Bartz headed to state
Published 7:52 pm Saturday, October 29, 2011
LANGLEY — For Archbishop Murphy runner Michaela Bartz it’s all about believing she’s as good a runner as she is.
Saturday she believed.
Bartz ran a perfect race and finished fourth in a time of 19 minutes, 43 seconds in the girls Class 2A District 1 championship race at South Whidbey
H.S. Sehome, Bellingham and Cedarcrest were the top three team finishers, qualifying for state.
Besides Bartz, Lakewood’s Rachel Cundy (eighth), and Cedarcrest’s Diana Carr (10th) and Amelia Anderson (11th) will also go to state after finishing in the top 15. South Whidbey’s Lillianna Stelling finished 16th, one spot shy of going to next weekend’s state meet.
Bartz ran out with the front pack and never looked back, sticking with the front-runners as the pack thinned halfway through the race. Sitting sixth with about 800 meters remaining, Bartz felt herself getting tired. But instead of worrying about the runners behind her, she focused on the runners in front of her.
“She started focusing on getting third and she focused forward and passed a couple of girls and nearly got it,” said Murphy head coach Paul Turner. “It’s never been a physical thing with her. It’s her believing she’s as good as she is. We know she’s good but she has to believe she’s great.”
Bartz, who said she’s aiming for a podium finish at state next Saturday, was confident before the race, which hasn’t always been the case.
“For a little bit I just fell into the fact that some of the girls were better than me,” Bartz said. “Before this race I just believed that I could beat them; that I could do it.”
It’s been a long road back for Bartz, who battled iron deficiency last spring and had to go to the doctor to get diagnosed after feeling rundown during the track season. Just six months later she’s running her way to state and beating a competitor she had never pas before. Bartz finished 18 seconds faster than Cundy, who she has a friendly rivalry with.
“She’s really good,” Bartz remarked.
As for Cundy and her Lakewood teammates it was a disappointing day. Lakewood coach Jeff Sowards said all of his girls were off their usual performance and he had no explanation for it. “If it had been one or two girls maybe we could point to something but when it was all of them from top to bottom it’s a mystery,” Sowards said.
Besides Cundy, freshman Darby Throndsen and sophomore Rachel Sowards finished in the top 30 to lead the Cougars to a fifth-place finish.
3A girls
Amy-Eloise Neale finished more than a minute faster than her nearest competitor — teammate Katie Bianchini — to set course and district records and win the girls 3A District 1 championship race in a time of 17:47.
Besides the 1-2 finish of Neale and Bianchini, Glacier Peak also had Marlee Rothschild (fourth), Marren Haneberg (sixth) and Megan Davis (ninth) finish in the top 10 as the Grizzlies totaled just 22 points for another first-place finish and trip to state. Oak Harbor finished second to qualify its runners, including top-10 finishers Christina Wicker and Hannah Bressler, for a return trip to state.
“Sure we play second fiddle to GP, but we’ll do a really good job at it,” said Oak Harbor coach Eric Peterson.
Meadowdale’s Haley Suarez, who slogged to a fourth-place finish on last weekend’s muddy course at Lakewood H.S., took third Saturday to lead the Mavs to a fifth-place finish.
“I’m really proud of our team,” Suarez said. “We got fifth and we were ranked to finish last so the fact we took out a few teams was a plus.”
Marysville Getchell’s Rachael Lefstad finished seventh in a time of 19:42 to also qualify for state.
2A boys
Feeling under the weather a bit this week, Archbishop Murphy’s Sam Holeman battled through to take eighth, one spot ahead of Lakewood’s Kris Mugrage. Both runners qualified for the state meet.
“Hopefully I can get over this and get a top-three, top-five finish (at state),” Holeman said.
Sehome, Cedarcrest and Squalicum were the top-three finishers to advance to state.
Lakewood coach Jeff Sowards said he was impressed with his team, including the finish of his underclassmen. Sophomores Drew Cabales and Mitchell Darrah, and freshman Douglas Davis all finished in the top 50 to help the Cougars finish fifth.
3A boys
Everett senior Mason Newton finished second in the boys 3A District 1 championship race and teammate Mattson Overstreet took 10th as both Seagulls harriers qualified for the state meet.
Oak Harbor’s Matt Reith, Joshua Schrum and John Rodeheffer finished sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, as Oak Harbor took first place with 53 points. Glacier Peak, led by Michael Matwichuk’s 12th-place finish and four other top-20 finishes, took second place to qualify for state as well.
At South Whidbey H.S.
3A boys team scores
(Top two to state)
Oak Harbor 53, Glacier Peak 79, Everett 116, Mount Vernon 134, Mountlake Terrace 150, Ferndale 154, Shorewood 161, Shorecrest 176, Meadowdale 211, Lynnwood 225, Sedro-Woolley 252, Marysville Getchell 400.
Individual results
(Top 10 to state)
2. Mason Newton (E) 16:31, 3. Carter Osborne (SC) 16:36, 5. Keenan Stephens (SWD) 16:40, 6. Matt Reith (OH) 16:44, 7. Joshua Schrum (OH) 16:52, 8. John Rodeheffer (OH) 16:52, 9. Dominic Giordano (M) 16:52, 10. Mattson Overstreet (E) 17:02.
3A girls team scores
(Top two to state)
Glacier Peak 22, Oak Harbor 62, Shorecrest 114, Marysville Getchell 118, Meadowdale 192, Ferndale 201, Shorewood 203, Mount Vernon 209, Mountlake Terrace 218, Sedro-Woolley 247, Lynnwood 273, Everett 305.
Individual results
(Top 10 to state)
1. Amy-Eloise Neale (GP) 17:47*, 2. Katie Bianchini (GP) 18:52; 3. Haley Suarez (M) 19:15, 4. Marlee Rothschild (GP) 19:29, 5. Gigi Vujovich (SC) 19:35, 6. Marren Haneberg (GP) 19:40, 7. Rachael Lefstad (MG) 19:42, 8. Christina Wicker (OH) 19:44, 9. Megan Davis (GP) 19:45, 10. Hannah Bressler (OH) 19:56.
2A boys team scores
(Top three to state)
Sehome 62, Cedarcrest 75, Squalicum 76, Bellingham 90, Lakewood 135, Burlington-Edison 148, Archbishop Murphy 173, Anacortes 174, Mount Baker 260, Granite Falls 292, South Whidbey 314, Lynden 343.
Individual results
(Top 15 to state)
2. Mitchell Montgomery (C) 16:13, 5. Logan Orndorf (C) 16:23, 8. Sam Holeman (AM) 16:43, 9. Kris Mugrage (L) 16:45.
2A boys team scores
(Top three to state)
Sehome 36, Bellingham 91, Cedarcrest 93, Burlington-Edison 95, Lakewood 149, Squalicum 172, Mt. Baker 175, Archbishop Murphy 190, South Whidbey 195, Anacortes 249, Lynden 311.
Individual results
(Top 15 to state)
4. Michaela Bartz (AM) 19:43, 8. Rachel Cundy (L) 20:01, 10. Diana Carr (C) 20:05, 11. Amelia Anderson (C) 20:08.
