Stanwood pair make history

PASCO — Going into her freshman year of high school, Jade Borseth had a tough decision to make: Soccer or cross country?

Fortunately for the Stanwood High School cross country team, Borseth chose the latter sport. It was a wise pick based on what Borseth and the Spartans achieved Saturday during the 2008 Washington State Cross Country Championships at Sun Willows Golf Course.

In her state-meet debut, Borseth placed fifth in the 4A race, completing the 3.1-mile course in 18 minutes, 39 seconds. Her teammate Natasha Verma was seventh (18:46). Together they spearheaded a strong team effort that gave Stanwood the fourth-place team trophy. It’s the first time Stanwood has had two girls place in the top 10, Spartans cross country coach Paul Johnson said.

Borseth’s fifth-place performance matches the best effort by a girl in program history, said Johnson. In 1991 then-senior Joelle Brayton finished fifth for Stanwood in the AA meet.

Cross country was originally just going to be something fun to try, Borseth said. But her father had a hunch she might be pretty good.

“My dad always told me I had a gift and I should use it,” she said.

Coach Johnson saw Borseth run during the summer and was cautiously excited about getting her on the team.

“I knew she was incredibly talented,” he said. “We didn’t know for sure what sport she would choose. We hoped she’d choose cross country.”

Johnson called Borseth an “amazing” soccer player who spent time this past summer competing for her club team in Spain. “If you’re playing in Spain than you’re probably pretty good,” Johnson said.

Asked how she feels now about her decision to run cross country, Borseth said confidently: “It was a good one.”

Gig Harbor’s Alyssa Andrews was the individual winner. She completed the race in 18 minutes and had a 20-second margin of victory. Eastlake won the team title by a single point (96-97) over Gig Harbor, which was going for its fourth straight championship.

Jackson, fueled by the 19th-place finish of senior Alison Ponce, was fifth in the team standings. Snohomish took 12th in the 16-team field.

By ranking among the top 20 4A individuals, Stanwood’s Borseth and Verma, and Jackson’s Ponce qualified for the Washington vs. Oregon Nike BorderClash Nov. 23 in Beaverton, Ore. Other BorderClash qualifiers were a trio of local sophomores: Shorewood’s Erin Johnson (ninth), Monroe’s Suzanna Ohlsen (10th) and Lake Stevens’ Lacey Wagner (11th).

Glacier Peak’s Condon places seventh

Several minutes after the race, everything was slowly sinking in for Brenna Condon.

The Glacier Peak sophomore placed seventh in the 3A state meet. It meant she fulfilled her objective.

“My goal was to get to BorderClash and I’m still a little shocked,” said Condon.

She advanced to next weekend’s Washington vs. Oregon all-star meet by placing in the 3A top 10. Condon used a late surge to ensure her spot in the prestigious Nike-sponsored event.

“She performed well at the end. She finished like crazy,” Glacier Peak cross country coach Dan Parker said of Condon, who ran a time of 18:57.

The winner, Shadle Park’s Andrea Nelson, completed the course in 18:25. Mercer Island took the team title.

Meanwhile, Glacier Peak placed seventh in the team standings. It scored the same number of points as sixth-place Hanford but Glacier Peak lost a tiebreaker based on how the teams’ sixth-best runners performed.

Depth was a struggle for Glacier Peak all season, Parker said, but things should improve in 2009.

“We came into it talking about just building for next year — relaxing, having good races, races we could be proud of,” Parker said. “We’re really pointing toward next year.”

A year after placing 15th at state, Lynnwood’s Mawa Ali finished 83rd. Ali, a junior, aggravated an ankle injury after getting bumped by a runner near the 1-mile mark. She pushed through the pain and slumped to the ground after emerging from the finishers’ gate.

Writer Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.