Whitman County teams compete in Pasco

PASCO - Several Whitman County teams were represented at the WIAA 1B/2B state cross country championship meet in Pasco on Nov. 5.

159 total runners competed in the boys’ 5,000-meter run and 76 total runners competed in the girls’ 5,000-meter run.

For the girls, Garfield-Palouse was the only Whitman County team that fielded runners for the girls’ 5,000.

Junior Ashleigh Hightree finished eighth with a time of 21L03.8, senior Kennedy Cook finished ninth with a time of 21:26.4, sophomore Courage Hightree finished 13th with a time of 21:49, junior Lola Edwards finished 18th with a time of 22:22.9, senior Laynie Southern finished 37th with a time of 23:51.1, freshman Charlotte Marshall finished 50th with a time of 24:29.3 an freshman HettyLee Laughary finished 56th with a time of 24:53.1.

For the boys, sophomore Brendan Snekvik finished 10th with a time of 17:25.8, sophomore Kieran Snekvik finished 14th with a time of 17:38.8, freshman Isaiah Hightree finished 90th with a time of 19:42.7, freshman Ayden Bassler finished 123rd with a time of 20:32.9, senior Josh Appel finished 127th with a time of 20:57.9 and freshman Liam Cook finished 128th with a time of 21:01.3.

The girls team finished second overall to Pope John Paul II High School (Lacey). Eight total teams fielded enough runners to place for the girls at state.

For the boys, 16 total teams fielded enough runners to place, with the Vikings finishing ninth out of those teams.

It was the third consecutive year the Garfield-Palouse girls competed at state and the first time in school history that the boys team competed at state.

Although Garfield-Palouse were the only Whitman County representers for the girls at state, Colton and Colfax each had a runner compete for the boys at state,

Freshman Tanner Baerlocher from Colton finished 32nd amongst the boys with a time of 18:17.4 and junior Jaxon Eades placed second with a time of 18:44.3

The 2A state championship run also took place on Nov. 5 in Pasco, with Pullman having three runners representing Whitman County in the boys 5,000-meter run and two runners competing in the girls race.

Junior Leonardo Hoffman finished 53rd amongst 157 boys with a time of 17:34.2, junior Peter Jobson finished 71st with a time of 17:53.2 and senior Raul Najera finished 77th with a time of 18:01.1.

Senior Abigail Hulst finished 23rd out of 159 girls runners with a time of 20:11.8 and sophomore Shahad Akasha finished 87th with a time of 22:05.3.