Off and running! Ephrata sends both cross country teams to state
Both Tiger teams punched their tickets to state with the girls second and the boys holding off Selah by four points for third.
Updated
The Ephrata cross country teams gather at the Apple Ridge podium after the District 5 and 6 2A Championships on Oct. 31 in Yakima. Both squads qualified for the state meet, the girls placing second and the boys third. Photo by Sally Kaatz
YAKIMA — They're off and running: two Tiger teams are headed to state!
The Lady Tigers placed second and the boys third Saturday at the District 5 and 6 2A Championships at Apple Ridge, where Central Washington Athletic Conference and Greater Spokane League teams race together. The top four squads in each division advance, and CWAC schools showed their strength by earning six of the eight state berths.
In the girls division, Ellensburg, Ephrata and Selah finished one-two-three; in the boys race, the same schools were second, third and fourth. Only two GSL teams broke through — North Central High School won the boys race and Deer Park finished fourth in the girls event.
Ephrata and the others will compete in the WIAA state championships this Saturday, Nov. 7 at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.
At the district meet, the North Central boys posted an impressive team win with 33 points, Ellensburg was second with 82, and the Tigers claimed the third state slot with 105 points, four ahead of Selah with 109.
Elliot Yegge of North Central won the boys race in 14:57.9, the only runner under 15 minutes. He finished 10 seconds ahead of teammate Miles Watson in second place.
Caleb Fitts (176) runs with Clarkston’s Avery Peters (4) and North Central’s Elliot Yegge (249) at the District 5/6 race. Yegge won the race in 14:57.9 and Peters was third in 15:14.8. Fitts placed 12th in 15:42.7. Photo by Casey Devine
Ephrata's five scorers tightened their pack, finishing within 1 minute, 6.1 seconds of one another, nearly 30 seconds tighter than they ran at Lakeview nine days earlier.
Junior Niko Diaz led the Tigers in 11th place in 15:41.7, one second ahead of classmate Caleb Fitts, 12th in 15:42.7. No 2A runner had finished ahead of Fitts all season.
Freshman Seve Molitor took 22nd in 16:06.2 and sophomore Caleb Schooler was just a step behind for 24th in 16:07.0. Another sophomore, Louden Leenhouts, completed the scoring in 36th in 16:47.8. Junior Mitchell Johnson was 43rd in 17:08.4 and freshman Mike Jimenez 51st in 17:22.9.
Diaz, Molitor, Schooler, Leenhouts and Johnson all set personal best times.
Ephrata’s Seve Molitor (189) and Caleb Schooler (196) flank Grandview’s Eduardo Gomez (226) as they charge to the finish line. Molitor took 22nd in 16:06.2, Gomez 23rd in 16:06.7 and Schooler 24th in 16:07.0, less than a second covering all three. Photo by Casey DevineLady Tiger Abigail Chamberlain finishes second at the District 5 and 6 2A Championships in Yakima. The senior ran 18:34.9 and led the Ephrata team to second place and a state berth. Photo by Casey Devine
The Lady Tigers scored 40 points to league champion Ellensburg's 34, the same six-point margin that separated the two teams at Lakeview on Oct. 8. Selah was third with 99 and Deer Park fourth with 113.
Ellensburg’s Grace Beachy took the race in 18:04.6, with Ephrata senior Abigail Chamberlain claiming second place at 18:34.9.
Chamberlain was followed by junior teammate Savannah Harper, fifth in a season-best 19:26.1. Harper was just a few steps ahead of freshman Zoie Grubb, seventh in a personal-best 19:28.6. Junior Rebecca Wiser finished 12th in 19:52.3 and senior Hannah Malone 14th in a season-best 19:59.4. It was a solid team effort for Ephrata's five scoring runners, all among the top 15 individual placers.
Before the meet, head coach Lyndsy Roberts said their collective success hinged on how close the top five could stay together. They finished within 1:24.5 of one another, tighter than Ellensburg's 2:03.0 grouping.
Rounding out the Tiger team, freshman Gracee Neff ran a personal-best 21:25.9 for 45th and sophomore Annabelle Adams a season-best 22:16.0 for 53rd overall.
Also for Ephrata, Sunnie Neff placed second in the Unified 5,000 meters in a personal-best 21:28.0.
Ephrata's Sunnie Neff and her Unified running partner, Zane Sieg, stand on the second- and fourth-place steps after the Unified race at the District 5 and 6 2A Championships on Oct. 31 at Apple Ridge in Yakima. Neff placed second in 21:28.0, a personal best. Photo by Sally Kaatz
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Off and running! Ephrata sends both cross country teams to state
Both Tiger teams punched their tickets to state with the girls second and the boys holding off Selah by four points for third.
YAKIMA — They're off and running: two Tiger teams are headed to state!
The Lady Tigers placed second and the boys third Saturday at the District 5 and 6 2A Championships at Apple Ridge, where Central Washington Athletic Conference and Greater Spokane League teams race together. The top four squads in each division advance, and CWAC schools showed their strength by earning six of the eight state berths.
In the girls division, Ellensburg, Ephrata and Selah finished one-two-three; in the boys race, the same schools were second, third and fourth. Only two GSL teams broke through — North Central High School won the boys race and Deer Park finished fourth in the girls event.
Ephrata and the others will compete in the WIAA state championships this Saturday, Nov. 7 at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.
At the district meet, the North Central boys posted an impressive team win with 33 points, Ellensburg was second with 82, and the Tigers claimed the third state slot with 105 points, four ahead of Selah with 109.
Elliot Yegge of North Central won the boys race in 14:57.9, the only runner under 15 minutes. He finished 10 seconds ahead of teammate Miles Watson in second place.
Ephrata's five scorers tightened their pack, finishing within 1 minute, 6.1 seconds of one another, nearly 30 seconds tighter than they ran at Lakeview nine days earlier.
Junior Niko Diaz led the Tigers in 11th place in 15:41.7, one second ahead of classmate Caleb Fitts, 12th in 15:42.7. No 2A runner had finished ahead of Fitts all season.
Freshman Seve Molitor took 22nd in 16:06.2 and sophomore Caleb Schooler was just a step behind for 24th in 16:07.0. Another sophomore, Louden Leenhouts, completed the scoring in 36th in 16:47.8. Junior Mitchell Johnson was 43rd in 17:08.4 and freshman Mike Jimenez 51st in 17:22.9.
Diaz, Molitor, Schooler, Leenhouts and Johnson all set personal best times.
The Lady Tigers scored 40 points to league champion Ellensburg's 34, the same six-point margin that separated the two teams at Lakeview on Oct. 8. Selah was third with 99 and Deer Park fourth with 113.
Ellensburg’s Grace Beachy took the race in 18:04.6, with Ephrata senior Abigail Chamberlain claiming second place at 18:34.9.
Chamberlain was followed by junior teammate Savannah Harper, fifth in a season-best 19:26.1. Harper was just a few steps ahead of freshman Zoie Grubb, seventh in a personal-best 19:28.6. Junior Rebecca Wiser finished 12th in 19:52.3 and senior Hannah Malone 14th in a season-best 19:59.4. It was a solid team effort for Ephrata's five scoring runners, all among the top 15 individual placers.
Before the meet, head coach Lyndsy Roberts said their collective success hinged on how close the top five could stay together. They finished within 1:24.5 of one another, tighter than Ellensburg's 2:03.0 grouping.
Rounding out the Tiger team, freshman Gracee Neff ran a personal-best 21:25.9 for 45th and sophomore Annabelle Adams a season-best 22:16.0 for 53rd overall.
Also for Ephrata, Sunnie Neff placed second in the Unified 5,000 meters in a personal-best 21:28.0.
Results:
Girls, 3 miles (second, 40 points; Ellensburg 34, Selah 99, Deer Park 113): 2. Abigail Chamberlain 18:34.9; 5. Savannah Harper 19:26.1; 7. Zoie Grubb 19:28.6; 12. Rebecca Wiser 19:52.3; 14. Hannah Malone 19:59.4; 45. Gracee Neff 21:25.9; 53. Annabelle Adams 22:16.0.
Boys, 3 miles (third, 105 points; North Central 33, Ellensburg 82, Selah 109): 11. Niko Diaz 15:41.7; 12. Caleb Fitts 15:42.7; 22. Seve Molitor 16:06.2; 24. Caleb Schooler 16:07.0; 36. Louden Leenhouts 16:47.8; 43. Mitchell Johnson 17:08.4; 51. Mike Jimenez 17:22.9.
Unified, 5,000 meters: 2. Sunnie Neff 21:28.0.