Coupeville Sports

   Tyler King, making the purple and gold proud. (Photo property of University of Washington Cross Country)

There is only one true King.

Saving his best for his next-to-last run as a University of Washington harrier, former CHS cross country star Tyler King helped the Huskies make history Friday.

Sparked by King’s fifth-place finish, U-Dub stunned the field at a soggy, muddy NCAA West Regionals in Seattle, capturing the title for the first time in school history.

The victory guarantees the Dawgs a trip to Louisville, Kentucky for next Saturday’s NCAA Championships.

Washington entered the afternoon ranked #17 in the country, but upended #4 Stanford and #7 Oregon to claim the team title.

The Cardinal also get an automatic berth to the big dance, while the Ducks will have to wait for an at-large berth.

The Husky women, who finished third behind senior Maddie Meyers, are also waiting on the possibility of an at-large berth.

King, running 10,000 meters for the first time this season, zipped across the course at Jefferson Park Golf Course in 31 minutes, 8.1 seconds.

Edward Cheserek of Oregon (30:43.2) won the individual title.

There were 205 runners in the mens race, with King leading a pack of Huskies. Washington also got a 10th place finish from Andrew Gardner, while placing five runners in the top 25.

It was the fourth and final time the former Wolf ran in the West Regionals. His best previous finish was 33rd as a junior.

King went on to place 40th at nationals last season.