WOODLAND — Brynn Williams was on a mission to get back to Pasco. Haley Huber attempted to recapture her output from two years ago. Samantha Smith barely missed extending her season last fall.
Three separate Tenino High School runners all were unified in a mission to get eight more days of practice and one more meet together.
They accomplished it on a rainy Thursday morning.
Williams notched a top-10 finish at the Class 1A District 4 championships held at Lewis River Golf Course and Huber plus Smith finished inside the top-35 to qualify as individuals for the state meet next Saturday.
“Being able to run with them, I’m so excited,” Williams said. “They’re both mentally tough.”
The Beavers placed sixth in the team race with 151 points, 28 back of fourth place Stevenson to miss heading to state as a team. Still, head coach Frank Swenson was thrilled with three qualifiers.
Last year, it was just Williams. Two years ago, Huber joined the fray.
“We’re seeing it happen and there is no place to go but up,” Swenson said.
Williams’ time from districts last year to Thursday was 32 seconds faster. She has gone under 21 minutes three times in her career, state last season, 1A Evergreen league a week ago and her final district race.
Now, she’s aiming for her first ever top-20 finish that would give her all-state honors.
“The state course really isn’t typically a PR course, but the last two years I have,” she said.
Huber was 18th in 22:05 flat, a new season-best. The junior ran sub-23 minutes in the last two meets as a freshman, but just once last fall. She’s already hit that mark three times in a re-energized campaign.
“I was disappointed I let myself fall back a little, but I’m going to get back to ‘21 (times),” Huber said.
Smith placed 25th in a new lifetime best of 22:38 flat. Heading into the meet, her best time was seeded on the bubble of qualifying. She turned in a 15-second PR to shoot up the leaderboard.
“End of last year, everyone was so certain that I was going to go,” Smith said. “I was like ‘I think I can’ the whole year. After the league (meet), I was like ‘Oh yeah, I can do it.’”
Also in 1A, Rochester’s duo of Merecedies Dupont and Seraschel Aldrich placed 11th and 34th, respectively, to clinch their spots at state.
Dupont ran at Oakville her first two years of cross country and was the lone runner. After missing state a season ago, she has recorded back-to-back lifetime bests, the latest time of 21:25.
“Having teammates help me push myself was a really big adjustment for me,” Dupont said. “I enjoy it.”
Aldrich has been a steady force near the front, consistently in the top-25 in weekday and weekend invites. The sophomore ran 23:13 for a new PR on Thursday.
“I was nervous for more than two weeks and I am so glad I’ve been able to get 34th,” Aldrich said.
EvCo nabs four local qualifiers from 2A race
Tumwater’s Alexandra Broome was the highest area finisher amongst the contingent in the 2A District 4 race, placing seventh in 20:02. It is a 35-second and six-place improvement from her freshman season.
And she still ran most of the race solo due to a quicker pace from the front pack.
“It was a little surprising,” Broome said. “I was expecting a pack. I had to dig in and give everything.”
Teammate Raegan Smith, back on the course for the first time in nearly a month, placed 23rd in 22:04 to secure her first state meet berth.
Smith was dealing with a knee injury that forced her to miss the league meet. Even though she wanted to race, she felt it was best long-term to sit out.
It paid off in a big way.
“I wanted to make sure I was in the best condition I could be,” Smith said. “I had a lot of adrenaline, which really helped me get through. Just go.”
Centralia’s Elyse O’Dell finished 14th in a new PR of 21:02, returning to state for the second time. She has recorded a top-30 finish in every race this fall and just two times above 21 minutes.
“It is really exciting,” O’Dell said. “Coach (Ryan Stockdale) told me top-16 went to state, I was like ‘I have to get top-16,’ but top-28 go. I really wanted to push myself.”
Black Hills’ Makenna Legault snared the final individual state qualifying spot, 28th in a new PR of 22:46. W.F. West’s highest finisher was Mercedes Ricks, placing 44th.
