, while Averie Reynolds (21:46.87) also earned a top-10 finish by placing sixth.
