FALL SPORTS ‘24: A young squad is already making waves for Vashon cross country

Vashon High School’s cross country team has taken a step forward this season with a huge turnout.

There are more than 30 kids on the team this season, with the boys team cresting 20 for the first time in a long time. Having a large team gives the athletes multiple training partners near their ability, helps build a culture and sense of team, and by getting buy-in from a large group, means the Pirates can expect to be more competitive over the years.

This year features a young squad — no seniors! — so whatever they can put together this year is also a preview for an even stronger year in 2025.

Runners to keep an eye on include, on the girls side, captains Cece Guenther and Emily Harrington, who will both be trying to qualify for state again after doing so last year in both cross country and track.

Their leadership over the summer will be essential to the girls team being competitive this season, as they hosted practices multiple days a week, getting the team together to bond, have fun, and work hard together. Helping the girls team will be a trio of freshmen who are stepping up and are ready to fly: Bridget Simmons, Katherine Thompson, and Mele Nelson.

On the boys side, Vashon is loaded with both returning and young talent. Captains and state qualifiers Josh Healey and Cash Nowicki lead the pack, leading by example by both logging over 500 miles of running over the summer in preparation for the season. Vashon might just might see fireworks with those two.

Along with those two proven athletes, Vashon has a large group of freshmen who are coming off a state championship McMurray squad from last year, led by Harrison Decker, Leif McBennett, and Max McLachlan — runners who will make an immediate impact on the varsity squad.

Finally, the cross country department has reached across the aisle and recruited some of the talented soccer players from last year’s state qualifying team to bolster its depth. Brothers Oskar and Felix CobbMagietter should lead the charge, competing for varsity spots and pushing everyone to compete at an elite level.

The Nisqually League is generally a tough route to get to the state championships, with loaded teams and often few bids to state. This year will be no different, with schools such as East Jefferson (Port Townsend) and Klahowya fielding excellent teams on both the boys and girls side.

To compound that, the individual state champion hails from Annie Wright, and Vashon will have him to contend with all season. That said, both teams’ goals are to surpass their district finals positions from last year, where the girls finished third and the boys ninth.

The team kicked off their fall season in September at Camas Prairie Golf Park in Port Townsend and at the Fort Steilacoom Invitational meet, showing great promise at both.

At Port Townsend, the girls team secured a third-place finish. Cece Guenther and Emily Harrington both finished in the top ten. The boys’ team also dominated, with co-captains Josh Healey claiming first place overall and Cash Nowicki taking fourth. This marked Vashon’s first cross country team victory in more than a decade.

Fort Steilacoom saw the girls varsity team place 10th out of 35 schools and the boys finish third, narrowly edged out by two larger 4A schools. Sophomore Josh Healey won the race with a powerful finish and a scorching time of 16:18, just a second faster than the second-place finisher.

Three of Vashon’s returning runners, Josh Healey, Cash Nowicki and Henry Porter notched lifetime bests over the 3.1 mile distance. Porter cut almost three minutes off of his time on that course from last year.

And just this weekend at the Bellevue Invite, Healey broke the 25-year-old school record in the 5k, besting Vashon legend Owen Farcy’s time by running a blistering 15:44.

Assistant coaching (until she has to leave for her freshman year at Cal Poly) is former Vashon cross country standout and school record holder Madeline Yarkin. She’s been awesome working as a coach, helping out the younger runners, and sharing her team wisdom throughout the group. She will be missed when she leaves for college.

James Batey is the head coach of Vashon High School’s cross country team.

SCHEDULED MEETS

• 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1: Klahowya Secondary

• 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5: John Payne Invitational at Chambers Creek Park, Tacoma

• 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12: Hole in the Wall Invitational at Lakewood High School

• 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21: Lincoln Park in West Seattle

• 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 2: District Championships at Chambers Creek Park, Tacoma

• 10 a.m. Saturday Nov. 9: Washington State Championships at Sun Willows Golf Course, Pasco

The Vashon High School Cross Country boys stand at the podium celebrating their third place win at Fort Steilacoom on Saturday, September 21, 2024. (John Decker photo)