Lady Tigers XC second at Sunfair; climb to No. 4 in poll
Heat and hills made Sunfair a mental test, but four Ephrata girls finished in the top 15 of a loaded Gold Division field and Niko Diaz returned to the lineup for the Tiger boys.
Updated
Ephrata senior Abigail Chamberlain (959) runs with Ellensburg junior Grace Beachy (856) in the Gold Division girls race at the Sunfair Invitational on Saturday at Franklin Park in Yakima. Beachy won in 18:16.9 and Chamberlain placed fifth in 19:45.6 to lead Ephrata to second place as a team. Photos by Casey Devine
YAKIMA — The Ephrata girls placed second in an eight-team Gold Division field at the Sunfair Invitational cross country meet on Saturday, putting four runners in the top 15 at Franklin Park and bringing home a team trophy.
Heat and the course's challenging stair-stepped hills made for a hard afternoon, Tiger head coach Lyndsy Roberts said.
"It was a true mental test and Ephrata athletes responded with some great performances," Roberts said.
The Lady Tigers scored 70 points, behind team champion Moses Lake's 30. Ellensburg was third with 84 points, paced by individual winner Grace Beachy, followed by fourth-place Kamiakin with 92, Bellarmine Prep with 135, Walla Walla with 146, Lakes with 152 and CWAC rival Selah with 184.
Beachy, a junior, won the race with a season-best time of 18 minutes, 16.9 seconds.
Senior Abigail Chamberlain led Ephrata with a fifth-place individual finish in 19 minutes, 45.6 seconds. Also contributing to the team scoring, Chamberlain was followed by junior teammates Savannah Harper (11th, 20:23.6) and Rebecca Wiser (14th, 20:35.9), freshman Zoie Grubb (15th, 20:38.2), and senior Hannah Malone (38th, 22:19.6). Freshman Paisley Graff rounded out the Tiger team, finishing 58th in 24:55.8.
Ephrata junior Rebecca Wiser (971) races in the Gold Division girls race Saturday at the Sunfair Invitational at Franklin Park in Yakima, with teammate Zoie Grubb, a freshman, running just behind a Moses Lake runner (1310). Wiser placed 14th in 20:35.9 and Grubb 15th in 20:38.2.
"Once again the girls stepped up to the challenge and had a fabulous day of racing," Roberts said. "Placing four girls in the top 15 of a loaded varsity field and leaving with a second-place team trophy was a big step for our team, but one that was well deserved and earned. What the average fan doesn't see is a summer of hard work. These girls have been training since June in preparation for this cross country season."
This week, Ephrata's girls moved up one spot to No. 4 in Class 2A in the Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association poll.
And Roberts said the Tiger boys' latest poll listing — just outside of the state's top 10 programs — make them a team to watch.
Boys
They showed that promise at Sunfair, where Ephrata placed eighth with 169 points in a 10-team Gold Division field. Ellensburg won with 80. Kamiakin was second with 93, Bellarmine Prep third with 100, Moses Lake fourth with 102 and Eisenhower fifth with 107, bolstered by the individual win of senior Kian Compton, who clocked a season-best 15:35.1.
For the Tiger boys, junior Caleb Fitts placed 10th individually in 16:42.0. Fellow junior Niko Diaz, back in the varsity lineup after an illness, was Ephrata's second finisher in 33rd in 17:24.3.
Tiger junior Niko Diaz (980) works up the stairstep hill in the Gold Division boys race Saturday at the Sunfair Invitational at Franklin Park in Yakima. Diaz was Ephrata's second finisher in 33rd place in 17:24.3.
"Niko had a great race," Roberts said. "His return gave us a boost of experience and a tough running mentality. I am confident he's going to continue to get faster over the next few weeks and be exactly where he needs to be at the end of the season."
Sophomore Caleb Schooler was 41st in 17:44.2, freshman Seve Molitor 42nd in 17:49.3 and freshman Mike Jimenez 51st in 18:23.7 to complete the scoring. Junior Ryan Delgado ran 19:04.2 and senior Grant Adams 20:01.2.
It's notable that all of Ephrata's scorers in the Gold Division are underclassmen.
"They are learning so much with each race," Roberts said. "The potential to be great is there; the challenge will be how to test their limits and take the next step."
The clock reads 17:44 as Ephrata sophomore Caleb Schooler finishes the Gold Division boys race Saturday at the Sunfair Invitational in Yakima. Schooler placed 41st in 17:44.2, third among the Tigers.
In the boys' Silver Division varsity race, sophomore Louden Leenhouts led Ephrata, placing 15th in 18:05.9. "Louden ran exceptionally and led the way to a strong team finish," Roberts said.
Senior Zane Sieg was fourth in the junior varsity race in 19:10.6. "He went out aggressive, and then was just incredibly strong and consistent. He had a great mindset and was rewarded with his best race of the season," said Roberts.
Ephrata hosts its first home meet of the season at 4 p.m. Thursday at Lakeview Golf and Country Club, with Ellensburg and Quincy in the field. Both Ellensburg boys and girls teams arrive ranked No. 3 in the 2A ranks, Roberts said.
"Ellensburg is well-coached and their runners are extremely talented," Roberts said. "Always a fun challenge to take on teams of that caliber."
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Lady Tigers XC second at Sunfair; climb to No. 4 in poll
Heat and hills made Sunfair a mental test, but four Ephrata girls finished in the top 15 of a loaded Gold Division field and Niko Diaz returned to the lineup for the Tiger boys.
YAKIMA — The Ephrata girls placed second in an eight-team Gold Division field at the Sunfair Invitational cross country meet on Saturday, putting four runners in the top 15 at Franklin Park and bringing home a team trophy.
Heat and the course's challenging stair-stepped hills made for a hard afternoon, Tiger head coach Lyndsy Roberts said.
"It was a true mental test and Ephrata athletes responded with some great performances," Roberts said.
The Lady Tigers scored 70 points, behind team champion Moses Lake's 30. Ellensburg was third with 84 points, paced by individual winner Grace Beachy, followed by fourth-place Kamiakin with 92, Bellarmine Prep with 135, Walla Walla with 146, Lakes with 152 and CWAC rival Selah with 184.
Beachy, a junior, won the race with a season-best time of 18 minutes, 16.9 seconds.
Senior Abigail Chamberlain led Ephrata with a fifth-place individual finish in 19 minutes, 45.6 seconds. Also contributing to the team scoring, Chamberlain was followed by junior teammates Savannah Harper (11th, 20:23.6) and Rebecca Wiser (14th, 20:35.9), freshman Zoie Grubb (15th, 20:38.2), and senior Hannah Malone (38th, 22:19.6). Freshman Paisley Graff rounded out the Tiger team, finishing 58th in 24:55.8.
"Once again the girls stepped up to the challenge and had a fabulous day of racing," Roberts said. "Placing four girls in the top 15 of a loaded varsity field and leaving with a second-place team trophy was a big step for our team, but one that was well deserved and earned. What the average fan doesn't see is a summer of hard work. These girls have been training since June in preparation for this cross country season."
This week, Ephrata's girls moved up one spot to No. 4 in Class 2A in the Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association poll.
And Roberts said the Tiger boys' latest poll listing — just outside of the state's top 10 programs — make them a team to watch.
Boys
They showed that promise at Sunfair, where Ephrata placed eighth with 169 points in a 10-team Gold Division field. Ellensburg won with 80. Kamiakin was second with 93, Bellarmine Prep third with 100, Moses Lake fourth with 102 and Eisenhower fifth with 107, bolstered by the individual win of senior Kian Compton, who clocked a season-best 15:35.1.
For the Tiger boys, junior Caleb Fitts placed 10th individually in 16:42.0. Fellow junior Niko Diaz, back in the varsity lineup after an illness, was Ephrata's second finisher in 33rd in 17:24.3.
"Niko had a great race," Roberts said. "His return gave us a boost of experience and a tough running mentality. I am confident he's going to continue to get faster over the next few weeks and be exactly where he needs to be at the end of the season."
Sophomore Caleb Schooler was 41st in 17:44.2, freshman Seve Molitor 42nd in 17:49.3 and freshman Mike Jimenez 51st in 18:23.7 to complete the scoring. Junior Ryan Delgado ran 19:04.2 and senior Grant Adams 20:01.2.
It's notable that all of Ephrata's scorers in the Gold Division are underclassmen.
"They are learning so much with each race," Roberts said. "The potential to be great is there; the challenge will be how to test their limits and take the next step."
In the boys' Silver Division varsity race, sophomore Louden Leenhouts led Ephrata, placing 15th in 18:05.9. "Louden ran exceptionally and led the way to a strong team finish," Roberts said.
Senior Zane Sieg was fourth in the junior varsity race in 19:10.6. "He went out aggressive, and then was just incredibly strong and consistent. He had a great mindset and was rewarded with his best race of the season," said Roberts.
Ephrata hosts its first home meet of the season at 4 p.m. Thursday at Lakeview Golf and Country Club, with Ellensburg and Quincy in the field. Both Ellensburg boys and girls teams arrive ranked No. 3 in the 2A ranks, Roberts said.
"Ellensburg is well-coached and their runners are extremely talented," Roberts said. "Always a fun challenge to take on teams of that caliber."
Results:
Girls, Gold Division (second of eight, 70 points): 5. Abigail Chamberlain 19:45.6; 11. Savannah Harper 20:23.6; 14. Rebecca Wiser 20:35.9; 15. Zoie Grubb 20:38.2; 38. Hannah Malone 22:19.6; 58. Paisley Graaff 24:55.8.
Boys, Gold Division (eighth of 10, 169 points): 10. Caleb Fitts 16:42.0; 33. Niko Diaz 17:24.3; 41. Caleb Schooler 17:44.2; 42. Seve Molitor 17:49.3; 51. Mike Jimenez 18:23.7; 56. Ryan Delgado 19:04.2; 68. Grant Adams 20:01.2.