Community roundup: 2 former local prep runners accomplish major feats

Former Snohomish County phenoms Amy-Eloise Markovc and Taylor Roe are among the most decorated high school distance runners in Washington state history.

And both are showing no signs of slowing down at higher levels of competition.

Over the last week and a half, both Markovc and Roe added major accomplishments to their already lengthy lists of achievements. Their standout performances highlight what’s been a success-filled recent stretch for former area prep athletes:

GP alum Markovc wins gold at European Indoor Championships

Former Glacier Peak High School star Amy-Eloise Markovc won the gold medal in the women’s 3,000 meters at the European Athletics Indoor Championships on March 5 in Torun, Poland.

Markovc, formerly Amy-Eloise Neale, crossed the line in a personal-best 8 minutes, 46.43 seconds. The 25-year-old native of Stockport, England, edged runner-up Alice Finot (France) by 0.11 seconds and third-place Verity Ockenden (Great Britain) by 0.17 seconds in a tightly contested finish. Markovc, who moved to the United States as a child, celebrated afterward with a British flag.

“It feels amazing,” she told the Daily Mail. “To have the flag draped around your shoulders is why you do this.”

Markovc, a 2013 Glacier Peak graduate, had a legendary distance-running career with the Grizzlies. She was a 10-time individual Class 3A state champion, with seven state titles in track and three in cross country. She also was a five-time recipient of the Washington state Gatorade athlete of the year award, having received the honor three times in cross country and twice in track and field.

Markovc went on to have a standout career at the University of Washington. She was a seven-time All-American with the Huskies, highlighted by a second-place finish at the NCAA Division I cross country national championships as a senior in 2017.

Lake Stevens alum Roe places 2nd at NCAA cross country championships

Former Lake Stevens High School star Taylor Roe placed second at the NCAA Division I women’s cross country national championships Monday at her team’s home course in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Roe, an Oklahoma State University sophomore, ran the 6,000-meter race in 20:06.7. She crossed the line just 5.6 seconds behind national champion Mercy Chelangat, a University of Alabama junior.

“I am just really surprised and grateful,” Roe told okstate.com. “That’s the best way to describe it. This really isn’t going to sink in and probably won’t for a few months. I probably won’t realize what just happened for a while. I couldn’t be more grateful for (my coaches) and everyone here at Oklahoma State.”

The national runner-up finish capped an especially busy week for Roe.

Just three days prior, she anchored the Oklahoma State women’s distance medley relay team to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division I indoor track and field national championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The Cowgirls entered the final leg of the relay in sixth place before Roe took over. She ran her 1,600-meter leg in 4:33.63, which was the third-fastest split for that portion of the 12-team race. She helped Oklahoma State finish in 10:59.75, which ranks third all-time in girls program history.

Last month, Roe won the mile at the Big 12 indoor track and field championships. This past October, she was the runner-up at the Big 12 cross country championships.

Roe was a nine-time 4A individual state champion in high school, with seven state titles in track and two in cross country.

Everett alum White places 10th at NCAA indoor championships

Everett High School alum Jayden White placed 10th in the men’s weight throw at the NCAA Division I indoor track and field national championships last Thursday in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

White, a University of Washington freshman, posted a mark of 69 feet, 61⁄4 inches. He was the highest-placing underclassmen in the senior-laden field.

It capped a sensational freshman season for White, who broke the UW men’s weight throw record last month in just his third college meet. His record-setting heave of 71-81⁄4 broke a record that had stood for 42 years.

Snohomish alum Reynolds named Pac-12 player of the week

Snohomish High School alum Sami Reynolds was named the Pac-12 softball player of the week after a big series at the plate during the University of Washington’s three-game sweep of Hawaii on March 4-6.

The Washington junior outfielder went 8 of 11 with two home runs, a double and 11 RBI in the series. Her 11 RBI were the most by any Husky in a three-game stretch since early in the 2018 season. She also was a perfect 3 of 3 in stolen-base attempts over the three-game span.

This season, Reynolds is batting .413 with six home runs and five doubles in 19 games for the No. 8-ranked Huskies.

This was the second Pac-12 player of the week award in Reynolds’ career at UW.