Fort Steilacoom Hosts Thrilling Week of League Championships
What a week of racing out at Fort Steilacoom. Thursday saw the SPSL 4A League Championships, featuring two varsity and two junior varsity races. The action continued with a full day of championship meets on Saturday to sort out who will advance to the Westside Classic district meet at Chambers Bay.
Freshman Tabitha Riley leads South Kitsap through mile 1 of the SPSL 4A Girls League Championship race
SPSL 4A Championships (Thursday)
South Kitsap High School boys varsity teams settles before the sound of the horn
Curtis High School’s boys looking on, waiting for the start of the SPSL 4A Varsity League Championship Race
4A Boys: Benjamin Holds Off Lanese, South Kitsap Surprises
On Thursday, the SPSL 4A boys took to the course to open the event in what proved to be a surprising race. Isaac Benjamin took the early lead and held on to it throughout the 5-kilometer course, chased down by Quenton Lanese, the speedy freshman from Olympia High School. Rogers' standout senior, Amin Fidaar, rounded out the top-3 in spectacular fashion, just edging out Curtis High School’s Owen Mangrum.
I had South Kitsap High School as a bubble team coming into the league championships, and burst the bubble they did. They finished in second place with a score of 86, right behind Curtis' score of 48. Rounding out the top five teams were Yelm, Olympia, and Puyallup.
4A Girls: Latham West Dominates, Olympia Takes Team Title
Latham West (Bonney Lake High School) holds a large lead at mile-1
The 4A girls' race saw Latham West once again set the course on fire, finishing with a time of 17:43.4 to nab the top spot. Rounding out the top-3 were Sydney Kosa and Leah Hennen of Olympia High School, who helped lead their team to the title with an incredible score of 37. Once the dust settled, the top-5 teams were Olympia, Curtis, Puyallup, Rogers, and Sumner.
Sydney Kosa of Olympia High School and Curtis High Schools Charlotte White glide through mile-1 in second and third.
Saturday's Championship Slate
The start of the 4A NPSL Boys Varsity League Championship race
NPSL 4A Girls: Tahoma Dominates
The Lady Bears (Tahoma High School) working as a team from start to finish - securing the championship with ease.
On Saturday, the day kicked off with the NPSL 4A girls taking to a very wet and soggy course. The Tahoma girls, led by sophomore Greta McDowell, absolutely overran the results, with seven runners finishing in the top-10. Kennedy Catholic’s Gemma Caprara finished in second, and Liliana Britain (Tahoma) finished in third. Tahoma's only real threat was Stadium High School, which would have required some improved times to grab the team title. Catherine Harju finished first for the Tigers with a PR of 19:39.3, and teammate Eva Stokes finished in 13th. The top-5 team scores: Tahoma (19), Stadium, Kennedy Catholic, Mount Rainier, and Auburn.
Catherine Harju leading the Tigers of Stadium High School. She would go on to finish in 7th place while securing a PR (19:39.3).
NPSL 3A Girls: Poelman and White River Take League Title
Paeton Poelman dominated the NPSL 3A Girls Varsity race helping her team to a league championship
Paeton Poelman of White River High School took the top spot in the NPSL 3A girls' race while leading her team to a league title. Abigail Collier and her Federal Way teammate Maya Wentworth finished second and third on the day, which helped their team to a strong third-place finish. White River's Maddi Larson, Victoria Blakley, and Zoie Klimkiewicz all finished in the top-10, signaling to the league that the Hornets are not going anywhere anytime soon. The NPSL 3A girls' team results were White River, Kentlake, Federal Way, Enumclaw, and Thomas Jefferson.
NPSL 4A Boys: Stafford Leads Tahoma to Victory
Carson Stafford (Tahoma) would would be the first across the line on his way to helping his team to a league championship
Tahoma's varsity boys were in the third race, battling against Stadium and Kentwood, who both brought in great talent. Carson Stafford took first place in a time of 15:58.7 with his arms outstretched, making a strong statement that his place atop the NPSL is not a fluke. He was followed by his teammate Caleb McDowell (2nd) and Stadium's frontman Oskar Koontz (3rd). Tahoma went on to take the team title in a close battle with Stadium, who took second place. Kentwood, Mount Rainier, and Kennedy Catholic closed out the top-5 on the day.
Jonah Neidlinger (Stadium) fighting to hold off Wilson Harmer (Tahoma), Jordan Conner (Auburn), and Ryley Clough (Kentwood) to hold onto 14th-place in the NPSL 4A Boys Varsity League Championship
NPSL 3A Boys: Messer of Todd Beamer Grabs First
Austin Messer finishing in first place in the NPSL 2A Varsity Boys League Championship race
The NPSL 3A race saw Todd Beamer's Austin Messer finish in 16:44.2 to take first place on the day. Cannon Ross (White River) and Elliott Cheney (Enumclaw) finished second and third. The team top-5 was Enumclaw, Federal Way, White River, Auburn Mountainview, and Thomas Jefferson.
White River’s Cannon Ross would finish in second place
Elliott Cheney of Enumclaw finishes in third place
Unified Races Shine Mid-Day
The 2-mile Unified races came right in the middle of the day. Kentwood's Ken Cash in 27:47.7. Peninsula's Aurelia Hawkins finished in 29:04.2, with her Seahawk teammates storming the finishing area to congratulate her on a job well done. Franklin Pierce's Michael Blair finished in 31:15.1, with Kentwood's Hannah Teter and Clariel Goodfellow closing out the race in 34:47.4 and 34:47.5.
PSL 3A: Gig Harbor Girls Dominate, Boys Win Tie-Breaker Thriller
Lejla Carlsson of Gig Harbor High School would take to the front of the pack from the gun and she would go on to extend her lead and secure the top spot on the day.
I was looking forward to the PSL 3A races – I knew there would be some strong racing and tough competition. Gig Harbor, Central Kitsap, Bellarmine Prep, and Peninsula all fielded strong teams.
In the girls' race, Gig Harbor walked away with the championship, with Lejla Carlsson leading the way with a big win, finishing in 18:18.3. Second place was held by Marie Wiegman of Bellarmine Prep, and in third place was the speedy sophomore from Gig Harbor, Ella Savage. The Tides had four girls in the top-10 and ended up with a score of 30. Central Kitsap's score of 72 was good enough for second, with Bellarmine Prep behind them with 82. Peninsula and Capital High School finished out the top-5.
Bellarmine Prep’s Marie Wiegman finishes in second place in the PSL 3A Girls Varsity League Championship
The 3A boys' race was even more dramatic. The Cougars of Central Kitsap claimed the top-3 spots, but that didn't stop Gig Harbor from breaking up the fun and snagging the league championship on a tie-breaker. The Tide's frontrunner, Gavin McKeegan, had a tough day, finishing well below his typical spot in a time of 16:38.6. (To put that into perspective, his next slowest time on the season is 16:06.4.) McKeegan's 13th-place finish is not where he wanted to be, but it was good enough to institute a tie-breaker between Gig Harbor and Central Kitsap, who both scored 42 on the day. Gavin Taylor broke the tie as the sixth man from Gig Harbor, outscoring CK's Roarke McLaughlin to help the Tides to a title.
Max Dower (Gig Harbor) and Ethan Huff (Central Kitsap) battle it out until the very end
I caught up with Central Kitsap coach Alexa Carr to get her perspective on the close finish and the upcoming districts. She was gracious about the boys' race, noting the high level of competition: "We congratulate Gig Harbor for their well-earned win in the League tie-breaker. As a team we’re grateful for the level of competition in our league... and look forward to more competitive and exciting racing in the post-season."
Looking ahead to the Westside Classic, Coach Carr said both her teams are focused on the bigger picture. "For both the girls and boys teams, we’ll use District’s as another opportunity to polish race strategies and maintain focus on big picture season goals... We’re thankful to have a full roster... and are, across the board, very well-poised for the post-season."
The Central Kitsap boys off to a sloppy and slippery start in the PSL 3A Boys Varsity League Championship
SPSL 2A Girls: Eatonville's Coonrod Wins by Large Margin
The Cruisers Grace Coonrod (Eatonville) finishes in first place leading her team to a SPSL 2A Girls Varsity League Championship
The SPSL 2A girls were up next, and this was my first chance to see a few of these teams. Eatonville's Grace Coonrod, who took 17th at state last year, was the first across the line by a large margin. Susanna Seefeldt (Steilacoom) and Mychaela Barksdale (Washington) followed in second and third. Eatonville won the team title, with four of their girls finishing in the top-10.
Susanna Seefeldt (Steilacoom) finishes in second place
SPSL 2A Boys: Steilacoom Takes Team Title
Julian Martinez of Washington High School is the 2A SPSL Boys Varsity League Champion
Closing out a long day of varsity races was the SPSL 2A boys, where Steilacoom easily took the team title. But it was Washington High School's Julian Martinez who crossed the line first in 16:49.7. Joseph Cruz (Steilacoom) and Arturo Baltazar (Clover Park) rounded out the top 3. Eatonville's Colton Rush was the first Cruiser to finish and eventually helped his team to a third-place finish in a competitive group. The top-5 for the 2A boys were Steilacoom, Washington, Eatonville, Franklin Pierce, and Fife.
Steilacoom High Schools boys would secure the league championship
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