Colfax girls team places 8th at state; Melville finishes 12th

Colfax girls’ team placed eighth Saturday in the state cross country all B run at Pasco’s Sun Willows Golf course. The Bulldogs totaled 197 points to finish last on the team tally, but the team entry was unique and points to a solid future for Colfax distance running.

Liberty Bell, which had an amazing four finishers in the top seven, won the team title with a scant 23 points, and Northwest Christian of Lacey placed second in the team count with a 51.

Novie McCabe of Liberty Bell took the state girls race with an 18:30.20 time.

Rose Melville of Lamont, who runs for the LRS Broncos, had the top finish for a county racer with a 12th-place finish at 20:35 on the Sun Willows course. Melville placed second in the regional qualifier at Colfax last week.

She finished 4.5 seconds ahead of Asotin’s Carmen Eggleston. The Panthers Maia Dykstra, who won the regional here last week, finished 24th at 21:06.

Anais Mills of Garfield/Palouse finished 17th in the state race at 20:49.8

Catherine Treis of St John/Endicott placed 45th at 22:58, and Tekoa/Rosalia freshman Amy Bennet ranked 53rd at 23:26

Finishers for the Colfax team were Tayma Vanek, 43rd at 22:50; Rebekah Huber, 60th at 23:48; Isabelle Erickson, 66th at 24:46; Emma Miller, 72nd at 25:40; Riley Martin, 73rd at 25:50, and Kiah Miller, 74th at 26:50.

Tekoa/Rosalia junior Gavin Merritt again topped the county entry on the boys side with a 17:16.9 for 17th behind the 15:59 win posted by Austen Apperson of Adna.

Merritt’s state finish was five places ahead of Springdale’s Garret Wiley, the runner who nipped Merritt at the finish here last week. Wiley placed 22nd at 17;16. 9

Other finishers for Tekoa/Rosalia were Issac Leighton, 81st at 18:26, and Jaedyn Norwood, 83rd at 18:29.

Northwest Christian’s Tyler Shea, who dominated the boys side of the NE and won the regional here last week, placed 14.9 seconds behind the winner at 16:13.9.

Chase Baerlocher of Colfax placed 56th at 18:08, and Ryley Griffiths placed 68th at 18:18.