Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Tri-Districts’

Harriers sending 11 to state

Posted in Cross Country, tagged , , , , on October 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Wolf runners (left to right) Aleksia Jump, Mikayla Wagner, Devon Wyman, and Aleera Kent are off to the state meet. (Photo courtesy Elizabeth Bitting)

Get ’em the big bus.

Coming off of an impressive performance Wednesday in the rain at Tri-Districts, the Coupeville High School cross country squad is sending 11 runners on to the state meet.

Wolf running guru Elizabeth Bitting will be taking four girls and seven boys to Pasco for the 2B championships, which are set for Saturday, Nov. 9.

That’s the most state meet qualifiers in one season since CHS revived its cross country program in 2017 after a two-decade layoff.

Coupeville is sending its entire boys’ team to state for the second time in as many seasons, while four Wolf girls made it through as individual qualifiers.

Conditions were wet, wet, wet at Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood as runners from Districts 1, 2, and 3 came together to battle for trail supremacy on a 5,000-meter course.

The top two boys’ teams and top three girls’ teams punched their state ticket as a group, and Coupeville almost got both of its groups through.

Coupeville’s boys advance to state as a team for the second straight season. (Photo courtesy Bitting)

The boys, who placed five runners in the top 10, finished 2nd in the team standings, narrowly nipped 31-34 by Northwest 2B/1B League archrival Mount Vernon Christian for the crown.

Friday Harbor (68) was a distant third.

On the girls’ side, Pope John Paul II, led by defending state champ Ruby Henry, ran away with the team title, racking up just 30 points.

MVC (82) and Friday Harbor (84) also earned state berths, with Coupeville (98) notching fourth place in the team standings.

While the Wolf girls didn’t advance as a complete unit, the top 21 individual runners also earned state invitations, with freshman Devon Wyman literally nabbing the last spot by outsprinting a Friday Harbor rival by five seconds.

Carson Field motors along at the league meet earlier this month. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

From Coupeville’s 11 state meet qualifiers, senior Carson Field will be making his third trip to the biggest run of the year.

Landon Roberts, George Spear, Ezekiel Allen, Kenneth Jacobsen, and Thomas Strelow are now two-timers, while Wyman, Mikayla Wagner, Ethan Walling, Aleksia Jump, and Aleera Kent will make their state cross country meet debut.

 

Wednesday results:

 

GIRLS:

Aleera Kent (12th) 22:45.4
Mikayla Wagner (14th) 22:49.0
Aleksia Jump (20th) 23:25.2
Devon Wyman (21st) 23:36.9
Ari Armstrong (32nd) 24:51.0
Ivy Rudat (35th) 25:49.1
Reagan Callahan (41st) 26:35.2

 

BOYS:

Carson Field (4th) 18:06.0
Landon Roberts (5th) 18:24.2
George Spear (7th) 18:28.4
Ezekiel Allen (8th) 18:29.4
Kenneth Jacobsen (10th) 18:31.4
Thomas Strelow (11th) 18:31.4
Ethan Walling (21st) 20:19.4

Wolf coaches Elizabeth Bitting (left) and Amber Wyman celebrate the moment. (Photo courtesy Bitting)

Read Full Post »

Wolves packin’ for Pasco!

Posted in Cross Country, tagged , , , , on October 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Tasty treats make Landon Roberts run fast. (Sherry Bonacci photo)

The big payback!

Garnering a measure of revenge, the Coupeville High School boys’ cross country team chased down Mount Vernon Christian Thursday at Tri-Districts.

The Hurricanes edged the Wolves by one point at the Northwest 2B/1B League championships a week ago.

Jump ahead seven days, move to Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood, and Coupeville came out ahead 76-79 this time around.

That earned the Wolves 2nd place in a 16-team meet featuring schools from Districts 1, 2, and 3, and sends Coupeville’s boys to the state tournament as a complete unit Nov. 4 in Pasco.

The CHS girls claimed 5th place, so their team won’t advance, but sophomore Noelle Western made the cut as an individual runner by cracking the top 14 finishers.

Thursday’s meet drew 130 competitors to the 5,000-meter course.

Junior Isaac Betz of Mount Vernon Christian and freshman Ruby Henry of Pope John Paul II claimed individual titles, with PJP2 sweeping the team titles.

Run like it’s the 1970’s. (Photo courtesy Elizabeth Bitting)

For the Coupeville boys, this will be their first trip to the biggest run of the year as a team since the Wolves claimed 5th place at state back-to-back in 1976 and 1977.

Fun fact about ’76.

Future school board director Don Sherman ran the trails for Coupeville that year, while his future wife, then known as Debbie Dire, competed at the same state meet for Cascade of Everett.

While the parents of Brad, Tony, and Bryan didn’t officially meet until later, apparently it was fated the farmer and teacher would unite and build a prairie empire.

In more recent times, individual male runners such as 2010 state champ Tyler King and recent star Danny Conlisk have made it to state, while the Wolf girls went as a team last season.

Thursday, it was time to go to the past for Coupeville’s lads, powered by big leg kicks down the stretch.

“The boys had tough competition in their race,” CHS coach Elizabeth Bitting said.

“Pope John Paul II is a powerhouse and ran an amazing race. It was a total battle royale for 2nd through 4th, just six points between us all — it’s a testament to the competition these boys brought to the race.”

Afterwards Bitting was approached by a rival who passed on words of congratulations.

“It was a major compliment to have a fellow coach approach me after the race and comment, Coupeville wasn’t even on my radar, but at mile one I took notice.

“You guys came out of nowhere. Congratulations! See you at Pasco.”

The first six Wolf boys to hit the line did so in sub-19 minutes, all landing in the top 27.

For Bitting, who has been the primary driving force behind the rebirth of cross country in Cow Town, it was a sublime moment.

“I cannot even describe the excitement we had when we saw they finished 2nd! OH MY GOODNESS!!!! So many high fives, so many hugs!!!”

A ferocious five-pack. (Photo courtesy Elizabeth Bitting)

Bitting also praised the MVC boys for their “awesome sportsmanship,” Coupeville Middle School running guru Amber Wyman for her support, and the Wolf girls for their grit.

“They persevered, pushed themselves and all ran a beautiful race,” Bitting said.

“Each and every girl dug deep and entered the final stretch with a kick through the finish line. I was so very impressed of them all!

“Super big shout out to Coach Wyman for always being there, supporting, cheering the team on and helping to navigate the craziness and fun-ness of it all!!! I LOVE HER!!!!!!

 

Thursday results:

 

GIRLS:

Noelle Western (14th) 22:44.8
Aleksia Jump (23rd) 24:13.5
Ari Armstrong (38th) 26:34.1
Erica McGrath (42nd) 28:24.4
Reagan Callahan (43rd) 28:30.3

 

BOYS:

Carson Field (7th) 18:13.9
Landon Roberts (13th) 18:26.4
Ezekiel Allen (16th) 18:36.1
George Spear (20th) 18:46.2
Thomas Strelow (26th) 18:57.8
Kenneth Jacobsen (27th) 18:57.8
Axel Marshall (56th) 21:45.0

Read Full Post »

Eight to state!

Posted in Cross Country, tagged , , , , , on October 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Fab frosh Noelle Western is going to the state cross country meet, and her teammates are coming with her. (Kerry Western photo)

Party like it’s 1982!

That year, British new wave kings Duran Duran released Hungry Like the Wolf, which went on to win the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video.

Meanwhile, the Coupeville High School girls cross country team claimed 4th place at the state meet, the best finish in school history for a harrier squad.

Now, 40 years later, a new group of award-hungry Wolves has arrived to stake their own claim to greatness.

Running as a pack Thursday, the Coupeville girls finished 3rd at the Tri-District meet at Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood, punching their ticket as a team to the state meet.

That race goes down Saturday, Nov. 5 in Pasco, where CHS boys Mitchell Hall and Carson Field will join their female compatriots, having qualified as individuals.

The top three teams, and best 21 runners in each race advanced.

It’s the second trip to state for Hall, Claire Mayne, and Helen Strelow, as all three qualified as individuals last season.

Field, Noelle Western, Cristina McGrath, Reagan Callahan, and Erica McGrath will be making their state meet debuts.

“Very excited for all of them,” said CHS coach Paige Spangler. “They’ve worked so hard this season!!!”

Coupeville senior Helen Strelow is a two-time state meet qualifier. (Jackie Saia photo)

Getting an entire team through to Pasco marks a major milestone as Coupeville nears the end of year five of the rebirth of its cross country program.

The Wolf boys finished 5th in the team standings at both the 1976 and 1977 state meets, while the CHS girls were 8th in 1981 and 4th in 1982.

Add in individual state titles for Natasha Bamberger (1985) and Tyler King (2010), and the Wolf program has a proud history.

But it also went into hibernation in the ’90s — King won his title as a solo artist training and traveling with Oak Harbor — and stayed dormant until being relaunched in 2018.

Bamberger, Luke Samford, and Elizabeth Bitting each coached a season, while Spangler is in her second, and final year, as she and her husband are moving to the East coast in December.

Under their combined tutelage, Danny Conlisk and Catherine Lhamon made it to state as individuals, then the three-pack last year, and now they’ll cram the van for the trip.

The Wolf girls qualified by notching 104 points Thursday, holding off Mount Vernon Christian (114) and Bellevue-based Summit Classical Christian (116).

Pope John Paul II, which hails from Lacey, was a clear front-runner with just 15 points, with Tacoma’s Covenant (90) claiming second among the seven schools which fielded a full girls team.

On the boys side, it was PJP-II (19), MVC (84), and Covenant (87) qualifying as teams, with Orcas Island (100) and Coupeville (106) just missing out.

Hall had the best performance of any Wolf, finishing 3rd in his race, with Catelin King of PJP-II and Asher Ingram of Northwest Christian (Lacey) earning individual titles on the 5,000-meter course.

Carson Field is state bound for the first time. (Jackie Saia photo)

 

Thursday’s results:

GIRLS:

Claire Mayne (15th) 23:22.7
Noelle Western (18th) 23:37.9
Helen Strelow (22nd) 24:10.1
Cristina McGrath (29th) 25:07.4
Reagan Callahan (40th) 27:33.0
Erica McGrath (42nd) 27:37.2

 

BOYS:

Mitchell Hall (3rd) 17:49.2
Carson Field (16th) 19:11.4
Landon Roberts (27th) 20:24.4
Tate Wyman (41st) 21:48.8
Preston Howard (42nd) 21:50.1
George Spear (43rd) 21:50.7
Easton Green (50th) 22:28.8

 

Read Full Post »

Wolf trio state-bound

Posted in Cross Country, tagged , , , , , on October 28, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville junior cross country runner Mitchell Hall is off to the state meet. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

He’ll be joined in Pasco by Helen Strelow.

As well as Claire Mayne. (Morgan White photo)

Cue up the Madonna and Duran Duran playlist. We’re going back to the ’80s!

After a strong performance Thursday at Tri-Districts, the Coupeville High School cross country squad is sending three runners to state, the most since the “Greed is Good” decade.

Helen Strelow, Claire Mayne, and Mitchell Hall all earned their first invites to the big dance, while the Wolf girls missed qualifying as a team by a single point.

Pope John Paul II, a private school from Lacey, won both the girls and boys team titles, with the JP2 girls finishing 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 in the race.

Mount Vernon Christian’s boys and Covenant’s girls claimed second-place, in a meet where the top two teams and top 14 individual runners advanced to state.

Both Coupeville teams finished third, though the Wolf boys were well off MVC at 53-90.

The CHS girls, however, came within 62-63 of Covenant, which hails from Tacoma.

There were runners representing 12 schools Thursday at Ft. Steilacoom.

Two of those schools — Auburn Adventist Academy and Northwest Yeshiva — had their results listed as “exhibition,” however.

Neither school can run at the state meet, since it’s held Saturday, Nov. 6 in Pasco, and religious restrictions prevent athletes at both schools from competing on weekend days.

For Coupeville, sending three runners to state in the same year is a major milestone in year four of the program’s rebirth.

The Wolves sent entire teams to state in the ’80s, when Natasha Bamberger won an individual title.

But the school’s program shut down in the ’90s and stayed dormant for two decades.

During the sabbatical, Tyler King joined Bamberger as an individual state champ, while training and traveling with Oak Harbor, but competing as a one-man Coupeville wrecking crew.

Cross country returned to CHS in 2018, and, since then, the now-graduated Danny Conlisk and Catherine Lhamon both made it to state, but in different years.

Strelow — who won the Northwest 2B/1B League individual title last week — Mayne, and Hall are all juniors.

The other nine Wolves to run for coach Paige Spangler at Tri-Districts included four freshmen, three sophomores, and two other juniors.

 

Complete Thursday results (5,000 meters):

 

GIRLS:

Helen Strelow (12th) 24:44.4
Claire Mayne (13th) 24:55.1
Cristina McGrath (16th) 26:18.3
Bryley Gilbert (17th) 26:24.6
Erica McGrath (23rd) 30:55.0

 

BOYS:

Mitchell Hall (12th) 19:15.8
Cole White (15th) 19:24.7
Carson Field (22nd) 20:20.5
Thomas Strelow (24th) 20:29.5
Landon Roberts (25th) 20:34.6
Hank Milnes (31st) 21:29.3
Tate Wyman (39th) 22:47.0

Read Full Post »

Stone stays on track for state!!

Posted in Track, tagged , , , on May 23, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Makana Stone, bustin' school records with every stride. (JF)

Makana Stone, one great race away from returning to the state meet for a second straight year. (John Fisken photos)

Skyler Lawrence had a strong freshman season in all here throwing the discus earlier in the season

Skyler Lawrence made an impact all season, no matter what she was throwing.

Makana Stone is in it to win it.

Pulling back slightly Thursday during the prelims at Tri-Districts, the speedy Coupeville High School sophomore still qualified for Saturday’s finals in both the 200 and 400.

Her performance at Woolsey Stadium in Shoreline was the highlight of the day, as the Wolves ran into top-level competition.

While she didn’t advance to the finals, CHS junior Marisa Etzell did set a PR in the 400.

Freshman Skyler Lawrence was the only Wolf to compete in a final Thursday, finishing 13th in the shot put in her first appearance at Tri-Districts.

Complete Day 1 results:

GIRLS:

100 — Sylvia Hurlburt (11th) 13.54

200 — Makana Stone (4th) 27.06; Hurlburt (12th) 28.03

400 — Stone (3rd) 59.48; Marisa Etzell (11th) 1:04.35

4 x 100 Relay — Hurlburt, Lauren Grove, Ashlyn Miller, Etzell (10th) 58.27

4 x 200 Relay — Hurlburt, Stone, Grove, Etzell (9th) 1:49.36

Shot Put — Skyler Lawrence (13th) 28-08

BOYS:

400 — Jared Helmstadter (12th) 55.61

4 x 100 Relay — Lathom Kelley, Brandon Kelley, Sebastian Davis, Helmstadter (9th) 46.42

4 x 400 Relay — L. Kelley, B. Kelley, Davis, Helmstadter (12th) 3:47.24

Read Full Post »