South Whidbey holds own at Sehome Invitational / Cross country

By Jim Waller • September 16, 2019 1:30 am
South Whidbey’s Jasmin Graner, left, and Grace Huffman run together toward the finish line at the Sehome Invitational. (Photo by John Fisken)
South Whidbey’s Jasmin Graner, left, and Grace Huffman run together toward the finish line at the Sehome Invitational. (Photo by John Fisken)

Running with the big boys (and girls), the South Whidbey High School cross country teams were among 43 schools at the Sehome Invitational Saturday, Sept. 14, at Bellingham’s Civic Stadium.

The Falcon boys finished eighth (first among small schools) and the girls 16th (third) in the meet which featured 1,210 runners.

Sehome won the boys title with 83 points; South Whidbey recorded 300.

Glacier Peak captured the girls crown with 101 points; the Falcons had 496.

The event held races for each graduating class and for junior varsity boys, and teams with at least five runners in those races also received scores for those divisions.

The South Whidbey boys placed second in the junior race, only two points (68-70) behind 4A powerhouse Edmonds-Woodway.

The Falcons were fourth in the junior girls race with 109 points. Sehome finished first with 77.

The top South Whidbey individual effort came from Kaia Swegler Richmond, who ran second in the junior girls race, coving the 2-mile course in 12:16.2. Marysville Getchell’s Jasmine Nguyen won in 12:07.9.

South Whidbey will run in another large meet this weekend when it hosts the 46-team Carl Westling Invitational at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21. More than 2,000 high school and middle school athletes are registered to compete.

South Whidbey results at Sehome

Senior girls (98 runners): 44, Flannery Friedman, 15:07.62.

Senior boys (118): 19, Michael Harwell, 10:52.13.

Junior girls (109): 2, Kaia Swegler Richmond, 12:16.2; 21, Grace Huffman, 14:24.91; 23, Jasmin Graner, 14:27.57; 53, Laila Gmerek, 15:43.88; 54, Natalie Rodriguez, 15:46.47.

Junior boys (147): 12, Thomas Simms, 11:14.37; 17, Reilly McVay, 11:17.88; 18, Cooper Ullmann, 11:17.98; 28, Aidan O’Brien, 11:35.69; 31, Aidan Donnelly, 11:38.69; 56, Preston Leon, 12:07.58; 63, Trent Hogarth, 12:11.32.

Sophomore boys (148): 47, Drew Larson, 12:19.13.

Freshman boys (154): 37, Nicholas Muller, 12:26.4.

JV boys (223): 17, Luc Gandarias, 13:35.77; 50, Liam Dolde, 14:21.46; 61, Rowan Dickerson, 14:27.37; 196, Maalik Heino, 17:24.16; 206, Xander Geurkink, 17:58.41.

Flannery Friedman.(Photo by John Fisken)

Flannery Friedman. (Photo by John Fisken)

Michael Harwell.(Photo by John Fisken)

Michael Harwell. (Photo by John Fisken)

Kaia Swegler Richmond.(Photo by John Fisken)

Kaia Swegler Richmond. (Photo by John Fisken)

Preston Leon gives his all as he trims 80 seconds off his previous best time.(Photo by John Fisken)

Preston Leon gives his all as he trims 80 seconds off his previous best time. (Photo by John Fisken)