Islander Graham Peet, a sophomore at The Northwest School in Seattle, took fifth place at the state 1A cross country championships last weekend.

At the event, which took place Saturday in Pasco, Peet finished the 5k course in  16:14.3. The time was also a new personal record for the runner.

“I raced very hard and it was worth it,” Peet said.

Peet noted that going into the race, he was ranked 16th among 145 competitors, a ranking based on his previous performance in the cross country season.

“It was a big move up for me,” he said.

During the race, Peet said, he surged four different times to pass other runners, and in the final moments of the race he passed two more to take fifth place.

The four boys who beat Peet, placing first through fourth, were all high school seniors.

Peet was the only Vashon resident to qualify for State this year.