Annie Taylor and Emily Barreca finished first and second, respectively, in Wednesday’s cross-country meet at Battle Point Park, leading the BHS girls’ team to second place in a three-team meet. Holy Names placed six girls in the top 10 to win with 27 points; Bainbridge tallied 48 and Nathan Hale had 56.
Dan Thacker knocked 40 seconds off his previous best for the 5-kilometer course to lead the Bainbridge boys with a fifth-place finish in a time of 17 minutes, 58 seconds. Missing five top runners including senior co-captains Griffin Dunn and Ryan Vogel due to injuries, the boys scored 71 points to finish third behind Nathan Hale (23) and O’Dea (41).
Taylor clocked 20:27, while Barreca finished in 20:46. Bainbridge’s other scorers were Zoe Worthington (11th, 21:58), Lauren Abrams (16, 22:59), and Isabel Ferguson (19, 22:48). Abrams’ time represented a personal best by nearly two minutes.
Eli Narte was the second boys’ finisher, crossing the line in 12th place in 18:35. Robin Stewart (17, 18:59), John Murphy (22, 19:10) and Grey Wilson (28, 19:40) rounded out the top five. Murphy’s time knocked a minute and 19 seconds off his previous best.
Coach Anne Howard Lindquist was pleased by the fact that a total of 10 runners clocked personal bests.
“I wasn’t expecting to see course personal records in midseason,” she said. “We raced well, and need to get ready for more intensity next week.”
The harriers competed today at the Fort Worden Invitational in Port Townsend, and return to Metro League action next Thursday in a seven-team event which the coach termed “a tuneup for Metros.”
She is confident that both teams will advance out of the Metro meet, held at Seattle’s Lower Woodland Park on Thursday, Oct. 23, and move on to the District 2 meet the following Thursday. That meet also will be held at Lower Woodland. One reason for her confidence is the likely return of most if not all of the boys who missed Wednesday’s meet.
“They’ve had solid training since June,” she noted.
The girls, however, will be without senior co-captain Hayley Trageser, who placed 19th at last year’s state championships but is out for the rest of the season.
The District race presents the Spartans with formidable opposition.
“It’s a great district,” Howard Lindquist explained. With four or five teams in the state rankings, “I think the girls team as a whole could be in the top five.”
Even that might not be good enough to advance to the state meet in Pasco on Saturday, Nov. 8. Just the top four teams and top 20 individuals at the district meet advance. Things are only marginally easier for the boys, with the top five teams and 25 individuals moving on.
Howard Lindquist likes the chances of Taylor, Barreca and Thacker as potential state qualifiers.
“If they get to State they were meant to be there,” she said. “And they’ll do well once they’re there.”
Howard Lindquist is also optimistic about the future. With just a handful of seniors on the boys team and only two on the girls, it’s a very young squad.
“They have many races ahead of them,” she said.
Other boys results:
Tony Hall 19:53, Devereaux Kesler 20:03, Chris Wilkerson 20:29, Connor O’Keefe 20:32, Bryce de Veaux 21:00, Evan Jahrman 21:33, Jack Transue 22:00, Eamon O’Keefe 22:02, Denver Donnan 22:05, Max Tejera 22:07, Jackson Beall 22:20, Josh Becker 22:22, Eli Backer 23:33, John Hathaway 23:35, Casey Taylor 23:41, Mark Gamble 24:17, Harry O’Connell 24:43, Marty Johnson 25:54.
Other girls results:
Abby Love 22:49, Rebecca Sharar 23:18, Emma Entress 23:33, Nora White 23:42, Theo Fehsenfeld 24:01, Sarah Redmond 24:04, Mary Forbes 24:12, Delaney Larkin 24:13, Laura Chipman 24:16, Lacey Carlson 24:16, Annika Torseth 24:18, Isabel Hoonan 24:19, Katarina Krueger 24:33, Gracy Deery-Schmitt, Abby Hartman 25:41, Becca Miner 25:55, Kirsten Michael 26:58, Mariah Blackwood 28:31.
