CROSS COUNTRY RUNNERS TO WATCH

Published 8:19 pm Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Boys Five to Watch

Tyler King, Oak Harbor

King, a junior, looks to improve on his 22nd-place finish at the 4A state meet last year.

King is a student at Coupeville High School but competes for Oak Harbor because Coupeville does not have a cross country team. He qualified for the state meet as both a freshman and a sophomore.

“He knows what to expect,” Oak Harbor coach Eric Peterson said.

Jackson runners will pose a challenge for King. Last year, King had the highest Wesco finish at state by a non-Jackson underclassman.

“That’s definitely something that we’re working towards, to be able to run with those kids and hopefully crack the top 10 at state,” Peterson said.

Jeff Bastian, Glacier Peak

Bastian ran to a 16th-place finish at the 3A state meet last year, good enough to be the top 3A finisher from the Western Conference. Bastian also won the 3A District 1 meet. The junior hopes to finish even higher at state this year.

“He’s highly competitive and he’s got a great work ethic,” Glacier Peak coach Dan Parker said. “I’m sure he wants to compete for a state title.”

Parker believes that staying healthy will be the biggest key to Bastian’s continued success. Bastian won the 1,600-meter run and placed second in the 3,200 at the 3A district 1 track meet last year.

Taylor Guske, Lakewood

Guske placed 16th at the 2A state meet last year, but it might be his finishes in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at the 2A state track meet this past spring that give the most hope that he will improve in cross country. Guske placed sixth in the 1,600 and second in the 3,200.

Last year at the 2A District 1 meet, Guske led for more than one-third of the 3.1-mile race, but fatigue caught up with him and he placed third. This year, the senior looks to finish strong.

Mitchell Briggs, Jackson

Briggs returns for his senior season with hopes of improving on last year’s disappointing state finish. Briggs placed seventh at the 4A state meet as a sophomore, but only managed 20th last year.

But that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Briggs was tripped up just before the half-mile mark of the race and fell to last place, but Briggs was resilient. He fought his way back, passing nearly 130 competitors to finish 20th.

“Basically, you’re starting twice,” coach Eric Hruschka said. “It was a very gutsy effort on his part.”

Briggs is also returning from a torn muscle that caused him hip and back pain in the past year, but Hruschka believes Briggs is close to 100 percent.

Connor Fredrickson, Jackson

Fredrickson, like his teammate Briggs, is a senior. He finished 25th at the 4A state meet last year.

Hruschka expects Fredrickson and Briggs, along with junior teammate Sean Roe, to lead Jackson this year.

“Connor leads by example,” Hruschka said.

Runners from other schools have noticed Fredrickson as well, said Hruschka.

“The other top guys know who he is and he has earned their respect in the last year and a half,” Hruschka said. “Connor is a very, very talented kid, probably the most consistent runner on the team.”

Girls Five to Watch

Jade Borseth, Stanwood

Borseth, a sophomore, is Stanwood’s highest returning state finisher from last year (fifth), but she is not the only girl to watch out for at Stanwood. Sophomore Natasha Verma (seventh at state last year) and junior Minna Fields are expected to be in the mix as well.

Borseth, Verma and Fields, don’t have Lake Stevens standout Lacey Wagner to worry about, Wagner decided to play soccer this year.

Borseth edged out Wagner last year to win the district championship, Verma finished third. Fields came in ninth at the district meet giving Stanwood three of the top nine finishers.

Borseth, Verma and Fields give Stanwood a great chance to eclipse Jackson at state again this year. Stanwood finished fourth as team in 2008, while Jackson finished fifth.

Suzanna Ohlsen, Monroe

Ohlsen, a junior, is coming off a 10th-place finish at the 4A state meet last year.

While the 4A is extremely competitive, Monroe coach Gail Merriman hopes Ohlsen can build on her finish from last year.

“I think her goal and our goal is to have a successful season like we have had the past two years,” Merriman said.

Ohlsen also runs track and plays basketball for the Bearcats, keeping her working hard all school year.

“It’s really nice to have an athlete that works so hard,” Merriman said. “It’s easy to coach her.”

Ohlsen was named one of the team’s captains this year.

“Her leadership skills and experience will definitely help the team,” Merriman said.

Amy-Eloise Neale, Glacier Peak

Neale is just a freshman, but she might be more successful than any of her competitors based on her performance at this year’s USA Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships.

Neale finished first nationally in both the 1,500- and 3,000-meter races.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she won the state meet,” Glacier Peak coach Dan Parker said. “She is an incredible competitor.”

Parker says he sees the potential for Neale to be a four-time state champion.

“She’s been through the fire already,” Parker said.

With Neale, Brenna Condon and Sarah Whybark, Parker thinks this year’s Glacier Peak team is a team to be reckoned with.

“I think we should compete for the top spot at state,” Parker said.

Brenna Condon, Glacier Peak

Last year Brenna Condon finished seventh at the 3A state meet. This year she’s looking higher.

Condon had a great track season, winning the 3A District 1 championship in the 800-meter run and finishing second in the 1,600.

“She has been training all summer. She is working towards another good cross country season,” Glacier Peak coach Dan Parker said.

Condon, a junior, has a partner in crime in Sarah Whybark. They finished neck and neck at last year’s district meet.

“They are excellent friends. It does motivate them. It makes a difference when you have someone that you can share the enjoyment of the sport with,” Parker said.

Cara Strodel, Cedarcrest

Strodel returns as a junior coming off a 10th-place finish (second among sophomores) at the 2A state meet last year, but Cedarcrest coach Bruce McDowell isn’t pushing her too hard.

“One of the things we have tried to do is not put too many expectations on Cara,” McDowell said. “She’s driven herself to do well, so we try not to put too much pressure on her.”

That said, McDowell does think Strodel can improve on last year’s finish.

“In our conference she is one of the top runners. She is one of the favorites to be league champion,” McDowell said. “I certainly think that in the right situation she is a top four-to-six girl at the state meet.”

By Aaron Lommers, Herald Writer