Coupeville Sports

Tyler King: American Badass

The King has arrived.

Running at the third Pac-12 Cross Country Championships of his college career Friday, Coupeville High School grad Tyler King produced his best race since putting on the purple and gold.

The University of Washington junior finished 12th at the Metropolitan Golf Links in Oakland, covering the 8,000 meter course in 24 minutes flat.

After finishing 22nd in 2012 and 31st in 2013, this year’s finish is expected to cinch him All-Pac-12 honors.

Paced by King and teammate Aaron Nelson, who edged him for 11th by a single second, the Huskies claimed fourth in the team battle.

That’s their best result since 2009, the last time UW reached the NCAA championships.

Colorado, the #1 team in the nation, won its fourth straight team title, while #2 Oregon and #9 Stanford finished just slightly ahead of #12 Washington.

The Huskies, who put five runners in the top 25 finishers, beat UCLA, which had entered the race ranked #11 in the nation.

King overcame heavy rain and wind to achieve his stellar performance.

U-Dub coach Greg Metcalf was quoted by several sources after the race saying, “Tyler, that was his best race as a Husky.”

Washington returns to action Nov. 14 when it competes at the NCAA West Regional Championships, which will be hosted by Stanford.

The NCAA Championships take place Nov. 22.