Led by some impressive team and individual performances, Chronicle-area distance runners fared well at the State Cross Country Championships at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco on Saturday.
In the 1B/2B races, the Rainier girls team finished fifth overall, with some well-rounded times across the board. The Mountaineers top-3 finishers were Ella Marvin, who finished 29th in 23:24.60, Angelica Askey, who finished 36th in 23:49.30, and Rayne Tyrrell, who finished 44th in 24:10.80.
The top area runner in that race was Mossyrock freshman Joan Wedam, who finished 17th with a time of 22:20.90. Oakville’s Mercedes Dupont finished 26th in 23:14.40, and Morton-White Pass’ Ayricka Hughes ran a 23:23.70 for 28th to lead individual racers from the area Lewis and south Thurston counties.
On the boys side for 1B/2B, Mossyrock finished 10th as a team, Onalaska finished 12th, and Adna finished 16th.
The Vikings were led by the efforts of Miguel Gomez (25th, 18:01.80), Hugo Wedam (33rd, 18:17.40), and Christian Paz Tapia (42nd, 18:39.30), while the Pirates had the top local individual finisher as Jordan Stout finished 11th in 17:36.10.
Treyton Marty of Toledo finished 24th in 18:01.60, Ben Russon of Onalaska finished 52nd in 18:48.30, and Hunter Brackett of MWP finished 63rd in 19:05.50 to round out the top local racers.
Up in the 1A ranks, Tenino had a trio of runners make the state trip, with Tristan Von Bargen ranking 134th among the boys in 19:38.40 and Brynn Williams finishing 53rd to lead the Beaver girls in 22:11.80. Haley Huber also finished 83rd for Tenino in 22:54.70.
Finally in the 2As, the Tumwater boys finished sixth as a team, led by John Hoffer who was fifth as an individual in 16:11.00. Brenden Hamilton (40th, 17:19.40), and Alan Penrose (57th, 17:35.50) also helped the T-Birds team score.
Elsewhere in the 2A boys race, Black Hills’ Luke Grunenfelder was 41st in 17:20.40, Centralia’s Devin Harrison finished 60th in 17:40.20, and Rochester’s Gunnar Morgan and Taydee Evenstar finished 92nd and 93rd in 18:11.90 and 18:13.20, respectively. W.F. West’s Jaysen Miles finished 114th in 18:36.20.
For the girls, Tumwater’s Annabelle Clapp was the top local finisher in 21:13.00 for 53rd, and Elyse O’Dell of Centralia finished 89th in 22:07.60.
