Tiger runners win five of six races in one-week stretch
Ephrata’s girls came within six points of No. 3 Ellensburg at home, and the Tigers swept both titles at Franklin Park, where the girls took the first four places and the boys seven of the top eight.
Updated
Ephrata’s boys jump out at the start at Lakeview Golf and Country Club on Oct. 8, the Tigers’ first of two home meets this season. The Tigers entered 38 boys in a race with a field of 119 runners from three Central Washington Athletic Conference schools. Photos by Casey Devine
Ephrata’s cross country teams ran three meets in seven days in the lead-up to the postseason, and Caleb Fitts, Abigail Chamberlain and Savannah Harper won five of the six individual titles.
The Tiger boys broke into the Class 2A top 10 at No. 10 in the Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association poll released Oct. 13. The girls slipped a spot to No. 5 despite winning at Selah, after a close loss to Ellensburg at home on Oct. 8. Both Ellensburg squads moved up to No. 2.
Oct. 8 vs. Ellensburg and Quincy at Lakeview Golf and Country Club 5K CWAC race
Ellensburg boys and girls squads won both races in the Tigers' first Central Washington Athletic Conference home meet of the season, but the Lady Tigers kept it close.
Ellensburg scored 25 to Ephrata's 31, a six-point margin against the CWAC-leading Lady Bulldogs. Quincy was third with 85. Ellensburg junior Grace Beachy won the race in 18:51.1.
Four Lady Tiger runners finished in the top seven: senior Abigail Chamberlain second in 19:39.4, junior Savannah Harper fifth in 20:46.8, freshman Zoie Grubb sixth in 20:50.0 and junior Rebecca Wiser seventh in 21:01.4.
Ephrata’s Annabelle Adams, left, and Gracee Neff run at Lakeview Golf and Country Club. Neff was 14th and Adams 17th, rounding out the Tigers’ top seven.
Senior Hannah Malone completed the scoring in 11th in 21:56.7. Freshman Gracee Neff was 14th in 23:53.3 and sophomore Annabelle Adams 17th in 24:24.0.
In the boys race, Tiger junior Caleb Fitts won in 16:10.7, but Ellensburg took the next three places on its way to 24 team points. Runner-up Ephrata scored 40, Quincy 75.
Along with Fitts, Ephrata's five scoring runners included junior Niko Diaz, sixth in 17:09.5, freshman Seve Molitor ninth in 17:33.6, sophomore Caleb Schooler 11th in 17:38.7 and sophomore Louden Leenhouts 14th in 18:10.4. Freshman Sam Goldy was 15th in 18:15.0 and freshman Mike Jimenez 18th in 18:19.9.
Ephrata freshman Sam Goldy (right) edges Ellensburg junior Beckett Durham at the line at the Lakeview course. Goldy was 15th in 18:15.0, three-tenths of a second ahead of Durham.
Oct. 10 at Selah's Neon Nights Under the Lights 5K race
The Lady Tigers won the night race at Selah with 25 points to the host Vikings' 44, and six of their seven runners finished with a season best or better. Naches Valley was third with 57.
Chamberlain paced the Ephrata squad with a winning time 19:19.0. Harper ran a personal best of 19:56.0 for third, Wiser a season best 20:28.0 for fifth and Grubb a personal best in the same time for sixth. Malone was 10th in a season-best 21:14.0, and freshmen Gracee Neff and Eden Morris both set personal bests, 22:43.0 and 22:51.0.
Ephrata boys finished second in a seven-team field. Selah won with 33 points to the Tigers' 40.
Fitts was the individual winner in 16:29.0. Diaz was fourth in 17:11.0, Molitor sixth in 17:25.0, Schooler 13th in 17:49.0 and Leenhouts 17th in a season-best 18:03.0. Jimenez was 22nd in 18:15.0 and Goldy 27th in 18:33.0.
Oct. 14 vs. Prosser, East Valley (Yakima) at Franklin Park's 3-mile CWAC race
Harper won the girls 3-mile race in 20:20.0 and Ephrata took the top four places — Grubb was second in 20:29.0, Wiser third in 20:58.0 and Malone fourth in 21:25.5. Neff finished the scoring in eighth in 23:06.3. Adams was ninth in 23:12.3 and freshman Paisley Graaff 11th in 24:20.7.
Follow the leader: Ephrata’s Savannah Harper (left) was closely followed by teammates Rebecca Wiser, Zoie Grubb and Hannah Malone while rounding a corner at Franklin Park in Yakima. They took the first four places, as the Lady Tigers won the girls race with 18 points.
The Lady Tigers scored 18, three points off a perfect score. Prosser was second with 46 and East Valley (Yakima) third with 75.
In a Tiger-dominated boys race, Fitts won with a 16:11.3 clocking, followed by Diaz in third at 17:10.9, Molitor fourth in 17:20.1, Schooler fifth in 17:23.1 and Leenhouts sixth in 17:33.1. Goldy was seventh in 18:00.4 and junior Ryan Delgado eighth in 18:00.6, giving Ephrata seven of the top eight finishers and the team title with 19 points. East Valley was second with 60, Prosser third with 75 and Yakama Nation Tribal School fourth with 84.
Niko Diaz leads Caleb Schooler, Louden Leenhouts, Grant Adams, Seve Molitor, Mike Jimenez and Mitchell Johnson through the leaf-covered Franklin Park course. The Tigers won the race with 19 points.
Up next —
Ephrata closes the regular season on Oct. 22 with a 4 p.m. meet at Lakeview Golf and Country Club, hosting Grandview and Toppenish in its final CWAC meet.
The District 5 and 6 2A Championships follow Oct. 31 at Apple Ridge in Yakima — the site of the Apple Ridge Run Invitational where the Lady Tigers won the team title in September.
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Tiger runners win five of six races in one-week stretch
Ephrata’s girls came within six points of No. 3 Ellensburg at home, and the Tigers swept both titles at Franklin Park, where the girls took the first four places and the boys seven of the top eight.
Ephrata’s cross country teams ran three meets in seven days in the lead-up to the postseason, and Caleb Fitts, Abigail Chamberlain and Savannah Harper won five of the six individual titles.
The Tiger boys broke into the Class 2A top 10 at No. 10 in the Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association poll released Oct. 13. The girls slipped a spot to No. 5 despite winning at Selah, after a close loss to Ellensburg at home on Oct. 8. Both Ellensburg squads moved up to No. 2.
Oct. 8 vs. Ellensburg and Quincy at Lakeview Golf and Country Club 5K CWAC race
Ellensburg boys and girls squads won both races in the Tigers' first Central Washington Athletic Conference home meet of the season, but the Lady Tigers kept it close.
Ellensburg scored 25 to Ephrata's 31, a six-point margin against the CWAC-leading Lady Bulldogs. Quincy was third with 85. Ellensburg junior Grace Beachy won the race in 18:51.1.
Four Lady Tiger runners finished in the top seven: senior Abigail Chamberlain second in 19:39.4, junior Savannah Harper fifth in 20:46.8, freshman Zoie Grubb sixth in 20:50.0 and junior Rebecca Wiser seventh in 21:01.4.
Senior Hannah Malone completed the scoring in 11th in 21:56.7. Freshman Gracee Neff was 14th in 23:53.3 and sophomore Annabelle Adams 17th in 24:24.0.
In the boys race, Tiger junior Caleb Fitts won in 16:10.7, but Ellensburg took the next three places on its way to 24 team points. Runner-up Ephrata scored 40, Quincy 75.
Along with Fitts, Ephrata's five scoring runners included junior Niko Diaz, sixth in 17:09.5, freshman Seve Molitor ninth in 17:33.6, sophomore Caleb Schooler 11th in 17:38.7 and sophomore Louden Leenhouts 14th in 18:10.4. Freshman Sam Goldy was 15th in 18:15.0 and freshman Mike Jimenez 18th in 18:19.9.
Oct. 10 at Selah's Neon Nights Under the Lights 5K race
The Lady Tigers won the night race at Selah with 25 points to the host Vikings' 44, and six of their seven runners finished with a season best or better. Naches Valley was third with 57.
Chamberlain paced the Ephrata squad with a winning time 19:19.0. Harper ran a personal best of 19:56.0 for third, Wiser a season best 20:28.0 for fifth and Grubb a personal best in the same time for sixth. Malone was 10th in a season-best 21:14.0, and freshmen Gracee Neff and Eden Morris both set personal bests, 22:43.0 and 22:51.0.
Ephrata boys finished second in a seven-team field. Selah won with 33 points to the Tigers' 40.
Fitts was the individual winner in 16:29.0. Diaz was fourth in 17:11.0, Molitor sixth in 17:25.0, Schooler 13th in 17:49.0 and Leenhouts 17th in a season-best 18:03.0. Jimenez was 22nd in 18:15.0 and Goldy 27th in 18:33.0.
Oct. 14 vs. Prosser, East Valley (Yakima) at Franklin Park's 3-mile CWAC race
Harper won the girls 3-mile race in 20:20.0 and Ephrata took the top four places — Grubb was second in 20:29.0, Wiser third in 20:58.0 and Malone fourth in 21:25.5. Neff finished the scoring in eighth in 23:06.3. Adams was ninth in 23:12.3 and freshman Paisley Graaff 11th in 24:20.7.
The Lady Tigers scored 18, three points off a perfect score. Prosser was second with 46 and East Valley (Yakima) third with 75.
In a Tiger-dominated boys race, Fitts won with a 16:11.3 clocking, followed by Diaz in third at 17:10.9, Molitor fourth in 17:20.1, Schooler fifth in 17:23.1 and Leenhouts sixth in 17:33.1. Goldy was seventh in 18:00.4 and junior Ryan Delgado eighth in 18:00.6, giving Ephrata seven of the top eight finishers and the team title with 19 points. East Valley was second with 60, Prosser third with 75 and Yakama Nation Tribal School fourth with 84.
Up next —
Ephrata closes the regular season on Oct. 22 with a 4 p.m. meet at Lakeview Golf and Country Club, hosting Grandview and Toppenish in its final CWAC meet.
The District 5 and 6 2A Championships follow Oct. 31 at Apple Ridge in Yakima — the site of the Apple Ridge Run Invitational where the Lady Tigers won the team title in September.
Results:
Oct. 8, Lakeview Golf and Country Club, 5K
Girls (second, 31 points; Ellensburg 25, Quincy 85): 2. Abigail Chamberlain 19:39.4; 5. Savannah Harper 20:46.8; 6. Zoie Grubb 20:50.0; 7. Rebecca Wiser 21:01.4; 11. Hannah Malone 21:56.7; 14. Gracee Neff 23:53.3; 17. Annabelle Adams 24:24.0.
Boys (second, 40 points; Ellensburg 24, Quincy 75): 1. Caleb Fitts 16:10.7; 6. Niko Diaz 17:09.5; 9. Seve Molitor 17:33.6; 11. Caleb Schooler 17:38.7; 14. Louden Leenhouts 18:10.4; 15. Samuel Goldy 18:15.0; 18. Mike Jimenez 18:19.9.
Oct. 10 at Selah, 5K
Girls (first, 25 points; Selah 44, Naches Valley 57): 1. Abigail Chamberlain 19:19.0; 3. Savannah Harper 19:56.0; 5. Rebecca Wiser 20:28.0; 6. Zoie Grubb 20:28.0; 10. Hannah Malone 21:14.0; 25. Gracee Neff 22:43.0; 26. Eden Morris 22:51.0.
Boys (second, 40 points; Selah 33, Othello 93, Naches Valley 107, Stanfield 134, East Valley 141, Royal 171): 1. Caleb Fitts 16:29.0; 4. Niko Diaz 17:11.0; 6. Seve Molitor 17:25.0; 13. Caleb Schooler 17:49.0; 17. Louden Leenhouts 18:03.0; 22. Mike Jimenez 18:15.0; 27. Samuel Goldy 18:33.0.
Oct. 14, Franklin Park, Yakima, 3 miles
Girls (first, 18 points; Prosser 46, East Valley 75): 1. Savannah Harper 20:20.0; 2. Zoie Grubb 20:29.0; 3. Rebecca Wiser 20:58.0; 4. Hannah Malone 21:25.5; 8. Gracee Neff 23:06.3; 9. Annabelle Adams 23:12.3; 11. Paisley Graaff 24:20.7.
Boys (first, 19 points; East Valley 60, Prosser 75, Yakama Nation 84): 1. Caleb Fitts 16:11.3; 3. Niko Diaz 17:10.9; 4. Seve Molitor 17:20.1; 5. Caleb Schooler 17:23.1; 6. Louden Leenhouts 17:33.1; 7. Samuel Goldy 18:00.4; 8. Ryan Delgado 18:00.6.