Interlake boys just miss team spot
Three points was all that separated the Interlake boys and the opportunity to take a full team to the state cross country meet, as the Saints finished just three points behind Liberty to finish in fifth place.
Sophomore Luke Beauchamp and junior Alex Doran each earned individual spots in Pasco, while senior Kyle Van Draanen, despite running a personal record time of 16:24.08, finished 21st and only 15-hundredths of a second off 20th place and the final individual spot.
Beauchamp’s time of 16:06.93 was good enough for a personal record and 10th place finish and Doran also ran his best time in the 5,000 meters, 16:21.63, to end the race in 17th and keep his season alive for one final race.
Bellevue finished sixth in the team scoring and will send only one to Pasco in senior Kyle Pratt, who finished in 16:18.32 to claim 12th place.
Senior Graham Wendle ran a personal record of 16:26.39, but finished just two spots away from a state berth.
Jacob Feinman was 26th for the Wolverines and Aaron Smith 29th.
Interlake senior Joseph Pooley ran a personal record 16:43.79 to finish 28th.
Nathan Hale won the team scoring going away from Seattle Prep, with Blanchet in third and Liberty claiming KingCo’s only team spot to the 3A state meet.
Joe Hardy, a senior and last year’s 3A state champion, won the individual title for the Panthers in 15:41.53.
The 3A state cross country meet is Nov. 9 at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco, with the 3A girls meet slated for 12:30 p.m. and the boys race beginning at 2 p.m.
Bellevue girls headed to state
Interlake’s Nikita Waghani and Bellevue’s Katherine Penner turn off the beach at Lake Sammamish State Park. JOSH SUMAN, BELLEVUE REPORTER
The Bellevue girls cross country team will have a full complement of runners at the 3A state meet after a fourth place finish at Thursday’s Sea-King District meet at Lake Washington State Park.
Sophomore Katherine Penner was the highest individual finisher for the Wolverines in 10th place, running a time of 19 minutes, 22.65 seconds. Teammate Camille Moore ran a personal record 19:39.23 to finish 15th and Casey Jacobson was 19th in 19:45.09.
Interlake senior Nikita Waghani ran 19:04.07 to finish in fifth place and claim her spot in Pasco in her final district race as a prep.
“State is always the highlight of not just cross country, but the year,” she said. “I’m really excited.”
Waghani has made the trip to state in all four of her seasons with the Saints, finishing 36th as a freshman in the 2A race in 2010 before running what is still her personal record time in the 5,000 meters, 18:51, as a sophomore.
She was 48th as Interlake rejoined the 3A ranks last season and now finds herself among the state’s best for one final race.
“My coach basically gave me this plan,” she said. “I just have to race as hard as I can every second, have that positive focus and move ahead.”
Bellevue sophomore Sophie French ran a personal best 20:12.06 and was 33rd, and teammate Claire Wendle also earned a record time of 20:31.90. Grace Sheeran was 39th and Elizabeth Andrews 57th as the Wolverines finished in front of Mercer Island for the fourth and final team spot to state.
Liberty took the team title, with Lakeside in second and Holy Names in third. The Lions from Seattle had the top two finishers, champion Andrea Masterson, a junior, who ran 18:01.57 to finish in front of freshman Sophie Cantine.
