Early cross country meets this season in Kitsap County show many runners could be headed to state, and Central Kitsap’s girls look like they again could win a state title.
Bainbridge
The Spartans will have more at stake in this year’s Olympic League meets. Both of Bainbridge’s boys and girls teams made trips to 3A state last season, and with several key components of those teams returning, Bainbridge could make some noise now that it joins the 2A ranks.
Junior Ben Crandall dropped over 50 seconds off his personal best from 2022 last year to break out as a leading runner among the boys, and while he experienced a brief drop-off in his times, he ultimately recorded his first state finish in the top 50 and was a top 10 runner in both league and the Westside Classic. There is hope that he’ll be joined by sophomore Seth Burke after a promising 2023 debut and senior Kellen Diercks, who dropped over a minute off his personal best last season.
Senior Mairin O’Brien hopes to pick up the pieces after a largely inactive junior season, but a combination of good health and determination could bring her back to 2022 levels of success. Sophomore Evelyn Shutske showed flashes of promise in 2023, and junior Sabine Hartenstine could also make some noise if she is able to break the 20-minute mark as she did two seasons ago.
North Kitsap
North Kitsap finds itself in a bit of a rebuilding stage with an inexperienced squad. Senior Liam Johnson hopes to return to state and sophomore Gabriel Goins could also be an early contender to qualify if his two-mile trial translates well to a 5K pace.
Roughly the same can be said of the girls team. Junior Georgia Nelson recorded a top-five finish in last year’s league championships and qualified for state. She’ll hope to find similar success with teammates Katelyn Bearden and Kathryn Mixer not far behind in early trials.
Kingston
The Buccaneers have plenty of new faces, and with the departure of Lucas Lenz, all eyes will be on senior Luke Whalen to lead Kingston’s boys following a fifth-place team finish at state in 2023. Whalen finished just outside the top 20 at state. Also watch Timothy Clark-Johnston and freshman Coen Van Vliet, who could quickly become a must-watch runner in his debut season.
Kingston’s girls team is more seasoned with runners like sophomore Emma Grice, juniors Isabell Hunt and Olivia McGrew and senior Sophia Brown. The youngest of the four, Grice managed to hold her own in her debut, and improvements across the board could get the Buccaneers back to state.
South Kitsap
Lauren Laws has been the definition of consistency in her high school career, though her finishes have continued to improve in each of her first three seasons. Now a senior, a break of that 19-minute mark could be just what she needs to break into the top 10 in 4A. Joining her in that quest is senior Emma Schmutz.
New personal bests catapulted junior Isaac Benjamin into the spotlight last season, and further improvements could take him toward the top of the South Puget Sound League if not further. Senior Jefferson Smith is expected to be close behind.
Bremerton
Lenz may have dominated local headlines in a historic finish to his cross country career at Kingston, but Knights senior Dallin Anderson was never far behind. Bremerton’s leading male runner last season had flashes of greatness as a sophomore but found a more consistent rhythm as a junior, flirting with a sub-16-minute mark more than once in 2023 and recording top-five finishes in the Olympic League championships and the Westside Classic before finishing 19th in state.
Juniors Asher Steward and Joshua Lueders join him.
Bremerton coaches are looking to the younger side of the female roster for success. Freshman Veda Stewart and Faith Lueders stand to top the ranks of a young varsity squad.
Central Kitsap
There was no team that ran their races better in Kitsap County than the Cougars, and that goes for both boys and girls.
The reigning champion girls don’t just have a 2023 3A team championship in their corner but a boatload of retained talent. All top three state finishers – seniors Clare Herring and Taylor Palmer and junior Audra Palmer – are back, and seniors Isabella Welk and Voss Luma are among the contenders to fill in the gaps left by graduations.
Don’t count out the boys either after a run to state of their own in 2023, and CK has the runners to potentially move beyond third place. Sophomore Mana Voss was a runner-up in last year’s South Sound League championships and could be an early threat to enter sub-16-minute marks this season. Seniors Michael Vlach and Gavin Brown wish to make the most of their final high school seasons, while juniors David McClain and Ethan Huff continue to improve after notable sophomore seasons.
Olympic
The Trojans bring an experienced pack of runners into league competition this season, highlighted by seniors Joshua Turner and Samuel Bonsell after a 2023 season full of top-10 finishes. Bonsell finished among the top 30 2A runners at state, though early time trials this year indicate that sophomores Caleb Davis and Justin Jaramillo could give the upperclassmen a run for their money.
Olympic boasts the reigning league championship meet title holder Brynn Fulton on the female side, the sophomore coming off a top 35 finish at state. A hopeful contender to join her on that stage is senior Sophia MacDonald.
Klahowya
Senior Natalie Oathout will get her final crack at an individual 1A state championship, a title she has threatened to take each of her first three seasons with the Eagles. The standout has come as close as third place. The Eagles as a whole retain their ability to qualify for state with returning runners such as seniors Ella Salo and Samantha Schofield, as the new talent of runners like junior Thyme Gruber may add to the Eagles’ intrigue.
Only one boy qualified for the Eagles last season, but that number could easily grow. Further improvements from junior Carson Wintch could easily grant his wish to return to state, and seniors Tyler Larson and Sawyer Hermosura-Roark are two more hopefuls.
Kingston freshman Coen Van Vliet beats a pair of Bainbridge runners to the finish line.
Bainbridge senior Marcus Stroman cruises his way down the 2-mile course in Kingston.
Olympic’s Brynn Fulton does a time check after crossing the finish line.
Bainbridge’s trio of runners Mairin O’Brien, Sabine Hartenstine and Evelyn Shutske lead the way in the 2A Olympic League opener.
Kingston sophomore Emma Grice hangs with a Port Angeles runner in the 2A Olympic League opener.
Viking junior Georgia Nelson creates some space between herself and the next pack of runners.
North Kitsap runners make their way downhill in the early stages of a 2-mile run.
