KingCo Class Races 2026: Wilems, Ding, and Connell Set the Tone
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To say my first KingCo race was fun would be an understatement. 916 runners competed over the course of the evening, 310 of them freshmen taking their first steps as high school athletes.
Once the races started, it was a nonstop barrage of starting line chaos and finish line high fives, cheers, and the feeling that the fun had officially begun. Athletes from every school lined the course cheering on their teammates and the other teams.
Sammy Connell's 9:52.9 was the fastest time of the entire meet.
When Inglemoor's Sammy Connell crossed the finish line, it was another 34.3 seconds before another athlete captured 2nd place. Connell's time was good enough for 2nd on the records list for this race. An early season performance like this is a great sign for the senior, even if it was just a 2 mile tune up.
Grace Ding closed out the meet's senior girls race in 11:46.4 — the fastest time on the girls' side.
On the girls' side, Grace Ding added to Inglemoor's victories, finishing in 11:46.4. Ding battled it out stride for stride with Issaquah's Sally Davis down to the end, with Davis finishing in 11:57.2 as Ding pulled away.
It's no surprise that Eastlake's Aubrey Wilems showed up ready to race and remind everyone who the state champion is. Wilems easily won the girls' junior race in a time of 11:45.9, the fastest girls' time of the meet and good enough for 3rd on the records list.
Juanita's George Kosseff, who finished 38th at state, won the boys' junior race in 10:12.7, edging out Issaquah's Vini Denczuk, who was just a stride off in 10:13.6.
Elin Beeler topped the sophomore field — building on a 7th-place finish at state last fall.
Elin Beeler (7th at state) topped the girls' sophomore race, beating out Mercer Island's Bella Heczey (22nd at state). Both start the season off with promising results after a strong freshman campaign.
Jake Powell took the sophomore boys race outright — a name that's now on both Project 29 and the state watch board.
Mercer Island's Jake Powell easily took the victory in the boys' sophomore race in a time of 10:28.0. Powell was on last season's Project 29 board and is firmly landing himself on the state watch board.
Issaquah won 4 of 8 divisions, Mercer Island 3, and Eastlake 1.
Issaquah and Mercer Island are coming off state championships and look to be in top form to start the season.
Mercer Island secured the boys' and girls' titles in 2025 without their 3-time state champion Sophia Rodriguez, who transferred to Mt. Si over the summer. The girls showed that they're built on depth, and the team is strong and will continue to compete at a high level. Bella Heczey is the clear front runner heading into the season.
Issaquah's girls go through pre-race strides ahead of the 2026 KingCo Class Races.
Issaquah is coming off a girls' state championship and has a roster full of top talent that should take them right back to state to compete for the top spot. Sally Davis holds the top spot on the team, with senior Adara Jacobsen holding 3rd. In the 2nd slot is freshman London Dominick, and another freshman holds the 4th spot. For a team that won state last year, having freshmen and sophomores in the mix for top times is exactly what coaches want to see.
Three freshmen on each side cleared the board with real HS opener results at Lake Sammamish — no middle school record needed.
