Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009

Girls state cross country preview

By the Herald staff

Preview of the girls state cross country race-by-race

4A

Time: 1 p.m.

2008 champions: Eastlake; Alyssa Andrews, Gig Harbor

Team contenders (state ranking in parentheses): Gig Harbor (1); Eastlake (2); Tahoma (3); Richland (4)

Individuals to watch: Minna Fields, sr., Standwood; Anna Dailey, sr., Garfield; Devin McMahon, sr., Redmond; Maureen Tremblay, jr., Gig Harbor; Alexia Martin, so., Kent Meridian; Baylee Mires, jr., Mead; Clare Kane, sr., Olympia

Local qualifiers: Richland team (Emily Hazen, jr.; Katie Mahoney, jr.; Maggie Jones, jr.; Lauren Dernbach, sr.; Ariel Townsend, sr.; Jocelyn Grindstaff, sr.; Anna Croskrey, so.; Kylie Bosch, so.; Audrey Oleson, so.); Rachel Nelson, fr., Walla Walla; Marisa Vander Malle, sr., Pasco; Hannah Marsh, fr., Moses Lake; Michelle Fletcher, fr., Kamiakin; Stephanie Rexus, so., Kamiakin

Noteworthy: This could be the year for a lot of new faces in the top 10. Though half of last year's top finishers are back, they are not the ones running the best right now. Those who are: Mires (dnr '08, 118th '07), who cruised to the Eastern Regional title and finished 5th at Sunfair; Dailey (54th '08), who won the King-Co Championships by 23 seconds over McMahon after finishing 7th at Sunfair and 6th at Nike Pre-Nationals; McMahon (dnr in '08 after finishing 4th in '07), who won 8 races this year, finished 2nd in 2 othres, and was 8th at Sunfair. ... Kane is coming off a disappointing 6th in the Westside Classic after winning the Narrows League title 10 days earlier. ... Eastlake disrupted Gig Harbor's three-year title run by a single piont last season, and the Wolves and Tides figure ti battle it out again this season. ... Richland, fresh off winning its first regional title, is vying for its first state trophy since winning in 1993 and would be the first Tri-Cities team to take home a trophy since the 2003 Kamiakin girls.

3A

Time: 12:30 p.m.

2008 champions: Mercer Island; Andrea Nelson, Shadle Park

Team contenders (state ranking in parentheses): Glacier Peak (1); Shadle Park (2); North Kitsap (3); Columbia River (4); West Valley (Yakima) (7)

Individuals to watch: Andrea Nelson, sr., Shadle Park; Amy-Eloise Neale, fr., Glacier Peak; Kendra Weitz, fr., Shadle Park; Katie Knight, fr., North Central; Erin Hegarty, jr., Hanford; Allison Clark, sr., Columbia River

Local qualifiers: Hegarty

Noteworthy: Should be the race of the day with both the team and individual titles closely contested. Nelson is a two-time state champion and runner-up as a freshman, and now its the freshmen who have caught up with her. Neale has created quite a stir, winning most of her races by wide margins and finishing 3rd at Sunfair behind state champions from Oregon and Idaho. Knight placed 4th at Bob Firman and won the Richland Invite, though she finished 40 seconds behind Neale in an early-season matchup. Nelson's teammate, Weitz, is another strong freshman who was the top 3A finisher in the GSL Championships but was sidelined by illness at the Eastern Regional. ... Clark is the darkhorse of the favorites, not having run against the other girls this season after placing 9th at state last year. ... Glacier Peak and Shadle Park are clearly the favorites, ranked second and third, respectively, in the Northwest by Dyestat.com. The Highlanders are trying to become just the second East side team to win the title since 1997 -- West Valley of Yakima in 2005 is the other.

2A

Time: 11 a.m.

2008 champions: Sehome; Allison Cutting, Sequim

Team contenders (state ranking in parentheses): Cedarcrest (1); Sehome (2); Kingston (3); Ephrata (7)

Individuals to watch: Allison Cutting, sr., Sehome; Ruby Roberts, sr., Kingston; Mimi Krieger, jr., Sehome; Marina Roberts, so., Kingston; Annie Moore, sr., Sehome; Cara Strodel, jr., Cedarcrest; Rhiannon Alexander, fr., Granite Falls

Local qualifiers: Kolby Childers, fr., Prosser

Noteworthy: Ruby Roberts won the title in '07, then finished second to Cutting last year. Ruby and Marina Roberts blew away the district field, finishing nearly a minute in front of a pack that included Cutting. ... Alexander won a tough district race over state vets Moore (9th in '08, 2nd in '07, 3rd in '06) and Strodel (10th '08 and '07). ... Sehome, the three-time defending champion, eked out a 6-point win over Cedarcrest last season, and it could go down to the wire between the two teams again this year.

1A

Time: 10:30 a.m.

2008 champions: King's; Maddie Meyers, Northwest

Team contenders (state ranking in parentheses): King's (1); LaCenter (2); Chelan (3); Seattle Academy (4)

Individuals to watch: Maddie Meyers, so., Northwest; Gaby Guillen, sr., Chelan; Kim Barry, so., Lake Roosevelt; Adele Eslinger, sr., King's; Meagan Governor, sr., LaCenter; Kea Paton, fr., Cashmere

Local qualifiers: Kirsten Kunkel, sr., Kiona-Benton; Jessica Lewis, fr., Kiona-Benton

Noteworthy: Six of the top 10 finishers from last season return. ... After unseating a defending champion last year, Meyers isn't likely to give up her crown any time soon. She won her district race by 20 seconds over freshman teammate Eliza Rice before the King's runners swallowed the rest of the field. The three-time defending champions, who have won six of the last eight titles, outscored rival Seattle Academy 45-122 at districts.

2B/1B

Time: 10 a.m.

2008 champions: Northwest Christian (Lacey); Neola Putnam, Trout Lake/Glenwood

Team contenders (state ranking in parentheses): Northwest Christian (Lacey) (1); Northwest Christian (Colbert) (2); St. Georges (3); Asotin (4)

Individuals to watch: Lisa Vandenburg, sr., NW Christian (Colbert); Mikel Elliott, sr., White Pass; Alexis Fynboe, jr., Mount Rainier Lutheran; Elizabeth Weber, so., NW Christian (Lacey); Loni Kaech, sr., Mossyrock; Ashlee Giesman, sr., NW Christian (Lacey); Christina Anderson, jr., NW Christian (Colbert).

Local qualifiers: Waitsburg-Prescott team (Isabel Benito, jr.; Maya Garcia, sr.; Sara Lepape, jr.; Christy Poirier, jr.; Maryalice Potolicchio, sr.; Kristin Potter, so.); Natalie April, so., Liberty Christian; Johanna Roach, so., Tri-Cities Prep; Amber Buchanan, jr., Liberty Christian

Noteworthy: NW Christian of Lacey has won all three B meets since it split off from the 1A ranks, the last two years by single digits. ... Vandenburg and Elliott finished 2-3 in '07, then 3-4 last year. Vandenburg won a state title as a freshman, when Elliott was 5th. However, while Vandenburg has yet to win a race this season, Eliott has swept all of hers, incuding winning by more than a minute racing against NWC Lacey.