Dak Riek of Mariner overcame a rough start to help Washington best Oregon in the annual Nike BorderClash boys cross country race on Sunday.

Riek, a senior, placed eighth, completing the 4,400-meter course in Beaverton, Ore., in 14 minutes, 17.3 seconds. Washington defeated Oregon 55-272. Scoring was based on the placing of each team’s top 10 runners. The lowest score won.

Washington won the girls race 70-196.

Riek, who averaged 5:13.6 per mile, slipped at the starting line and was in about 30th place after the first mile, Mariner coach Dave McFadden said, but Riek recovered nicely and surged as high as seventh before finishing eighth.

“He ran really well,” McFadden said of Riek, who placed third on Nov. 4 at the Class 4A state championships. Riek was ninth at BorderClash last year.

Seattle Prep senior Max O’Donoghue-McDonald won BorderClash (14:00.55). Joey Bywater of Lake Stevens, the 4A state runner-up, was 11th, and Edmonds-Woodway’s Yonatan Yilma was 24th. Lake Stevens co-head coach Ernie Goshorn said sickness affected Bywater: “He wasn’t feeling too chipper, and it caught up to him.”

Stephanie Marcy of Sequim won the girls race (16:24.55). The top local girls were Snohomish teammates Kara Sporrong (30th) and Ellie Bonner (34th), and Olivia Thomas of King’s (33rd).

Washington runners qualified for the BorderClash based on their placements at the state meet (top 20 in 4A, top 10 in 3A, top seven in 2A, top two in 1A and the winner from 1B/2B).

Amundson, Goldie sign with Western Washington

Stanwood’s Megan Amundson and Kamiak’s Christa Goldie have signed NCAA letters of intent to compete for Western Washington University. Amundson, a volleyball player, is a three-time All-Wesco North first-team performer who tallied 725 kills at Stanwood. Goldie, a golfer, has had three top-10 finishes at the Class 4A state tourney, including a tie for sixth as a junior. She won the 2006 Pacific Northwest Westfield Junior PGA Championship in June.

Kubec part of the Beavers’ strong recruiting class

Kelly Kubec, a senior at Lake Stevens, is one of four highly touted wrestlers who signed with Oregon State earlier this month.

“We wanted to go out and get those guys who want to work hard and be aggressive,” Oregon State coach Jim Zalesky said in a press release, “and who have goals here and even beyond here – Olympic aspirations and world aspirations.”

OSU’s four recruits have won two national championships (one by Kubec) and nine state titles (two by Kubec).

Mike Cane, Herald Writer