Highlights from Gear Up Northwest XC Preview, Olympia Invite, and Bellarmine Invite
High school cross country made its season debut this past weekend in Washington with numerous invites going down across the state.
Here's a look back at some of the top performances to kick off the 2022 campaign.
Gear Up Northwest XC Preview
Anacortes' Jessica Frydenlund began her senior season picking up a win in the senior girls race at the Gear Up Northwest XC Preview hosted by Sehome at Civic Stadium in Bellingham.
The reigning 2A state champion clocked a two-mile time of 11:37.58 to win her second straight Gear Up title beating out Bothell's Ainsley Herron (11:45.64). Frydenlund won last year's junior race in 11:37.1.
Oak Harbor's Adrienne Root took third overall in a personal best effort of 12:09.99.
Lynden Christian's Andrew Luce held off Kamiak's Jaedyn Chase to win the senior boys race in a personal best time of 10:04.4. Chase clocked a personal best time himself at 10:10.42. Arlington's Kellen Langford was third in a personal best time of 10:24.6.
Anacortes picked up another win in the junior boys race from Parker Mong as he went onto run the fastest time of the day in a personal best effort of 10:00.57. Seattle Prep's Jack Henzke and Liam Riley finished second and third respectfully in personal best efforts of 10:10.31 and 10:12.47.
Bothell's Lauren Hoyt won the junior girls race convincingly in a personal best effort of 11:59.18, defeating Anacortes' Carolyn Chambers (12:28.87) by almost 30 seconds. Meadowdale's Payton Conover rounds out the top-three in a personal best time of 12:39.6.
Liberty Bell's Dexter Delaney made his return to the cross country scene for the first time since racing at the Okanogan Invite last September as he went on to win his second consecutive Gear Up title in a personal best effort of 10:26.2 in the sophomore boys race.
Sehome's Skyler Gilham had a 40 second improvement from last year's race, running 10:31.2 to place second. Seattle Prep's Shane Effgen was third in a personal best 10:35.76.
Sehome's Morgan Parnow outkicked Bellingham's Zaya Smith for the sophomore girls title, running a personal best time of 12:32.88 to 12:37.79. Arlington's Brooke Henkin followed in third in a personal best 12:48.35.
Sehome's Tanner Cameron made his high school debut with a win in the freshman boys race, running a first-place time of 10:39.14 to beat Shorewood's Max Billett (10:55.69). Bothell's Quinten finished in third in 11:07.28.
Meridian's Logan Ignacio won the freshman girls race in dominating fashion, taking home the title by 54 seconds in 12:26.24. Ingraham's Sophia Frahm was second in 13:20.77. Anacortes' Lecy Lemrick took third in 13:28.96.
Olympia Invite
Lakes' top duo of Cruize Corvin and Zander Trevino went first and third in their season debuts in the senior boy race at the Olympia Invite held at LBA Park in Olympia.
Corvin, seventh at 3A state last fall, took home the senior boys title in a two-mile personal best effort of 9:46.1, while Trevino, ninth at 3A state, ran a personal best 10:17.8.
Gig Harbor's Micah Galeana picked up a fourth-place finish in a time of 10:20.4. Central Catholic's (OR) Charlie Black finished second in a personal best 10:08.68.
Emerald Ridge's Emme Bates won her first-ever high school cross country race as she won the senior girls race in a personal best effort of 12:44.8. Gig Harbor's Reese Morkert was a close second to Bates, running a personal best time of 12:45.42. Rogers' (Puyallup) Eleanor Jepsen took third in 12:50.81.
Gig Harbor's Jonathan Miles and Preston Fradet finished first and second in the junior boys race, running in times of 10:34.07 and 10:37.81. Lakes' Caleb Griffin took third in first-ever cross country race, running 11:08.8.
Gig Harbor's Alex Ferrier was the top finisher from Washington in the junior girls race, placing third overall in 12:55.85. Central Catholic's Ella McGillis was first in 12:25.16, while teammate Zoe Rector finished in second in 12:34.67.
South Kitsap came away with wins in the freshman and sophomore boys race. Jefferson Smith beat Central Catholic's Finn Briscoe (10:55.33) by two seconds to win the sophomore race in 10:53.15. Isaac Benjamin also won by two seconds in 11:15.98 over Central Catholic's Landon Ernst (11:17.54).
Gig Harbor's Taylor Sletner and South Kitsap's Lauren Laws were the top performers in sophomore girls race, placing second and third overall in times of 12:31.43 and 12:33.45. Central Catholic's Mira Danish won in 12:30.03.
Bonney Lake's Lathan West won the freshman girls race in dominating fashion, running a time of 12:24.76. Gig Harbor's Lejla Carlsson took second in 13:08.85. Rogers' (Puyallup) Erika Johnson placed third in 13:17.
Bellarmine Invite
4A runner-up Anna Callahan took home the varsity girls title at the Bellarmine Invite on the campus of Bellarmine. The junior ran a time of 11:24.2 to win her second race of the year and third in the last four cross country races.
Following Callahan was teammate Rebecca O'Keefe in second place in a time of 11:40.4. Bellarmine's Alison Whalen was third in 11:45.7.
Stadium placed three girls in the top-10 led by Katelyn Galloway finishing fourth overall in a personal best time of 11:50.3. Natalie Blake and Madeline McKenna were sixth and eighth in 11:52.3 and 12:00.8.
Auburn Riverside's Julia Couch, 3A state champion in the 800, finished in fifth in a personal best effort of 11:51.7. Bishop Blanchet's Zoe Louis was seventh, running a personal best 11:53.5 and Peninsula's Hannah Lee rounded the top-10, running 12:12.7.
Mercer Island's Owen Powell won the varsity boys race in a time of 10:21.4, edging out Gonzaga Prep's Graham Cleveland (10:22.8) by a second. Powell's teammate cracked Matthew Lawrence the top five with a run of 10:29.2.
Both Curtis and Bishop Blanchet also had two runners finish in the top-10. The Vikings saw William Lanser place fourth overall in a personal best time of 10:26.9, then Kyle Watamura in seventh, running a personal best effort of 10:32.8. Will Sandes and Ryker Demick finished sixth and ninth for the Bears in times of 10:31.8 and 10:34.
Ballard's Jack Rousseau earned an eighth-place finish in a personal best time of 10:33.6.
In the frosh races, Mercer Island's Silas Rennie won the boys race in 11:10.7 and Ballard's Cassidy Armstrong won the girls race in 12:32.6.