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Gig Harbor Coach Patty Ley came close to winning both the girls and boys state titles in 4A competition at the Washington State Cross-Country Meet Saturday (11-3-07) at Sun Willows golf Course in Paso (WA).
Ley's girls team ran away from Eastlake to capture its 3rd consecutive state championship with 97 points, finishing 5-14-16-25-37. The Gig Harbor boys fell 4 points short of the title, won by Mead 108-112. The Tides finished 1-12-16-31-52.
Gig Harbor Senior Miles Unterreiner ran 15:39 over the 5K course to win the state individual championship and lead the Tides to their runner-up finish.
The Tides were led by Junior Alyssa Andrews' 5th place finish in 19:02 followed by Senior Kate Stuart (14th in 19:25), Senior Anna Kalbrener (16th in 19:36), Senior Hannah Dewalt (25th in 20:08), Senior Rachel Greco (37th in 20:30), Junior Rachel Seibert (48th in 20:43) and Senior Amber Williams (53rd in 20:47).
Ley loses 5 seniors following this year's 3rd straight girls state title but Juniors Alyssa Andrews and Rachel Seibert should return for their final season.
The Gig Harbor Tides are the first big-school team to win 3 titles in a row since Issaquah won every 3A title from 1985 to 1987. Gig Harbor is a Western Washington school.
Gig Harbor's boys came close to winning as Miles Unterreiner became the first individual state winner for the Tides since Geoff Perry won the 2A title in 1995.
Had the Gig Harbor boys won, it would have been the first time in 20 years a Western Washington team won the 4A title-and the first time since Ferris in 1980-that a school swept both big-school titles.
Patty Ley, who coaches both the girls and boys at Gig Harbor, has built the Tide program into a state powerhouse.
Among the boys teams, Mead has been a powerhouse from Eastern Washington for years, building a national reputation in prep distance running. When Pat Tyson came on board as Mead's distance coach, Mead won 9 consecutive state titles (1988 through 1996) and 12 titles in 15 years (winning in 2000 through 2002).
When Mead was not winning, Ferris-from Eastern Washington and the same Greater Spokane League as Mead-was winning, capturing 4 straight titles from 2003 to 2006. Talk about dominance.
Two of Mead's greatest teams were in 1992 and 1993. In 1992 Mead won the state title with 20 points, finishing 1-2-3-5-9, with Matt Davis winning his 2nd consecutive individual state title in 14:39.5 and Mead's 5th and final scoring runner clocking in at 15:34.
In 1993, Mead won the state title with 31 points, finishing 1-2-3-6-19, with Matt Davis winning his 3rd consecutive individual state title in a course record 14:09.3 and Mead's 5th and final scoring runner clocking in at 15:43.
Standing near the finish line in 1993 I saw the Mead Panthers with their blue and gold jerseys make a statement like nothing I had ever seen in state competition.
Northwest Christian of Lacey became the second Western Washington girls team to repeat as champions, winning its 2nd consecutive B title in the closest girls team race of the day, beating Saint George's 34 to 37.
Senior Joscelyn Minton of Northwest Christian ran 19:14 to win the state individual championship and lead her Navigator teammates to the team title. Minton was followed by Senior Lindsey Wagner (4th in 20:34), Sophomore Ashlee Giesman (8th in 22:07), Freshman Joanna Sowers (10th in 22:13), Junior Jessica Zimmerman (11th in 22:14), Sophomore Britny Biles (15th in 22:39) and Senior Jessica Flores (22nd in 23:17).
The Navigators 1-4-8-10-11 finish was a great example of team running that nosed out Saint George's 3-5-7-9-13 finish.
Minton's victory was huge as she bested Lisa Vandenberg of Northwest Christian of Colbert, not to be confused with Northwest Christian of Lacey. Last year Lisa Vandenberg won the 2006 B individual state title in 19:20 as Joscelyn Minton was the individual state runner-up in 19:45. Vandenberg's team did not qualify for the team competition either year, she ran as an individual.
Minton's victory was double sweet because of Northwest Christian's second straight team title. Since Minton's winning time was the 14th best among all girls in all classifications, she earned All-State recognition.
Senior Lindsey Wagner set a personal best with her 4th place team competition finish in 20:34, and Freshman Joanna Sowers set a new freshman record with her 22:13 time and 10th place team competition finish. Even more important, Wager's 4th place finish split up Saint George's top two runners.
Lost in the shuffle was Jessica Zimmerman's 11th place team competition finish. Had Zimmerman finished 15th rather than 11th, Saint George's would have won the team title, emphasizing the importance of the Navigator's 5th and final scoring runner.
Navigator Coach Bill Kehoe is really making it happen for Northwest Christian of Lacey. In addition to the girls 2 consecutive state team titles, and Minton's individual championship, his boys have now moved up from a 3rd place team finish last year to the runner-up spot this year.
The Navigator's boys team runner-up finish was led by Junior Micah Cushman's 3rd place finish in 17:45 followed by Freshman Justin Holden (10th in 18:13), Senior Clinton Barr (17th in 18:45), Junior Alex Feero (18th in 18:49), Junior Nathan Bohlig (25th in 19:13), Freshman Tyson Heo (45th in 21:13) and Freshman Steven Goff (50th in 21:36).
All could return next year except Senior Clinton Barr. Of particular note are the 3 returning freshmen-Holden, Heo and Goff. To be a money runner in a big meet, you need experience and that is one thing the Navigators are getting big time.
Kehoe's 9-year program is beginning to generate champions and trophies faster than the school can build a bigger case for proper display. With no more room in the trophy case, trophies now line the hallway beneath the display case.
In 2006, Kehoe's girls were Pacific League Champions and District Champions as well as State Champions. Kehoe's boys were also 2006 League and District Champions and 3rd in the State Meet. In 2005, Kehoe's girls finished as Pacific League Champions, 2nd in the District and 5th in the State Meet. The boys finished as League Runner-ups, District Champions and 8th in the State Meet.
Coach Kehoe will lose Seniors Joscelyn Minton, Lindsey Wagner and Jessica Flores, but should be very competitive with the return of Junior Jessica Zimmerman, Sophomores Ashlee Giesman and Britny Biles and Freshman Joanna Sowers.
Northwest Christian of Lacey could be on its way to becoming an athletic as well as an academic powerhouse in the State of Washington. Even Principal Al Lynch gets into the act as the JV basketball coach for the Navigators. Practice time? Try 6 a.m. in the morning because of current space limitations.
Northwest Christian is building a solid, winning cross-country program with a very bright future.
Teams that qualify in the district run-offs for the state meet finals run together with individuals who qualify based on the fastest times at the district meets, but the individual finishers do not figure in the team scoring for the championship. It is possible for an individual from a non-qualifying team to win the race and not be listed in the team results.
In cross-country events, the team with the lowest combined score for its first 5 finishers wins. Seven runners from each team can figure in the scoring. A perfect score of 15 would result when a team's first 5 runners finish 1-2-3-4-5, which would be unheard of at the state meet level with 16 teams and 112 runners vying for the title.
2007 Washington State Cross-County Championships - 5K Distance (3.1 Miles)
Girls 4A - Gig Harbor won its 3rd straight team title with 97 points, finishing 5-14-16-25-37. Eastlake was 2nd with 117. Sophomore Andrea Nelson of Shadle Park ran 18:26 to win the state individual championship. Nelson ran as an individual as her team did not qualify.
Girls 3A - Newport of Bellevue won the team title with 66, finishing 3-10-14-18-21. Lakeside of Seattle was 2nd with 75. Senior Bronwyn Crossman of Squalicum ran 18:46 to win the state individual championship. Squalicum finished 3rd in the team competition.
Girls 2A - Sehome won the team title with 79, finishing 2-6-19-21-31. Bellingham was 2nd with 91. Sophomore Ruby Roberts of Kingston ran 18:39 to win the state individual championship. Kingston was 15th in the team competition.
Girls 1A - King's won the team title with 70, finishing 1-9-19-20-21. LaCenter was 2nd with 89. Junior Olivia Thomas of King's ran 19:16 to win the state individual championship and lead her team to the championship. The 19-20-21 finish of King's 3rd, 4th and 5th runners was a great example of team running. King's 6th and 7th runners finished 26 and 33, ahead of LaCenter's 5th place finisher at 35, allowing King's to literally run away from LaCenter in what should have been a closer finish.
Girls 1B/2B - Northwest Christian of Lacey won the team title with 34, finishing 1-4-8-10-11. Saint George's was 2nd with 37, finishing 3-5-7-9-13, and White Pass was a very distant 3rd with 93. Senior Joscelyn Minton of Northwest Christian ran 19:14 to win the state individual championship and lead her teammates to the team title. This was by far the closest girls team race of the day. Had Northwest Christian's 5th runner finished 15th rather than 11th, Saint George's would have won the team title, emphasizing the importance of a team's 5th scoring runner.
Boys 4A - Mead won the team title with 108, finishing 6-15-20-28-39. Gig Harbor was 2nd with 112, finishing 1-12-16-31-52. Senior Miles Unterreiner ran 15:39 to win the state individual championship and lead his team to a runner-up finish. This is another great example of the value of a team's 5th runner. Had Gig Harbor's 5th runner finished 47th rather than 52nd, Gig Harbor would have won the team championship. The difference in time between the 47th finisher and the 52nd finisher was exactly 3 seconds, 17:18 to 17:21.
Boys 3A - North Central won the team title with 36, finishing 1-5-6-8-16 to obliterate the 2nd place team-Seattle Prep with 110-and every other team in the competition. Senior Ryan Prentice of Mt. Rainier ran 16:01 to win the state individual championship. Prentice ran as an individual as his team did not qualify.
Boys 2A - Burlington-Edison and Sehome tied for the team finish with 63. Burlington-Edison's runners finished 5-11-12-14-21, and Sehome's runners finished 6-7-13-18-19. Both schools are great examples of team running. This race could not have been more exciting for the two teams, their coaches and supporters involved. Burlington-Edison was declared the champion because of the 6th-place tiebreaker. Burlington-Edison's 6th place finisher was 22nd and Sehome's 25th. Here is an excellent example of a team's 6th place finisher, who was not even involved in the team scoring, but won a state title for his teammates. A tip of the hat to Burlington-Edison's Conner Whan, a sophomore who got the job done by running 17:35. Sehome's 25th place finisher was 6 seconds behind. Senior Justin Rose of Colville ran 16:02 to win the state individual championship. Colville finished 3rd in the team competition.
Boys 1A - Royal won the team title with 70, finishing 1-2-9-28-30. Lakeside of Nine Mile was 2nd with 74, finishing 3-4-16-20-31. Senior Humberto Jimenez of Royal ran 16:18 to win the state individual championship. Senior Rigoberto Jimenez of Royal ran 16:18 also to finish as runner-up. Both Humberto and Rigoberto Jimenez might be twins or at least related. It would be fair to say that they both led their Royal teammates to the team title. Not to be outdone with a duel, Lakeside Senior Kyle Johnson ran 16:38 to finish 3rd and Lakeside Senior Tim Welch ran 16:56 to finish 4th.
Boys 1B/2B - Saint George's won the team title with 31, finishing 1-4-5-9-12, the lowest score of any team winner at the 2007 State Championship Meet. Northwest Christian of Lacey was 2nd with 73. Senior Matt Cronrath of Odessa ran 16:40 to win the state individual championship. Cronrath ran as an individual as his team did not qualify.
Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley Gig Harbor Coach Patty Ley came close to winning both the girls and boys state titles in 4A competition at the Washington State Cross-Country Meet Saturday (11-3-07) at Sun Willows golf Course in Paso (WA).
Ley's girls team ran away from Eastlake to capture its 3rd consecutive state championship with 97 points, finishing 5-14-16-25-37. The Gig Harbor boys fell 4 points short of the title, won by Mead 108-112. The Tides finished 1-12-16-31-52.
Gig Harbor Senior Miles Unterreiner ran 15:39 over the 5K course to win the state individual championship and lead the Tides to their runner-up finish.
The Tides were led by Junior Alyssa Andrews' 5th place finish in 19:02 followed by Senior Kate Stuart (14th in 19:25), Senior Anna Kalbrener (16th in 19:36), Senior Hannah Dewalt (25th in 20:08), Senior Rachel Greco (37th in 20:30), Junior Rachel Seibert (48th in 20:43) and Senior Amber Williams (53rd in 20:47).
Ley loses 5 seniors following this year's 3rd straight girls state title but Juniors Alyssa Andrews and Rachel Seibert should return for their final season.
The Gig Harbor Tides are the first big-school team to win 3 titles in a row since Issaquah won every 3A title from 1985 to 1987. Gig Harbor is a Western Washington school.
Gig Harbor's boys came close to winning as Miles Unterreiner became the first individual state winner for the Tides since Geoff Perry won the 2A title in 1995.
Had the Gig Harbor boys won, it would have been the first time in 20 years a Western Washington team won the 4A title-and the first time since Ferris in 1980-that a school swept both big-school titles.
Patty Ley, who coaches both the girls and boys at Gig Harbor, has built the Tide program into a state powerhouse.
Among the boys teams, Mead has been a powerhouse from Eastern Washington for years, building a national reputation in prep distance running. When Pat Tyson came on board as Mead's distance coach, Mead won 9 consecutive state titles (1988 through 1996) and 12 titles in 15 years (winning in 2000 through 2002).
When Mead was not winning, Ferris-from Eastern Washington and the same Greater Spokane League as Mead-was winning, capturing 4 straight titles from 2003 to 2006. Talk about dominance.
Two of Mead's greatest teams were in 1992 and 1993. In 1992 Mead won the state title with 20 points, finishing 1-2-3-5-9, with Matt Davis winning his 2nd consecutive individual state title in 14:39.5 and Mead's 5th and final scoring runner clocking in at 15:34.
In 1993, Mead won the state title with 31 points, finishing 1-2-3-6-19, with Matt Davis winning his 3rd consecutive individual state title in a course record 14:09.3 and Mead's 5th and final scoring runner clocking in at 15:43.
Standing near the finish line in 1993 I saw the Mead Panthers with their blue and gold jerseys make a statement like nothing I had ever seen in state competition.
Northwest Christian of Lacey became the second Western Washington girls team to repeat as champions, winning its 2nd consecutive B title in the closest girls team race of the day, beating Saint George's 34 to 37.
Senior Joscelyn Minton of Northwest Christian ran 19:14 to win the state individual championship and lead her Navigator teammates to the team title. Minton was followed Senior Lindsey Wagner (4th in 20:34), Sophomore Ashlee Giesman (8th in 22:07), Freshman Joanna Sowers (10th in 22:13), Junior Jessica Zimmerman (11th in 22:14), Sophomore Britny Biles (15th in 22:39) and Senior Jessica Flores (22nd in 23:17).
The Navigators 1-4-8-10-11 finish was a great example of team running that nosed out Saint George's 3-5-7-9-13 finish.
Minton's victory was huge as she bested Lisa Vandenberg of Northwest Christian of Colbert, not to be confused with Northwest Christian of Lacey. Last year Lisa Vandenberg won the 2006 B individual state title in 19:20 as Joscelyn Minton was the individual state runner-up in 19:45. Vandenberg's team did not qualify for the team competition either year, she ran as an individual.
Minton's victory was double sweet because of Northwest Christian's second straight team title. Since Minton's winning time was the 14th best among all girls in all classifications, she earned All-State recognition.
Senior Lindsey Wagner set a personal best with her 4th place team competition finish in 20:34, and Freshman Joanna Sowers set a new freshman record with her 22:13 time and 10th place team competition finish. Even more important, Wager's 4th place finish split up Saint George's top two runners.
Lost in the shuffle was Jessica Zimmerman's 11th place team competition finish. Had Zimmerman finished 15th rather than 11th, Saint George's would have won the team title, emphasizing the importance of the Navigator's 5th and final scoring runner.
Navigator Coach Bill Kehoe is really making it happen for Northwest Christian of Lacey. In addition to the girls 2 consecutive state team titles, and Minton's individual championship, his boys have now moved up from a 3rd place team finish last year to the runner-up spot this year.
The Navigator's boys team runner-up finish was led by Junior Micah Cushman's 3rd place finish in 17:45 followed by Freshman Justin Holden (10th in 18:13), Senior Clinton Barr (17th in 18:45), Junior Alex Feero (18th in 18:49), Junior Nathan Bohlig (25th in 19:13), Freshman Tyson Heo (45th in 21:13) and Freshman Steven Goff (50th in 21:36).
All could return next year except Senior Clinton Barr. Of particular note are the 3 returning freshmen-Holden, Heo and Goff. To be a money runner in a big meet, you need experience and that is one thing the Navigators are getting big time.
Kehoe's 9-year program is beginning to generate champions and trophies faster than the school can build a bigger case for proper display. With no more room in the trophy case, trophies now line the hallway beneath the display case.
In 2006, Kehoe's girls were Pacific League Champions and District Champions as well as State Champions. Kehoe's boys were also 2006 League and District Champions and 3rd in the State Meet. In 2005, Kehoe's girls finished as Pacific League Champions, 2nd in the District and 5th in the State Meet. The boys finished as League Runner-ups, District Champions and 8th in the State Meet.
Coach Kehoe will lose Seniors Joscelyn Minton, Lindsey Wagner and Jessica Flores, but should be very competitive with the return of Junior Jessica Zimmerman, Sophomores Ashlee Giesman and Britny Biles and Feshman Joanna Sowers.
Northwest Christian of Lacey could be on its way to becoming an athletic as well as an academic powerhouse in the State of Washington. Even Principal Al Lynch gets into the act as the JV basketball coach for the Navigators. Practice time? Try 6 a.m. in the morning because of current space limitations.
Northwest Christian is building solid, winning cross-country program with a very bright future.
Teams that qualify in the district run-offs for the state meet finals run together with individuals who qualify based on the fastest times at the district meets, but the individual finishers do not figure in the team scoring for the championship. It is possible for an individual from a non-qualifying team to win the race and not be listed in the team results.
In cross-country events, the team with the lowest combined score for its first 5 finishers wins. Seven runners from each team can figure in the scoring. A perfect score of 15 would result when a team's first 5 runners finish 1-2-3-4-5, which would be unheard of at the state meet level with 16 teams and 112 runners vying for the title.
2007 Washington State Cross-County Championships - 5K Distance (3.1 Miles)
Girls 4A - Gig Harbor won its 3rd straight team title with 97 points, finishing 5-14-16-25-37. Eastlake was 2nd with 117. Sophomore Andrea Nelson of Shadle Park ran 18:26 to win the state individual championship. Nelson ran as an individual as her team did not qualify.
Girls 3A - Newport of Bellevue won the team title with 66, finishing 3-10-14-18-21. Lakeside of Seattle was 2nd with 75. Senior Bronwyn Crossman of Squalicum ran 18:46 to win the state individual championship. Squalicum finished 3rd in the team competition.
Girls 2A - Sehome won the team title with 79, finishing 2-6-19-21-31. Bellingham was 2nd with 91. Sophomore Ruby Roberts of Kingston ran 18:39 to win the state individual championship. Kingston was 15th in the team competition.
Girls 1A - King's won the team title with 70, finishing 1-9-19-20-21. LaCenter was 2nd with 89. Junior Olivia Thomas of King's ran 19:16 to win the state individual championship and lead her team to the championship. The 19-20-21 finish of King's 3rd, 4th and 5th runners was a great example of team running. King's 6th and 7th runners finished 26 and 33, ahead of LaCenter's 5th place finisher at 35, allowing King's to literally run away from LaCenter in what should have been a closer finish.
Girls 1B/2B - Northwest Christian of Lacey won the team title with 34, finishing 1-4-8-10-11. Saint George's was 2nd with 37, finishing 3-5-7-9-13, and White Pass was a very distant 3rd with 93. Senior Joscelyn Minton of Northwest Christian ran 19:14 to win the state individual championship and lead her teammates to the team title. This was by far the closest girls team race of the day. Had Northwest Christian's 5th runner finished 15th rather than 11th, Saint George's would have won the team title, emphasizing the importance of a team's 5th scoring runner.
Boys 4A - Mead won the team title with 108, finishing 6-15-20-28-39. Gig Harbor was 2nd with 112, finishing 1-12-16-31-52. Senior Miles Unterreiner ran 15:39 to win the state individual championship and lead his team to a runner-up finish. This is another great example of the value of a team's 5th runner. Had Gig Harbor's 5th runner finished 47th rather than 52nd, Gig Harbor would have won the team championship. The difference in time between the 47th finisher and the 52nd finisher was exactly 3 seconds, 17:18 to 17:21.
Boys 3A - North Central won the team title with 36, finishing 1-5-6-8-16 to obliterate the 2nd place team-Seattle Prep with 110-and every other team in the competition. Senior Ryan Prentice of Mt. Rainier ran 16:01 to win the state individual championship. Prentice ran as an individual as his team did not qualify.
Boys 2A - Burlington-Edison and Sehome tied for the team finish with 63. Burlington-Edison's runners finished 5-11-12-14-21, and Sehome's runners finished 6-7-13-18-19. Both schools are great examples of team running. This race could not have been more exciting for the two teams, their coaches and supporters involved. Burlington-Edison was declared the champion because of the 6th-place tiebreaker. Burlington-Edison's 6th place finished was 22nd and Sehome's 25th. Here is an excellent example of a team's 6th place finisher, who was not even involved in the team scoring, but won a state title for his teammates. A tip of the hat to Burlington-Edison's Conner Whan, a sophomore who got the job done by running 17:35. Sehome's 25th place finisher was 6 seconds behind. Senior Justin Rose of Colville ran 16:02 to win the state individual championship. Colville finished 3rd in the team competition.
Boys 1A - Royal won the team title with 70, finishing 1-2-9-28-30. Lakeside of Nine Mile was 2nd with 74, finishing 3-4-16-20-31. Senior Humberto Jimenez of Royal ran 16:18 to win the state individual championship. Senior Rigoberto Jimenez of Royal ran 16:18 also to finish as runner-up. Both Humberto and Rigoberto Jimenez might be twins or at least related. It would be fair to say that they both led their Royal teammates to the team title. Not to be outdone with a duel, Lakeside Senior Kyle Johnson ran 16:38 to finish 3rd and Lakeside Senior Tim Welch ran 16:56 to finish 4th.
Boys 1B/2B - Saint George's won the team title with 31, finishing 1-4-5-9-12, the lowest score of any team winner at the 2007 State Championship Meet. Northwest Christian of Lacey was 2nd with 73. Senior Matt Cronrath of Odessa ran 16:40 to win the state individual championship. Cronrath ran as an individual as his team did not qualify.
Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley
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