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Archive for the ‘Cross Country’ Category

First race, first success

Posted in Cross Country, Middle School, tagged , , , , , on September 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Stone Simpson and Co. get the season off to a rousing start. (Rainy Simpson photo)

They kicked things off with a bang.

Running under sunny skies Wednesday at Fort Casey State Park, the Coupeville Middle School cross country squad won three of four races at the first-ever Salish Sea Jamboree.

CMS 8th grader Sarai Dangerfield and 7th graders Juniper Dotson and Nicholas Strong all finished first in their respective races, with 21 Wolves conquering the one-mile course.

Fresh off their season opener, the young harriers return to action this coming Saturday, when they trek to South Whidbey for the 47th annual Carl Westling Invite.

The Wolves warmup before the race. (Kelly Powers photo)

 

Wednesday results:

 

GIRLS:

 

8th grade:

Sarai Dangerfield (1st) 6:55.88

 

6th/7th grade:

Juniper Dotson (1st) 6:52.84
Ava Clark (2nd) 6:58.52
Abi Dangerfield (3rd) 7:24.03
Luna Strong (4th) 8:38.91
Leah Hernandez (5th) 9:03.10
Lillian Lachnit (6th) 9:05.68

Lillian Lachnit runs to a high-five. (Kelly Powers photo)

 

BOYS:

 

8th grade:

Jesse Kehoe (2nd) 5:42.03
Colton Ashby (3rd) 6:03.36
Cole Van Dyke (4th) 6:22.39

 

6th/7th grade:

Nicholas Strong (1st) 6:05.43
John Davis (2nd) 6:36.01
Mica McCloskey (5th) 6:55.01
Gavin Goldman (6th) 7:08.09
Leo Hernandez-Gomez (7th) 7:23.21
Hayden Maynes (8th) 7:31.90
Brody Griffith (9th) 7:34.21
Stone Simpson (12th) 8:40.24
Danny Powers (13th) 11:16.46
Quinton Freeman (14th) 12:05.42
Henry Engel (15th) 12:13.27

Danny Powers zips to the finish line. (Kelly Powers photo)

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Harriers shine in home meet

Posted in Cross Country, tagged , , , , on September 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Claire Lachnit rolls to victory. (Kelly Powers photos)

The weather was flawless and the running was inspired.

Taking advantage of a sunny, but not too hot, mid-September day, the Coupeville High School cross country squad hosted the first-ever Salish Sea Jamboree Wednesday at Fort Casey State Park.

The Wolves were joined by East Jefferson and Friday Harbor in zipping across a two-mile course with water views.

Coupeville had 18 runners hit the finish line, with freshman Claire Lachnit winning the girls JV race.

CHS also collected second place finishes in each of the days four races, with Anna Powers, Laken Simpson, Cyrus Sparacio, and Archer Schwarz all notching solid performances.

Elizabeth Bitting imparts wisdom to her runners.

With the day finished, Coupeville coach Elizabeth Bitting had time to sit back and marinate in the moment.

“First running of the Salish Sea Jamboree was a success! Good comments from all,” she said. “Mother Nature cooperated and gave us a beautiful, warm and sunny day.

“A big thanks to all our volunteers, we couldn’t do any of this without them!”

The Coupeville harriers get right back at it Saturday, trekking down the island to take part in the 47th annual Carl Westling Invite hosted by South Whidbey High School.

Zach Blitch runs under sunny skies.

 

Wednesday results:

 

GIRLS:

 

Varsity:

Anna Powers (2nd) 13:59.96
Ivy Rudat (5th) 15:26.59
Mikayla Wagner (6th) 15:46.94
Allie Powers (7th) 16:00.90

 

JV:

Claire Lachnit (1st) 16:06.07
Laken Simpson (2nd) 16:42.02
Emma Green (3rd) 17:27.38
Ava Lucero (5th) 19:04.73

Anna Powers is out in front.

 

BOYS:

 

Varsity:

Cyrus Sparacio (2nd) 11:04.63
Henry Purdue (3rd) 11:29.97
Beckett Green (9th) 12:15.04
Kenneth Jacobsen (10th) 12:19.93

 

JV:

Archer Schwarz (2nd) 12:17.44
Leo Davis (8th) 13:08.75
Johnathan Jacobsen (11th) 14:06.41
Hunter Atteberry (12th) 14:22.76
Isaiah Allen (13th) 14:24.63
Zach Blitch (19th) 19:57.63

Kenneth Jacobsen leads a pack of runners to daylight.

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Harriers burn up Bellingham trails

Posted in Cross Country, tagged , , , , on September 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Ivy Rudat and Co. spent Saturday running in Bellingham. (Photos courtesy Elizabeth Bitting)

It was a good day in the big city.

The Coupeville High School cross country squad traveled to Bellingham Saturday, joining 42 other schools to compete at the highly regarded GearUp Northwest XC Preview.

While there the Wolves traversed a two-mile course and went running shoe to running shoe with some of the best in the country, as the host, Sehome, boasts the #5 ranked girls’ team in the entire USA.

Saturday’s event was broken down into classes, with freshmen running against freshmen and seniors against seniors, and so on.

In addition, Wolf sophomore Hunter Atteberry got to fire the starter’s pistol for one of the races.

Coupeville sent 20 runners to the line, and Wolf coach Elizabeth Bitting ended the day pleased with them all.

“I love this race! So many amazing runners!” she said. “There were many PR’s and some firsts on the course!

“All walked away with smiles and a feeling of accomplishment! Proud of them all!!!!!!!”

The Wolves stay closer to home for the next meet, hosting the Salish Sea Jamboree at Fort Casey State Park Wednesday, September 16.

 

Saturday results:

 

GIRLS:

 

Seniors:

Ivy Rudat (68th) 15:23.87

 

Juniors:

Mikayla Wagner (124th) 16:24.89
Devon Wyman (128th) 16:37.99
Laken Simpson (130th) 16:44.70
Ava Lucero (159th) 19:34.37

Left to right are Laken Simpson, Mikayla Wagner, Devon Wyman, and Ava Lucero.

 

Sophomores:

Allie Powers (85th) 15:41.42

Allie Powers

 

Freshmen:

Anna Powers (27th) 14:14.25
Claire Lachnit (97th) 16:44.08
Emma Green (115th) 17:40.39

Left to right are Emma Green, Anna Powers, and Claire Lachnit.

 

BOYS:

 

Seniors:

Kenneth Jacobsen (89th) 12:08.73

Kenneth Jacobsen

 

Juniors:

Beckett Green (103rd) 12:44.74
Isaiah Allen (116th) 13:13.77
Johnathan Jacobsen (123rd) 13:44.40

Left to right are Isaiah Allen, Beckett Green, and Johnathan Jacobsen.

 

Sophomores:

Ossian Merkel (56th) 12:18.83
Hunter Atteberry (112th) 13:56.85

Ossian Merkel (left) and Hunter Atteberry

 

Freshmen:

Henry Purdue (33rd) 11:44.17
Archer Schwarz (69th) 12:37.59
Leo Davis (98th) 13:13.26

Left to right are Leo Davis, Henry Purdue, and Archer Schwarz.

 

JV:

Nolan Hunt (80th) 16:27.44
Zach Blitch (125th) 20:32.11

Nolan Hunt (395) and Zach Blitch.

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Chasin’ that cheese dream, a mile at a time

Posted in Cross Country, tagged , , , , on September 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

“We’re gonna be on this bus for a while.” (Photos courtesy Shaloma Allen)

There are more road trips ahead, but the first one was a true experience.

The Coupeville High School cross country team sent 14 runners and a pack of coaches across state lines, traveling to Tillamook, Oregon to participate in a massive season-opening meet Saturday afternoon.

On the course, the Wolves endured through rain and a whole lot of mud, while off the course they got to visit the famous Tillamook Creamery, home to fine cheeses and finer ice cream.

Wolf coaches (l to r) Shaloma Allen, Elizabeth Bitting, and Amber Wyman visit the birthplace of Tillamook Cheese.

Isaiah Allen endures monsoon season.

Elizabeth Bitting lays it out. “Get lost in the mud, we may not be able to get you back out…”

Devon Wyman walks on water.

“Bring on the ice cream!”

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Wolves survive, thrive in the mud

Posted in Cross Country, tagged , , , , , , on September 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Allie Powers (left) and Mikayla Wagner can run in any environment. (Photos courtesy Elizabeth Bitting)

They returned to the motherland to kick off a new season.

Well, to my mother’s land, that is.

Making an overnight trip to Tillamook, Oregon — where the cows outnumber the humans and I spent a considerable number of summers dragging wet sand back from the beach to deposit on my grandmother’s rug — the Coupeville High School cross country team competed Saturday at the massive Ultimook Race.

Just how massive?

Well, there were 93 high school teams, 18 middle school squads, and seven clubs in attendance, likely all fueled by cheese and ice cream from the nearby world-famous Tillamook Creamery.

Event organizers ran 16 races across a course which featured a “REAL cross country experience without sacrificing a quality, race able course.”

There were “two river crossings, a mud pit, a mile of wood chipped trails, and, of course, a bunch of beautiful flowers.”

Emphasis on mud pit.

“Mud? What mud?”

“This mud!”

Coupeville’s harriers, repping a 2B school, punched above their weight class, competing in the 5,000-meter varsity races for schools in classifications 1A-4A.

Those duels drew a combined 526 runners, with 234 girls and 292 boys zipping across the frontier.

The Wolf boys finished 15th in the team standings, while their female counterparts were 25th overall.

A pair of Oregon schools took top honors, with Philomath leading the way in the girl’s race and Knappa out of Astoria ruling the boy’s competition.

Individual honors went to Cassidy Smart of Philomath, who is the defending Oregon high school state champion, and Gus Kirby of Neah-Ka-Nie.

Coupeville’s cross country mentors also left their mark at the meet, with Andy Wyman finishing 6th in the open race for adults.

The Wolves return to action next Saturday, September 12, when they travel to Bellingham for the GearUp Northwest XC Preview.

Claire Lachnit’s first high school cross country race was a messy one.

 

Saturday results:

 

GIRLS:

Anna Powers (87th) 24:21.29 *PR*
Mikayla Wagner (146th) 26:54.21
Allie Powers (167th) 27:47.56
Devon Wyman (179th) 28:08.88
Laken Simpson (187th) 28:40.48 *PR*
Claire Lachnit (193rd) 29:03.75 *PR*
Ava Lucero (217th) 31:50.53

 

BOYS:

Cyrus Sparacio (39th) 19:05.49
Henry Purdue (66th) 20:06.47 *PR*
Ossian Merkel (130th) 21:43.56
Archer Schwarz (134th) 21:46.99 *PR*
Beckett Green (213th) 24:07.35
Hunter Atteberry (220th) 24:22.63
Isaiah Allen (271st) 28:09.75

Flashback to earlier in the day, before the Wolves hit the trail.

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