One of the greatest running seasons in Washington high school history has come and gone. The 2022 season showed us all the hard work and dedication each athlete had put in during the COVID era and the results were nothing but great when it came to competing on the biggest of stages.
Alas, a new era of running begins this fall with another talented group of individuals returning and looking to make more history in hopes of rewriting the record books as they continue Washington's rise to nationwide dominance.
The 2022 cross country season is upon us, so let's run it back again.
Here is your first look at the top 2A runners and teams to watch for on the boy's side.
Will Giesen, Bellingham
There's plenty to be excited for if you're Will Giesen heading into the fall after a terrific spring of racing. The Bellingham star set two new school records this last season on the track in the 800 and 1,600 races, clocking personal best times of 1:54.11 and 4:16.33. At the 2A state meet, Giesen's 1:54.11 helped him capture the 800 title over Selah's Cooper Quigley in a dramatic diving finish. He also placed sixth in the 1,600. In the fall, Giesen ran a 5k personal best effort of 15:54 and went onto place fifth at the state meet, leading the Bayhawks to a fourth-place team trophy. Giesen was a runner full of surprises last year, and if the track season was any indication of what's to come this fall, it'll be to expect the unexpected.
Jack Gladfelter, Port Angeles
Another runner on the upward trajectory after the spring is Jack Gladfelter. The senior had a big end of the year in track, coming away with two personal best efforts and two podium finishes at the 2A state meet. Gladfelter took fifth overall in the 1,600 in a time of 4:17.98, then concluded the meet with another fifth-place effort in the 3,200, running 9:20.46. A couple of weeks later, Gladfelter traveled down to Hayward Field to run at Nike Outdoor Nationals to run a big personal best time of 9:14.54 in the two-mile to finish third in the emerging elite field. During the fall, Gladfelter earned his first podium finish at the state meet finishing 10th overall and led the Roughriders to a fifth-place team finish. He would go onto knock his 5k time down by 45 seconds from his sophomore season, running 15:58.5 as a junior. When the stage has been set at the end of the year, Gladfelter has proven to be in peak shape, and it'll certainly benefit him among this group come the state meet.
Samuel Grice, Washougal
It was a busy year for Samuel Grice as a freshman and sophomore. Busier than any other year for someone entering their first two seasons of high school running. Between the spring cross country seasons in 2021 to the track season in 2022, the Panthers' top runner ran a total of 38 races in that time frame, showing positive results in both sports, and at moments some fatigue. In the fall, Grice started off slow but showed more consistency at the end of the season as he ran a 5k personal best effort of 15:47.1 and then earned an 11th place finish at the 2A state meet. During the spring, Grice didn't race as much as the rest of the state, but two races at the end of his season stood out as personal best performance as he managed to run respectables efforts of 4:31.69 and 9:46.80 in the 1,600 and 3,200 district races. He did not qualify for the state meet. Hopefully some downtime and a summer of just base training will have Grice ready to rock and roll in his junior season.
John Hoffer, Tumwater
It's taken a few seasons, but John Hoffer took a turn in the right direction his junior year and has begun to solidify himself as one of the top runners in 2A. The Tumwater standout had a solid cross country campaign that was carried by consistent racing in the final month of the season. With five races under 16:20, Hoffer ran a season best 5k time of 16:07.1 - 13 seconds off his personal best - and took seventh overall at the 2A state meet. The consistency continued on in the spring and Hoffer looked even better on the track, running personal best time of 4:20.21 in the 1,600 and 9:24.37 in the 3,200. Both of those races were run at the state meet where he finished sixth in the 3,200 and seventh in the 1,600. Perhaps it's the mullet, but whatever Hoffer is doing for his race strategies is working in his favor.
Zack Munson, Sehome
After making his return to the high school running scene this past spring, Zack Munson is set to run it back this fall with Sehome after taking a year off to run as an unattached athlete. As a junior, Munson had a career year on the track as he ran personal best times of 1:59.71 in the 800, 4:11.88 in the 1,600, 8:53.12 in the 3,200. At the 2A state meet, he went onto win his first state championship taking home the 3,200 title and finished second in the 1,600 and helped the Mariners finish second in the 4x400 relay. Munson was also invited to compete at the Brooks PR Invite as he finished fifth overall in the two-mile in a personal best effort of 8:54.93. During the cross country season, Munson had limiting racing under his belt competing in only three meets but managed to put together a 5k personal best effort of 14:39.1 to place 27th at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships in Huntsville, Alabama. The state's top runner looks to begin his much-anticipated senior season on the right foot in hopes of capturing his first cross country state title.
Eric Swedin, Selah
Cooper Quigley may have been in the limelight the past few years for Selah, but now it's Eric Swedin's turn to make a name for himself as the Vikings' top runner. From his sophomore season to his junior season, Swedin progressed quickly. Starting in cross country, he knocked down his 5k time from 17:29.1 to 16:02.9, all leading up to an eventual eighth place finish at the 2A state meet, which was 130 places higher than his freshman finish. Then in track, we saw another step-up from Swedin in the 1,600 and 3,200 races as he went from running 4:35 to 4:21.87 and 10:31.16 to 9:25.74. Both personal best performances came at the state meet where he finished seventh in the 3,200 and ninth in the 1,600. Another highlight worth mentioning about Swedin was he was also a part of Selah's school record DMR team at the Shoreline Invite. Whether it's from an individual or team standpoint, Swedin is always making an impact on the program, and more of that will be expected in his senior season.
Caleb Wilcox, Steilacoom
Similar to Washougal's Grice, there was no rest for Caleb Wilcox in his first two seasons with Steilacoom. With the guidance from senior and now graduate Cody Goth, Wilcox was able to put together a sophomore season that resulted in a few personal best efforts and a couple of state podium finishes. In cross country, Wilcox took his 5k time down by 47 seconds to run 16:15.8 and finished off the season placing 15th at the 2A state meet. In track, he ran two more personal best efforts including a 9:26.13 in the 3,200 at the state meet resulting in an eighth-place finish, and a 4:25.95 in the 1,600 earlier a week before state. He finished 15th in the 1,600 at state. The ball is in Wilcox's court now as the Sentinels top runner and should be for the next two years to come.
Teams to watch for:
Squalicum
- No podium finishers? No problem. The Storm used pack running to its full advantage last season and it led them to bringing home the first-ever state championship in the program's history. As two seniors depart, five runners return from the state squad including juniors Tyler Neilsen, Chase Bartlett, Evan Rush, and Owen Voigt. Those four were productive throughout the fall season, but really stood out in their own ways during track, especially Bartlett, who finished third at state in the 800, and Neilsen, who finished ninth at state in the 3,200.
Bellingham
- Bellingham remained one of the top teams in 2A once again last fall and will be in the same position this coming season. This will one of the oldest teams in the entire state as the Bayhawks return all seven of its state runners that include four seniors and three juniors. While Giesen is the main highlight of the team, it'll be athletes like Quinn Hartsoch and Paden Loveland who will need to have big seasons if Bellingham wants to compete with its cross-town rival for a state title.
Sehome
- The state championship streak may be broken, but perhaps this is the beginning of a new one for the Mariners. With Munson back on the team this fall, Sehome does become a title contender again despite losing four seniors from its third-place team last fall. But one person won't make the difference. There is also the addition of freshman Tanner Cameron, who ran 4:40.19 in the 1,600 as an eighth grader for Fairhaven Middle School. He should be in the top-three mix alongside Munson for what could be a solid Mariners team.
Lynden
- It's a Northwest Conference team sweep when you add the Lions of Lynden into this mix. The returning state participant trio of Kai Wolfisberg, Caleb Schouten, and Gage Ellie make up the core for a Lynden squad that'll have high aspirations this coming season in hopes of bringing home its first-ever state trophy in cross country. Along with those three, the Lions also return one of the best athletes in the state in Porter Wilhite - an all-American decathlete who took fifth at the USATF National Junior Olympics this summer.