Teams, runners crowned at District 1/2 XC Championships

ARLINGTON – The sun peeked out from behind the clouds occasionally during the afternoon, and there were very few rain drops that fell at the 2024 District 1/2 Cross Country Championships at Lakewood High School on Saturday.

The Arlington and Shorewood boys and the Shorecrest girls teams all lifted trophies, and Stormrays junior Max Billett bested senior teammate Otto Erhart for the individual medal in the 3A race.

There were also two historical feats. Jackson, for the first time since 2019, qualified its girls team for state. And Stanwood, dating back more than 20 years, punched tickets for both its boys and girls teams to Pasco next weekend.

4A

Last year, the Arlington boys team finished second while the girls squad were district champions. And the last time the boys team lifted the district trophy was in 2021, and that was when the Eagles were a 3A program.

This year competing in 4A, Arlington’s girls team placed fifth, and the boys team reclaimed the district trophy, beating out second-place Issaquah by 21 points. All this comes a week after both the boys and girls groups won the Wesco 4A team titles.

“The whole season, we really concentrate on mileage, aerobic stuff, and we don’t do a lot of speed until the last three weeks of the season, and we back off on the distance,” Eagles coach Jon Murray said. “We just started backing off on our mileage literally last week, so we asked the kids to trust us because they race tired all the time, and they run fast off of being tired.

“The boys are really connected right now, and the girls are learning that connection,” he continued. “I’m really proud of the girls. Three or four of them ran really well today. The three or four that didn’t, they got a learning experience, and they’re going to use that next week … because I truly believe our girls are a top-four team in the state. … The boys, … I told them, ‘I think we can get second or third at districts. And if we do that, that sets us up for the next week to do something cool.’ Now, next week’s a whole different show. … And today happened to be our day.”

Eagles senior Grady Fournier finished second and earned a 15:15.29 personal record while senior teammates Noah Bumgardner placed fourth with a 15:34.51 PR and Lucas Spurling ninth with a 15:44.50 PR. Kamiak junior Colin Wear stood on the podium’s fifth-place spot with a 15:36.60 PR.

“I wanted to work for my teammates and coaches because they pushed me through this,” Fournier said. “I liked how I stuck to the front of the pack because that was my plan. I went out way faster than I thought I could, and I still felt great. So I trusted in the process my coach gave me.

“(Winning the team title) means we’re going to win state,” he continued. “We’re going to show people who Arlington is.”

Jackson senior Selena Bangerter took fourth with a time of 18:22.51. Arlington sophomore Anabelle Klein crossed the finish line about eight seconds later with a 18:30.97 pr to take the fifth-place podium spot.

“I was sort of aiming for first, but I was OK with that place,” said Bangerter, who finished sixth at state last year. “I definitely had to fight through the last mile a lot. I was fading a little bit. … My stomach started to hurt a little bit, and I was just trying to stay in it because I knew I needed to place good for my team.”

3A

The Shorewood boys team won the Wesco 3A/2A South title last weekend for the third-consecutive year, and they added to the trophy case this week with some district hardware.

Billett, who finished runner-up to Erhart in the Wesco Conference Championships, won the battle of two Stormrays by 0.34 seconds, 15:28.03 to 15:28.37, respectively.

“I think we ran great today,” Stormrays coach Joel Reese said. “The course conditions weren’t optimal for big PRs, but we did get a lot of those throughout the race. … (Between Billett and Erhart), we knew it was going to be that way. … Funny thing is they did the opposite last year: Max won Wesco, Otto won districts.

“On the boys side, we missed a (state) trophy last year,” he continued. “And this year, we’re right in that mix again, and we would be super ecstatic to bring a trophy home. So top four is really what we’re shooting for. On the girls side, if we put together the right race, I think we can hit top 10.”

Stanwood junior Ryan Khoury, who claimed the Wesco 3A/2A North individual title last weekend, came in third with a time of 15:50.55. Shorecrest senior Lewis Stotler finished fourth with a time of 16:08.36, and Shorewood sophomore Elijah Graves took fifth and the final podium spot with a 16:14.90 PR.

“I’m happy with the finish. Middle part of the race was pretty controlled, but I had a good finish,” Billett said. “(Reese) kind of left it up to us how hard we were going to go, if we wanted to stay with the pack or just go for it. And we decided somewhere in-between there.”

Though only a freshman, Shorecrest’s Harper Birgfeld ran as if she was an upperclassman with years of experience and placed second with a 19:38.15 PR, helping the Scots top Shorewood for the district trophy. She also claimed the individual Wesco 3A/2A South title last weekend.

“It’s great for our girls team because they put in a lot of work to get to this point, and it’s always great to see them reap the reward,” said Shorecrest coach Shane Peterson, who also noted it’s the third-consecutive year both teams have qualified for state. “They’re excited for next week and try to run top 10.”

Shorewood junior Violet Koslowsky and senior teammate Hanna Bruno were stride for stride coming to the finish line. Koslowsky recorded a 19:40.10 PR and Bruno a 19:40.26 PR, resulting in a 0.16 difference and third-, fourth-place finishes, respectively.

Stanwood junior Brooke Berry, who won the individual Wesco 3A/2A North title last weekend, placed seventh with a time of 20:08.05, a couple of seconds behind sixth-place Shorewood sophomore Lucy Eichelberger.

“Our plan is we start behind (the pack) and then you just keep that mentality of, ‘One more person,’ and get ahead as much as you can,” said Birgfeld, who will be running her first state meet next Saturday. “In the future when I get a little stronger and more experienced, I’ll go out a little faster. … I definitely did not expect to be here right now. … I pushed as much as I could, so I’m happy with how it turned out.”

Meet results

All team and individual results for each division can be found here. The top six teams and 42 individuals in 4A, top four teams and 28 individuals in 3A and top two teams and 14 individuals in 2A advance to state. Below are the state-bound teams followed by the top-five individual placers. Team points and runners’ times are in parentheses.

4A boys

1. Arlington (66)

2. Issaquah (87)

3. Redmond (94)

4. Lincoln (Seattle) (107)

5. Lake Stevens (158)

6. Eastlake (158)

4A girls

1. Mt. Si (86)

2. Eastlake (88)

3. Issaquah (118)

4. Redmond (124)

5 Arlington (136)

6. Jackson (170)

3A boys

1. Shorewood (27)

2. Meadowdale (109)

3. Shorecrest (128)

4. Stanwood (131)

3A girls

1. Shorecrest (56)

2. Shorewood (73)

3. Stanwood (118)

4. Mountlake Terrace (123)

2A boys & girls

No teams qualified for state.

4A boys

1. Zachary Leader, sr., Redmond (15:04.30)

2. Grady Fournier, sr., Arlington (15:15.29 – PR)

3. Kaj Montgomery, sr., Lincoln (Seattle) (15:30.42)

4. Noah Bumgardner, sr., Arlington (15:34.51 – PR)

5. Colin Wear, jr., Kamiak (15:36.60 – PR)

4A girls

1. Hailey Cossey, sr., Mt. Si (17:54.20)

2. Aleeya Cossey, sr., Mt. Si (17:55.05)

3. Alexa Matora, sr., Lake Washington (18:08.04)

4. Selena Bangerter, sr., Jackson (18:22.51)

5. Anabelle Klein, soph., Arlington (18:30.97)

3A boys

1. Max Billett, jr., Shorewood (15:28.03)

2. Otto Erhart, sr., Shorewood (15:28.37)

3. Ryan Khoury, jr., Stanwood (15:50.55)

4. Lewis Stotler, sr., Shorecrest (16:08.36)

5. Elijah Graves, soph., Shorewood (16:14.90)

3A girls

1. Leila Stampanoni, jr., Mount Vernon (18:55.62)

2. Harper Birgfeld, fr., Shorecrest (19:38.15 – PR)

3. Violet Koslowsky, jr., Shorewood (19:40.10 – PR)

4. Hanna Bruno, sr., Shorewood (19:40.26 – PR)

5. Katie Manly, sr., Ferndale (19:43.79)

The 2024 state cross country championships take place on Nov. 9 at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.