YAKIMA — Nineteen days after their first trip to Apple Ridge, Ephrata cross country returned to the same course and showed just how much progress can happen in under three weeks.

The Tigers turned in one of their strongest meets of the season, with 18 athletes setting personal records over the 3-mile course and 24 improving their times from the earlier race, including 12 runners who dropped more than a full minute.

“This week our athletes set goals and put a focus on mental toughness,” said head coach Lyndsy Roberts. “Combined with near-perfect racing conditions, we had a huge amount of breakthrough races. It was exciting to watch athletes test their limits.”

Ephrata boys posted several standout efforts, led by junior Caleb Fitts, who placed third overall in 16 minutes, 47 seconds, a new personal best. Maddax Iverson followed close behind in 16:52, and Niko Diaz ran a season-best 17:02.

Rounding out Ephrata’s top seven were Cooper Black (17:11), Cale Fronsman (17:37), Caleb Schooler (17:37, PR) and Mitchell Johnson (17:40, PR).

The Tigers fell to Selah 24-32 in team scoring but overcame Toppenish 15-50.

Roberts praised the team’s resilience and the continued emergence of its core pack.

“Adrian (Negrete) has been battling this year,” he said. “He epitomizes the mental toughness that I am looking for in a cross country athlete. His time of 18:16 was a new personal best, and I expect it to be even lower when we race districts in three weeks.”

The Tiger boys sit third in the Central Washington Athletic Conference standings at 2-2, trailing Selah and Ellensburg, which are tied atop the league at 4-0.

Ephrata’s girls also turned in a strong showing, highlighted by another top-five finish from Hannah Malone, who clocked 19:30, a season record, for second place. Savannah Harper wasn’t far behind, setting a personal record at 19:40 for third. Rebecca Wiser rounded out the top five in 20:30.

The Tigers split their duals, edging Toppenish 25-30 but falling 26-33 to Selah.

Further down the lineup, Ephrata saw major time drops from its developing runners: Sunnie Neff (23:28, SR), Annabelle Adams (24:24, PR), Madison Harmon (24:46, SR), and Paisley Ribble (26:50, SR) all showed progress.

Roberts singled out Harmon for her growth this fall.

“Madison improved her time by two minutes and 27 seconds,” Roberts said. “She has come such a long way this year and will make a huge impact for us in the final three races of the season.”

The Lady Tigers also sit in the middle of CWAC standings at 2-2 in league competition.

With just two meets remaining before districts, Roberts said the team’s steady improvement reflects a shift in mindset as much as training.

“Mental toughness was our theme this week, and it showed,” he said. “This group is learning to push through that mid-race pain and find another gear.”

After last weekend’s race in Leavenworth was canceled due to poor air quality, Ephrata returns to action Thursday, Oct. 16, for a dual meet in Prosser that also includes Quincy, continuing its conference schedule with another tune-up ahead of the district meet back at Apple Ridge on Nov. 1.