Nike Twilight Invitational Preview: Lanese, Zener, and Holt look to continue momentum
Event info
Nike 18th Annual Twilight XC Invitational
Saturday, Oct 3, 2026 · Legion Memorial Golf Course, Everett, WA (new site this year)
Earlier that day: Hoka John Payne Invitational Preview ↗
Confirmed coverage: Varsity 3A-4A at 5:25 PM and 6:30 PM, Varsity 1B-2A at 5:55 PM and 7:00 PM. The Open and JV heats (2:45–4:50 PM) are still up in the air, so I'm not committing to anyone that I'll be there for those.
Saturday evening I will head further north to the Nike Twilight Invitational at Legion Memorial Golf Course in Everett, WA. What looks like a really fun invitational on paper still has me nervous covering a race in the dark at a location I have never been to.
Shooting at nighttime presents its own challenges, but from the athletic.net page it appears they will have lighted arches on the course that should help some of that. Either way, I love a good challenge, and the lineup of schools and athletes is the most intriguing piece for me.
The heat structure is a little different, with 1B-2A in one heat and 3A-4A in another. This design creates some interesting matchups that I can't wait to see develop.
Nike Twilight 1B-2A Girls Varsity
Emma Grice (Kingston) at the 2026 Nike Portland XC Invitational
Kingston's Emma Grice enters the 1B-2A heat after having herself a day down in Portland, clocking a personal best of 18:22.60. Grice is currently ranked 5th among 2A girls. Anacortes' Ashley Becerra Guzman (18:50.80), Marysville-Pilchuck's Renee Abeyta (19:06.50), and Bainbridge's Evelyn Shutske (19:11.50) join her as the top 2A athletes.
Evelyn Shutske (Bainbridge) at the Westside Classic
Freshman Karen Brewer of 2B Liberty Bell will look to break up the bigger schools in that front pack. She kicked off her first year with a 19:34.0, then dropped to 18:43.70 at the Bob Firman Invitational. That mark ranks #5 on my Project 29 board and is the second-fastest time in this heat among the athletes above, behind only Grice.
Nike Twilight 1B-2A Boys Varsity
Ryan Dodge (Bainbridge) at the Westside Classic
Bainbridge's Ryan Dodge (15:04.60) sits in the #2 slot on the 2A state rankings, but he is going to have to deal with Kingston's star duo: Coen Van Vliet (2A #3, 15:18.90) and teammate Timothy Clark-Johnston (2A #5, 15:30.60).
Kingston's Coen Van Vliet and Timothy Clark-Johnston at the 2026 Fort Steilacoom Invitational
Dodge, Van Vliet, and Clark-Johnston are all accustomed to running in that front pack. The interesting part will be seeing who takes the lead early and how long this trio sticks together.
Squalicum's Taylor Rush (2A #14, 16:07.20), Chief Sealth's Ziko Kraft (2A #21, 16:15.10), and Lynden's Luke Schouten (2A #18, 16:16.00) will have themselves a strong three-way battle from the gun.
Coverage booking · Nike Twilight
3 slots leftWant your athlete covered under the lights?
I'm taking a limited number of dedicated athlete coverage bookings for the Nike Twilight Invitational. Email me your athlete's name, school, and race time, and I'll confirm my availability.
Where I'll be
5:25 PM · Boys 3A-4A Varsity
5:55 PM · Girls 1B-2A Varsity
6:30 PM · Girls 3A-4A Varsity
7:00 PM · Boys 1B-2A Varsity
The Open and JV heats (2:45 to 4:50 PM) aren't confirmed. Email me before booking for those.
25% of every booking goes to the scholarship fund.
Email me to book ↗Or write directly: russell@russell-moore.com
Nike Twilight 3A-4A Girls Varsity
Glacier Peak enters with two young powerhouse runners out front. Freshman Dahlia Zener (4A #6 / P29 #1, 17:52.00) has been on an absolute tear to start her freshman campaign. Teammate Jaya Holt (4A #9, 18:09.10), who finished 20th at the WIAA State Championships in 2025, is no stranger to the spotlight. She will look to continue the Grizzlies' strong season start with a low-scoring front two. The Glacier Peak girls finished 8th at the Bob Firman Invitational this past weekend, a strong signal that they are going to be fighting for a spot on the podium in Pasco.
Lucy Fraser (Skyline) and Jaya Holt (Glacier Peak) in the 1600m at the 2025 WIAA State Track and Field Championships
Skyline's Lucy Fraser (4A #10, 18:15.60) will go to battle with Olympia's Leah Hennen (4A #14, 18:30.00) and Woodinville's Kira Nelsen (4A #21, 18:41.50). These three will need to hang on to one another to stay with the front two.
Kira Nelsen (Woodinville) at the 2026 Nike Portland XC Invitational
Leah Hennen (Olympia) at the 2025 Hoka John Payne Invitational
Zener is guaranteed to set the tone from the gun with Holt. If they get out front early, the rest of the pack will need to hang on to have a shot at the end. Hennen has yet to run a personal best this season, but if last year's freshman campaign is any sign, she will work her way up by Pasco, where she finished 4th at the state championships. Nelsen just ran a personal best at the Nike Portland XC Invitational, where she set a goal of getting under 19 minutes and smashed it on a fast course. Watch her early to see how the legs are feeling after a monumental day a week earlier.
Nike Twilight 3A-4A Boys Varsity
Quenton Lanese (Olympia) at the 2025 Fort Steilacoom Invitational
Olympia's Quenton Lanese will lead the way coming into 3A-4A boys race (4A #6 15:02.10). Lanese sits over 8 seconds ahead of Mountlake Terrace's Reilly Brookhart (3A #7 15:10.47). Just off these two is Shorecrest's Andrew Muilenburg (3A #10 15:29.10), Woodinville’s Oskari Vuorela (4A #14 15:33.10), and Skyline's Nathaniel MacDonald (4A #15 15:33.60).
Oskari Vuorela (Woodinville) at the 2026 Nike Portland XC Invitational
Vuorela is coming off a 1st place finish at the Nike Portland XC's Varsity Gold Race. He seems to be an athlete who is going to take what the field gives him. Given his dramatic improvement week over week from 15:56.0 (Fort Steilacoom) to 15:33.10 (Portland), I believe that if he has his day he is going to look to stay up front given the front pack's speed — look out for another personal best from the sophomore.
Lanese is coming off a week of being idle after sitting out the Bob Firman Invitational. One thing is for sure, no one wants him with fresh legs, and that is what he will be entering with. This race is going to come down to who controls the front and makes the most strategic decision in the beginning.
Nike Twilight Team Factor
The Olympia girls at the 2025 Westside Classic. Left to right: Azalea Barksdale, Carolina Schilter, Lucy Clinton, Sydney Kosa, Ava Barr, Leah Hennen, Eliza Johnson, Gemma Stevick and Caitlin Lanese, with head coach Purp. Front center: assistant coach Jenny Stevick.
As I look at this race and ponder what the scores will look like once the dust settles, I can't help but think back to my season preview, where I had the Olympia boys with a shot at cracking into the State Championship conversation. Alongside them is an incredibly strong Olympia girls team that has not quite met its potential this season.
Last year, the Olympia girls finished 3rd at the Hoka John Payne Invitational behind Jesuit (OR) and Summit (OR), and ahead of Tahoma, Mercer Island, and Issaquah. For me, that was the meet where I knew they had a shot to make a run, and they did, finishing 2nd at the state championships behind a very talented Issaquah team. Coincidentally, that was this exact same weekend last season. Saturday we are going to find out what the Bears can do.
Glacier Peak will be out for blood after their strong showing in Spokane. The Grizzlies field a strong varsity squad made up of Zener, Holt, Cameron Erdmann (18:53.6), Brooke Armstrong (19:02.4), Madaline Figler (20:17.1), Emma Smith (20:31.6), and Jane Emrich (21:05.3), and they will look to capture a big invitational win on Saturday.
Head-to-Head: Glacier Peak vs. Olympia Girls
Every runner's best 5,000m mark of the season, cross-country scored (top 5 count, lowest sum wins). Struck-through PB means that runner's best mark wasn't a personal best on the day. Six of Glacier Peak's seven and two of Olympia's seven ran their listed time as a PB — not a single shared race, so treat this as best-on-best, not a prediction.
On best marks alone, Glacier Peak takes it by 7 points, decided by their 1-2 punch up front against a deeper Olympia pack from 3rd back. Hennen is the one Olympia scorer who hasn't run a season best yet.
One thing is for certain on Saturday: this will act as a solid measuring stick for those front runners who generally get buried in a huge pack of all school classifications. The twilight races add a fun wrinkle to the event and will result in cooler temperatures on the course, which should aid athletes down the stretch.
Bob Firman Invitational and Nike Portland XC Calculations
One thing to consider when reviewing these times is that many of the athletes who competed at these two meets had massive PRs. A couple of things can come into play here — the course and the field. Stack up a bunch of fast athletes and they are bound to push each other to incredible times. Pair that with a fast course and you have a recipe for some pretty deceptive times. These athletes are fast, and on Saturday we are going to find out how those shiny new PRs end up looking.
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About the author
Russell Moore
WIAA-credentialed sports photographer and journalist covering Washington high school cross country and track, with bylines at DyeStat and WestcoastXC. Marks in this preview are from athletic.net as of Sept 29.
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Want your athlete covered? Email russell@russell-moore.com. 25% of every booking goes to the scholarship fund. About Russell ↗
