The area’s top high school cross country runners took to Lake Sylvia in Montesano for the 1A Evergreen League championships on October 25 with a pair of ninth graders putting on strong performances.
Hoquiam freshmen Timmy Higgins and Macie German both took home second-place medals. Higgins was second in the boys’ championship with a time of 17 minutes, 56 seconds, while German duplicated the feat on the girls’ side after covering the 5,000-meter distance in 24:11.
Tenino junior Sam Hill (17:47) claimed the boys’ title. Montesano freshman Aric Jacklin (18:13) was fourth, while teammate Martin Shuck, a junior, was sixth (18:33).
Additional Grays Harbor runners registering top 10 placings in the boys’ race included Elma’s Tyler Bristow (seventh, 18:35) and Braedon McMillian (ninth, 19:03).
Madelyn Archibald, a senior from Forks and three-time state participant, comfortably won the girls’ division with a time of 21:36 as German was the only local runner to get within 3 minutes of the winner.
Tenino senior Katie Snyder was third (24:34), while Elma freshman Autumn Sayres finished fourth overall, stopping the clock in 24:51.
Four of German’s teammates also collected top 8 finishes. Montesano sophomore Aubrey Anderson with fifth (25:14) and freshmen Clara Benton (25:15) and Lilly Schweppe (26:30) were sixth and eighth, respectively, in the race.
The top finishers advance to the 1A District IV championships at Lewis River Golf Course in Woodland on October 31.