Top WA state runners come to Tri-Cities on Saturday for cross country championships

Expect a large crowd to line the fairways at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco on Saturday, as over 1,000 runners high schoolers will compete in the WIAA state cross country championships.

It was in November of 2019 the last time the event was held, as the pandemic shut things down.

So it’s going to be exciting to see the athletes compete.

And there are some interesting races that beg some questions:

• Can Olympia’s Ethan Coleman and Kamiakin’s Isaac Teeples (the 3A state champion in 2019) out-battle each other in the 4A boys race?
• For that matter, do the Kamiakin boys have the firepower to win another team title?
• Can Kennewick’s Macy Marquardt cap her prep cross country career with a 3A girls state title in her own backyard?
• Can Bellarmine Prep’s Ella Borsheim, bound for the University of Washington next fall, bookend her prep career with another 4A girls state title?
• Can Bishop Blanchet’s Will Schneider lead his Braves teammates to a 3A boys team title?

Those are just a few questions to be resolved on Saturday.

Here’s a look at each of the state races and Mid-Columbians whom have qualified:

Class 4A boys (3 p.m. start)

Chiawana — Diego Avila, sr.; Ehzoc Chavez, jr.; Sean Davis, jr.; Daniel Franco, jr.

Hanford (team) — Micah Bates, sr.; William Henry, sr.; Ben Porter, fr.; Spencer Porter, sr.; Troy Russo, jr.; Colin Smith, so.; Ethan Stout, sr.; Brayden Tadlock, sr.; Eduardo Tobin, jr.

Kamiakin (team) — Jacob Cabe, so.; Adam Chan, jr.; Jackson Farris, so.; Jackson Johnson, so.; Tanner Mills, jr.; Johnathon Rexus, sr.; Ezra Teeples, fr.; Isaac Teeples, sr.; Grayson Wilcott, sr.

Richland — Timothy Hammack, sr.; Jace Woodard, jr.

Notes: It should be Kamiakin’s Isaac Teeples against Olympia’s Ethan Coleman for the title. … Eastlake’s Ethan Pedersen could also battle for the win. … Kamiakin has a shot at a team title.

Class 4A girls (1:30 p.m.)

Chiawana — Carley Nelson, so.; Mia Wiberg, sr.

Hanford — Mia Beightol, so.

Kamiakin (team) — Ava Cortez, fr.; Deverie Gutierrez, jr.; Hannah Kennell, so.; Megan Lowe, jr.; Maggie O’Leary, sr.; Maddy Seguin, sr.; Ellie Smith, so.; Meredith Stavinger, fr.; Clara Thomas, sr.

Richland — Natalie Ruzauskas, sr.; Tylar Wolff, jr.

Notes: Borsheim won a state title in 2018 as a freshman. … Richland’s Ruzauskas finished second in the 4A girls meet in 2019. … Skyline’s Anna Callahan and Sydney Collier should finish high.

Class 3A boys (2:30 p.m.)

Hermiston — Jaysen Rodriguez, fr.; Logan Springstead, sr.

Walla Walla — Brody Hartley, jr.

Notes: Bishop Blanchet is ranked among the top 24 boys teams in the nation by Dyestat … Wa-Hi’s Hartley won the 3A District 8 meet in Spokane last Saturday. … Schneider’s teammate Drew Oliver and Lakes’ Cruize Corrin should also bye for the title.

Class 3A girls (1 p.m.)

Hermiston (team) — Lillian Fields, fr.; Madeline Franke, so.; Jaquelin Garcia Sandoval, so.; Jeannine Heredia, fr.; Megan Joyce, so.; Elizabeth Newman, fr.; Cydney Sanchez, sr.; Alexia Serna, sr.; Ashley Treadwell, jr.

Kennewick (team) — Amelia Baker, jr.; Kaitlin Chavez, so.; Sage Gardner, jr.; Sofia Lieberman, so.; Macy Marquardt, sr.; Samantha Patheal, fr.; Lauren Thompson, sr.; Morgan Thompson, fr.

Walla Walla — Sariah Hepworth, sr.; Emmalyne Jimenez, jr.

Notes: Marquardt has to be considered the favorite, but she’ll have competition from Bishop Blanchet’s Lily LaPorte and Roosevelt’s Claire Archer.

Class 2A boys (12:30 p.m.)

Grandview — Jorge Morales, sr.

Prosser — Lukkes Hultberg, sr.

Notes: Favorites include Selah’s Cooper Quigey, Columbia River’s Daniel Barna, and Sammamish’s Hale Behan.

Class 2A girls (11 a.m.)

Othello — Jenifer Guerrero, sr.; Sulibeth Mondragon, sr.

Notes: Ellensburg’s Kate Laurent has the fastest 5K time coming into the event, but she’ll get some competition from Anacortes’ Jessica Frydenlund and Logan Hofstee of East Valley-Spokane.

Class 1A boys (12 p.m.)

College Place (team) — Daman Burgener, jr.; Jacob Courtney, jr.; Joshua Courtney, sr.; Eli Durand, sr.; Zeke Durand, so.; Azaiah Garcia, sr.; Conner Hawkins, sr.; Jio Herrera, so.; Max Wilwand, sr.

Connell — Jacob Freeman, sr.; Spencer Harris, jr.

Kiona-Benton — Sieh Jackson, sr.

Royal (team) — Vidal Abundiz, sr.; Eduardo Alvarado, so.; Alexis Diaz, jr.; Aram Garnick, so.; Josue Gonzalez, sr.; Santiago Gonzalez, so.; Jesus Mendoza, fr.; Fabian Meza, so.; Abraham Montoya, jr.

Wahluke — Angel Vazquez, so.

Notes: Jamar Distel of Riverside is one of the best runners in the state, regardless of classification. He’ll get pushed by Kelton Gagnon of Klahowya and La Center’s Joseph Blanshon.

Class 1A girls (10:30 a.m.)

College Place — Lauren Green, sr.

Connell (team) — Adrianna Barrera, jr.; Alexis Garcia Franco, sr.; Sariah Hales, so.; Josie Miller, jr.; Jocelyn Morales Flores, sr.; Melody Torres Delrio, so.; Yaretzi Yala Lopez, so.

Kiona-Benton — Gloria Enriquez, sr.

Royal — Kenia Orth, so.; Cindy Rincon, fr.

Wahluke (team) — Ezra Acevedo, sr.; Daniah Aguilar, fr.; Adamaris Arellano, jr.; Luz Gonzalez, so.; Karla Lugo, jr.; Victoria Mendoza, jr.; Cynthia Moreno-Diaz, sr.; Abigail Nieves, sr.; Leslie Rodriguez, sr.

Notes: Seton Catholic has a tough 1-2 punch in Alexis Leone and Lara Carrion. … Meridian’s Kayla Aapoel should also be a factor.

Class 1B/2B boys (11:30 a.m.)

Mabton — Brian Cortez, jr.

Tri-Cities Prep — Ciaran St. Hilaire, so.

Notes: The power comes from the Spokane region, with Ben Graham of Northwest Christian, Chewelah’s Cole Foster and Davenport’s Jaeger Jacobsen favored to be in the mix.

Class 1B/2B girls (10 a.m.)

Tri-Cities Prep — Fionnoula St. Hilaire, fr.

Notes: Chloe Overberg of Asotin has the fastest time coming in, but St. George’s Josie McLaughlin and Susie Johnson of Cedar Tree Classic Christian should also be factors.

Tickets

Tickets cost $11 for adults, and $8 for students, seniors (62 and older) and military. Children under 5 are admitted free. … The WIAA is going paperless for tickets, and encourages fans to purchase tickets online at the GoFan app, which is partnering with the WIAA. Fans will be able to purchase tickets digitally at the gates using their mobile devices.