ARLINGTON — Over the years, the Hole in the Wall Invitational has developed into one of the premier high school cross country meets on the West Coast.
And it keeps growing and growing.
This year’s edition was the biggest yet.
More than 4,900 runners and 150-plus teams descended on Lakewood High School for Saturday’s 39th annual Hole in the Wall Invite, turning the early-October cross country extravaganza into yet another rousing success.
“It’s probably a cliche to say, but you can’t put on an event like this without the volunteers,” Lakewood coach and meet director Jeff Sowards said. “That’s a real testament to the Lakewood community. That effort was something that this community can be really proud of.”
This year’s event drew a whopping 25 out-of-state schools — 14 from Oregon, six from California, two from Nevada and one apiece from British Columbia, Colorado and Alabama.
Some of the top teams from the West Coast were on hand, including the nationally ranked boys and girls teams from Jesuit of Oregon.
“We’ve made an effort to invite teams that have been successful in their states,” Sowards said. “And some found us indirectly.
“Some of those out-of-state teams (this year) hadn’t been here before,” he added. “Hopefully they’ll go home and say, ‘Hey, that’s a cool meet.’”
The event consisted of 13 high school races and two middle school races. There were three high school varsity races apiece for boys and girls — an elite division race, a gold division race and a silver division race.
In addition to a meet-record number of runners and teams, Saturday also featured the warmest weather in meet history.
“It was sunny and warm and 70 today,” Sowards said. “There were a lot of smiling faces, and hopefully a lot of people had a good time.”
SHORECREST STANDOUT HAS STRONG SHOWING IN BOYS ELITE RACE
After winning last year’s boys gold race, Shorecrest senior Luke Schmidt moved up to the elite race and ran another sub-15:30 time. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
At last year’s Hole in the Wall Invite, Luke Schmidt torched the rest of the field to win the boys varsity gold race.
This year, the Shorecrest senior moved up to the elite division. And he delivered another scorching time.
Schmidt took 13th place out of 149 runners in the boys elite race, completing the 5,000-meter course in a season-best 15 minutes, 26.5 seconds.
“I just wanted to prove that I could be in the elite race,” Schmidt said. “And I think I held my own here. I think that goes to show I can hang with the top guys. Just give me a few more weeks and I’ll see where I’m at.”
Schmidt’s time ranks as the fifth-fastest in the state’s 3A classification this season, according to Athletic.net. It’s the 12th-fastest time in the entire state, regardless of classification.
And it’s just 0.2 seconds off the personal-best winning time he posted at last year’s Hole in the Wall Invite.
Schmidt, who placed 18th in the 3A state meet last year, is eyeing a big finish to his prep career. With his performance Saturday, he’s in a good spot as the postseason nears.
“He’s an unbelievable athlete,” Shorecrest coach Shane Peterson said. “He works so, so hard every single day. He went out there and competed really, really well.
“And I think (there’s) a lot to look forward to — not just for our league and our district, but for state and then beyond that too.”
KAMIAK SENIOR TAKES 4TH IN BOYS GOLD RACE
Kamiak senior Jaedyn Chase broke the 16-minute mark and placed fourth in the boys gold race. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Kamiak senior Jaedyn Chase ran a personal-best 15:55.0 to earn a fourth-place finish in the boys varsity gold race.
Chase’s time ranks as the 12th-fastest in the state’s 4A classification. And it would’ve earned him a top-30 finish in the boys elite race.
It was the second consecutive sub-16-minute time for Chase, who posted a 15:57.4 at last week’s Twilight Invitational in Marysville.
“It was really fun,” Chase said of his performance. “I just went out with the leaders (and) tried to hang on for as long as possible. … Next time we race here, which is districts, hopefully I can PR by a lot more.”
Chase, a two-time state qualifier who placed 54th at last year’s 4A state meet, has already topped his best time from last season by more than 20 seconds.
Chase credited the summer training he did with a pair of recent Kamiak runners who are now at the college level — University of Nevada freshman Jackson Hammons and Western Washington University redshirt freshman Jason Blinn.
Chase also praised junior teammate Will Lesyna, who currently has the eighth-fastest 4A time in the state.
“I did a lot of summer work with (those) college guys from Kamiak,” Chase said. “We were just working all summer, getting in a ton of miles.
“And during the season, we’ve had teammates step up and push me — especially Will. Him stepping up like that has pushed me a lot to get better.”
SHORECREST SENIOR WINS BOYS SILVER RACE
Shorecrest senior George Fernandez celebrates as he crosses the line to win the boys silver race. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Shorecrest senior George Fernandez used a dramatic closing kick to claim the boys silver race title in a winning time of 16:22.9.
Fernandez trailed Woodinville senior Oliver Campbell by about 10 meters with 200 meters to go. But Fernandez turned on the jets and surged past Campbell down the closing stretch, passing him on the final straightaway to win by 1.8 seconds.
As he crossed the finish line, Fernandez raised his arms in celebration.
“I was thinking about it the whole day,” he said. “I was like, ‘I have a chance. There’s a way I could get it.’ And I knew if I just hung on hard enough, I’d have more out there to give in the last 200.
“It means the world to me,” he added. “First major win I’ve ever gotten.”
Fernandez has made incredible strides over the course of his prep career.
As a freshman, his top 5,000-meter time was 22:45.6. He’s since slashed that by more than six minutes. And he’s already topped his best time from last year by 44.4 seconds.
“Just to see his growth through the sport to his senior year has been unbelievable to watch,” Peterson said.
Fernandez’s victory came despite him battling illness.
“He’s been dealing with some cold stuff recently, and so I know for a fact that he’s in sub-16 (minute) shape,” Peterson said. “Today, he ran his own race, picked them off one by one, and then just (used) sheer determination, will and guts.
“I mean, that just shows everything about George. … Unbelievable kid, unbelievable race.”
OTHER TOP LOCAL RUNNERS
Meadowdale junior Payton Conover fist-bumps girls silver race champion Alexa Matora of Lake Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish junior Paige Gerrard placed 34th in the girls elite race with a time of 18:59.7.
Arlington senior Madison Griffith ran a personal-best 19:22.8 to take 12th place in the girls varsity gold race.
Meadowdale junior Payton Conover placed third in the girls varsity silver race with a personal-best 19:10.9.
Shorecrest took second place in the girls varsity silver team standings.
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