Meridian Girls Cross Country Team Retakes State Title
Trojans beat Vashon Island by 42 points in 1A event at Sun Willows Golf Course.
By Bianca Shevchenko ·
Runners from the Meridian school district secured two top finishes at the state cross country championships held on Nov. 7 at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco. The girls team won the 1A title, while the boys team finished second in the same division.
Layne Dickson led the girls team to victory with a fourth place finish in a time of 19:20.40. Ridley Strotz and Airi Thompson crossed the line in 17th and 18th place respectively, with times of 19:50.70 and 19:51.70. Adalyn Noste placed 21st and Kasia Kmiecik finished 42nd to complete the scoring lineup. The Trojans totaled 89 points, beating Vashon Island, which finished second with 131 points.
The boys team placed second behind the state champions. Reuben TeVelde ran the fastest time for the group, finishing second in 15:40.40. His brother Judah TeVelde placed fifth with a time of 15:47.20. Colton Valentine was 16th, Titus Belleme was 43rd, and Denali Frierott was 48th.
Athletes from Lynden and Lynden Christian also reached the top of the standings in the 1A race. Larkyn McConnell from Lynden Christian placed sixth in 19:27.20, a time more than a minute faster than her district qualifying mark. William Sherfy was the top Lynden runner in the boys race, finishing 19th.
In the separate 2A boys championship, Lynden sent two competitors to the field. Luke Schouten claimed third place with a time of 15:47.20. Braxton Stacey followed in 15th place at 16:22.80.
