The Vashon High School Pirates came away from the league championships for cross country with wins in two separate sports: The girls’ team won the Nisqually League Championship, placing five scoring runners in the top eight finishers for a score of 29. In the second sport, Pirates Mason Carter and Selena Mildon won the post-race pie eating contest during the welcome good weather for the day that was sandwiched between days of downpours and windstorms.

The events were contested last Friday at Fort Steilacoom Park. As in past races, the Pirate girls ran in a tight group in the girls’ 5k run, with less than a minute separating the Pirates’ first runner and their fifth runner. In addition, the top seven Pirate runners finished ahead of Bellevue Christian’s fifth runner, assuring total dominance of the meet. Sophomore Selena Mildon finished as the first Pirate in third place, setting a personal best on the Fort Steilacoom course in 21:28.

Many other Pirates continued to lower their 5k times, including senior Quinn Weber, the first Pirate in the boys’ 5k, who lowered his Fort Steilacoom best time by 11 seconds while finishing 17th overall. Other Pirates also lowered their personal bests on the course, with freshman Hunter Justis and sophomore Isaac Hughes following Weber for the Pirates, finishing with personal bests.

This Saturday the Pirate cross country teams travel to American Lake in Lakewood for the district championships, where the Pirate girls’ team has an excellent opportunity to qualify to run at the state meet in Pasco on Nov. 8.