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Posts Tagged ‘Helen Strelow’

Run as a pack, win as a pack

Posted in Cross Country, tagged CHS Wolves, cross country, Helen Strelow, Mitchell Hall, Mount Vernon Christian on September 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Thomas Strelow flies by. (Morgan White photos)

Coupeville’s girls cross country squad joined the boys in winning a team title Thursday afternoon.

All the way back.

The reborn Coupeville High School cross country program, now in its fourth season of full-time running after a 20-year-plus shutdown, reached the top of a major hill Thursday afternoon.

Running in Mount Vernon, the Wolves captured team wins in both the girls and boys races, though the second one is the shocker.

Coupeville, with a season-high seven girls running, was the only one of three schools to have enough athletes to form a full team, guaranteeing that victory.

On the boys side of things, Concrete and Lummi had a handful of runners, but the team race was a showdown between the Wolves and host Mount Vernon Christian.

As in the program which is the absolute gold standard for Northwest 2B/1B boys cross country.

The big dog. The alpha warriors. The kings.

Consider the throne toppled, at least for a day.

Twice Coupeville’s male harriers came for MVC this season, only for the Hurricanes to pull out the team win.

The first time it was 25-36 for Mount Vernon Christian (low score wins), the second time 23-32.

Third time was the charm, as the Wolves put five runners in the top eight Thursday, nailing down a 27-29 win with major implications moving forward.

The league championship meet is three weeks from today, on Coupeville’s home course at Fort Casey State Park.

Intrigue, and not just fog, swirls in the air.

But for now, in the moment, the celebration echoes far and wide across Wolf Nation.

Coupeville Middle School cross country coach Elizabeth Bitting filled in as the high school coach last season, then returned to her dream job when Paige Spangler was hired by CHS.

Thursday, Bitting’s CMS runners did really well in Granite Falls, but part of her heart will always be with the older runners, and she let the exclamations fly.

“So excited for them!!!!!! Way to go WOLVES!!! You’ve worked so hard for this!!!!!!!”

Complete Thursday results (5,000 meters):

GIRLS:

Helen Strelow (2nd) 25:57.6
Claire Mayne (3rd) 26:29.9
Svetlana Vanina (4th) 26:44.1 *PR*
Cristina McGrath (5th) 27:13.9
Bryley Gilbert (6th) 27:36.4 *PR*
Erica McGrath (8th) 33:01.7 *PR*
Edie Bittner (10th) 39:03.5 *PR*

BOYS:

Mitchell Hall (3rd) 19:20.1
Carson Field (4th) 19:44.5 *PR*
Cole White (5th) 19:47.5 *PR*
Landon Roberts (7th) 20:21.1 *PR*
Thomas Strelow (8th) 20:26.2 *PR*
Hank Milnes (10th) 21:40.2
Tate Wyman (16th) 25:42.9

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Wolf harriers shine on home trail

Posted in Cross Country, tagged CHS Wolves, cross country, Fort Casey State Park, Helen Strelow, Mitchell Hall on September 24, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville freshman Edie Bittner made her high school cross country debut Friday afternoon. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Closer and closer.

Mount Vernon Christian’s boys cross country team is still the gold standard in the Northwest 2B/1B League.

But Coupeville is coming up fast in the rearview mirror.

Three days after coming within 11 points of catching the Hurricanes in the team standings at a multi-team meet, the Wolves shaved their deficit down to nine while running Friday at Fort Casey State Park.

MVC had the first three runners across the line, led by Alexander Hoksbergen, but Coupeville slotted in at 4-5-6-7, then added 10-11-12 to stay close.

The final margin of victory for the Hurricanes this time around was 23-32, after winning 25-36 at Orcas three days earlier.

Concrete didn’t have enough runners to score as a team in the boys race, while MVC and Coupeville each had four female runners, not enough to form full teams.

Hurricane junior Maddy Nielsen outdueled Wolf Helen Strelow to claim the girls individual title.

Coupeville gets right back into action Saturday, with a trip to Shoreline for the King’s Roller Coaster Trail Run.

Complete Friday results (3.1 miles):

GIRLS:

Helen Strelow (2nd) 26:30
Bryley Gilbert (4th) 29:11
Erica McGrath (7th) 33:31
Edie Bittner (8th) 43:36

BOYS:

Mitchell Hall (4th) 19:52
Cole White (5th) 20:32
Carson Field (6th) 20:43
Landon Roberts (7th) 20:43.50
Thomas Strelow (10th) 21:53
Hank Milnes (11th) 22:01
Tate Wyman (12th) 22:53
Reiley Araceley (15th) 23:52
Alex Clark (21st) 29:13

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Harriers sizzle on Orcas

Posted in Cross Country, tagged CHS Wolves, cross country, Helen Strelow, Mitchell Hall, Northwest League on September 21, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Freshman Thomas Strelow was one of 13 Wolves to run Tuesday in a four-team cross country meet on Orcas Island. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Almost a major upset.

Placing four runners in the top eight Tuesday, the Coupeville High School boys cross country team pushed powerhouse Mount Vernon Christian hard.

While the Hurricanes, led by race winner Devin Van Zanten, escaped with a narrow team win at a four-school meet on Orcas Island, it’s a sign the Wolf roster is getting deeper, faster, and more aggressive in year four of the program’s rebirth.

MVC, which sent the first three runners across the line, led with 25 points, with Coupeville hot on its heels with 36.

Host Orcas was far back with 65 points, while Concrete did not have enough runners to score in the team standings.

On the girls side of things, MVC’s speedy Maddy Nielsen captured the individual crown, but none of the four teams had a complete lineup, so team scoring was ignored.

Coupeville, which had 13 of the 35 runners to compete Tuesday, returns to action this Friday, Sept. 24, when it hosts a home meet at Fort Casey State Park.

MVC, Concrete, and Lummi will run with the Wolves, with action set to start at 3:30 PM.

Complete Tuesday results (3.38 miles):

GIRLS:

Helen Strelow (3rd) 30:21.20
Bryley Gilbert (5th) 32:39.70
Claire Mayne (7th) 33:38.20
Erica McGrath (8th) 38:41.20

BOYS:

Mitchell Hall (4th) 22:15.80
Carson Field (5th) 22:37.80
Cole White (7th) 22:52.50
Landon Roberts (8th) 22:53.50
Thomas Strelow (12th) 23:42.70
Hank Milnes (13th) 23:43.40
Reiley Araceley (16th) 25:07.00
Tate Wyman (22nd) 28:29.40
Alex Clark (24th) 31:47.00

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Big meet, strong start

Posted in Cross Country, tagged CHS Wolves, cross country, Helen Strelow, Landon Roberts, Westling Invitational on September 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Helen Strelow was the top Coupeville girl Saturday at the 29-team Carl Westling Invitational in Langley. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They ran with the big boys (and girls).

The Coupeville High School cross country team kicked off a new season Saturday with an appearance at the 42nd annual Carl Westling Invitational in Langley.

A day before, a storm ripped across Whidbey with ferocious winds turning the power off for much of the island.

But Saturday was fairly tranquil, offering the Wolves and first-year coach Paige Spangler a chance to strut their stuff.

Coupeville sent three girls to the line in the varsity race, while fielding a full seven-man varsity team and two runners in the JV rumble.

The Wolf boys held up very well, finishing 11th out of 13 teams in their division, despite the other squads all repping schools with larger student bodies.

Coupeville was the lone 2B team, with eight 1A schools, three 2A schools, and 4A Mariner also competing.

2A Cedarcrest claimed the team title, while Will Geisen of 2A Bellingham captured the individual crown, covering 5,000 meters in 16 minutes, 51.60 seconds.

On the girls side, Bellingham was the top team, with Kayla Aalpoel of 1A Meridian the first runner across the line in 19:20.70.

All together, the invitational featured runners from 29 high schools, while five middle schools competed in their own races.

Complete CHS results (5,000 meters):

GIRLS – Varsity:

Helen Strelow (65th) 26:21.00
Claire Mayne (74th) 30:30.10
Erica McGrath (75th) 34:40.40

BOYS – Varsity:

Mitchell Hall (54th) 20:05.80
Landon Roberts (64th) 20:35.80
Carson Field (65th) 20:37.90
Cole White (71st) 20:57.10
Thomas Strelow (76th) 21:17.90
Hank Milnes (80th) 21:28.00
Reiley Araceley (88th) 22:40.70

BOYS — JV:

Nick Wasik (84th) 24:25.80
Alex Clark (145th) 29:15.70

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“I am beyond proud of each athlete!”

Posted in Cross Country, tagged Catherine Lhamon, CHS Wolves, cross country, Fort Casey State Park, Helen Strelow, Northwest League on May 6, 2021| 1 Comment »

Nozomi Hagihara competes at the Northwest 2B/1B League Cross Country Championships. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

“What a phenomenal finish to what’s been a crazy sports year!”

Coupeville High School cross country coach Elizabeth Bitting was all smiles Thursday, after the Wolves hosted, and competed strongly in, the Northwest 2B/1B League Championships.

The event went down at Fort Casey State Park, with 35 runners from CHS, Orcas Island, and Mount Vernon Christian tearing up the 3.1 mile course.

Coupeville senior Catherine Lhamon completed a flawless final campaign on the trails, earning the league title to cap a season in which she won all four of her races.

Catherine Lhamon hangs out with CHS coach Elizabeth Bitting.

The state meet veteran was joined at the top of the chart by teammates Helen Strelow and Mitchell Hall, who finished second and third in their races, respectively.

Mount Vernon Christian sophomore Devin Van Zanten matched Lhamon, completing a 4-0 season of his own and winning the boys individual title.

MVC, which had five of the top six male runners on the day, cruised to the boys team title, with Coupeville nipping Orcas for second.

There were no team scores on the girls side, as none of the three schools had a full five-woman roster.

While Lhamon’s stellar prep cross country career ends, Coupeville loses only two of its 13 runners, with foreign exchange student Nozomi Hagihara also exiting.

Of the other 11 Wolves who ran this season, eight were sophomores and three were freshmen.

Sophomore Mitchell Hall is part of a bright future for the Wolf harrier program.

Add a strong group of middle school harriers ready to make the jump to high school, and the Wolf program, which has been back in action three seasons now after a 20+ year absence, is in a good place.

A lot of the credit for that goes to Bitting, who coaches at CMS and CHS and is the ultimate promoter of the sport.

Though, as she always does, the sage of the trail loves to put the spotlight not on herself, but on her young runners.

“I am beyond proud of each athlete on this years cross country team,” Bitting said. “All their hard work, determination, and grit all came together in perfect harmony today on their home course!

“You know they are doing something right when five runners improve their time from a very flat course a week ago to a pretty hilly course today!

“Every runner has a reason to smile when they look at their finish time from their first race on the home course to today! Improvements galore!!!”

The backdrop Thursday at Fort Casey State Park.

Bitting loves to see her harriers claim PR’s and top finishes, but also takes great delight in the small grace notes.

“There were so many moments from today,” she said. “Celebrating Catherine on her last high school race ever; seeing everybody give it their all.

“Our wonderful foreign exchange student putting aside an injury to get one more race in; to seeing every athlete cheer on others and congratulations by athletes to athletes.”

Jackie Saia, shooting photos for the CHS yearbook, becomes one with nature.

While this wasn’t the easiest season, with the ongoing pandemic affecting how people trained, how they competed, even the time of year when they ran, Bitting will still look back on the adventure with fondness.

“It’s been a crazy sports season, but athletes like these make it so worthwhile!,” she said.

“Thank you for the memories! I hope you all have some great memories too!

“You are a great group of runners and I see some exceptional years ahead of you! But for now … take a day off, you earned it!!!!”

Pandemic or not, this year’s team endured and triumphed.

Complete Friday results:

GIRLS:

Catherine Lhamon (1st) 23:43
Helen Strelow (2nd) 25:09
Cristina McGrath (4th) 25:24
Nozomi Hagihara (10th) 33:58

BOYS:

Mitchell Hall (3rd) 19:23
Hank Milnes (8th) 21:43
Reiley Araceley (11th) 22:00
Alex Merino-Martinez (15th) 23:04
Alex Wasik (16th) 23:21
Grant Steller (17th) 23:21
Tate Wyman (19th) 23:24
Josh Guay (21st) 25:01
Alex Bowder (22nd) 25:23