The Pirate cross country team traveled across the pass to Pasco this past Saturday to cap their season at the State Championships.
Under rainy skies and muddy conditions on the golf course in Pasco, the Pirates finished their season in the 5k races to round out a rewarding and successful fall of cross country running.
It has been eight years since the Pirates have sent a full team to State, and this year the women’s team returned, led by captian Madeline Yarkin in her fourth and final year as team captain.
Yarkin and sophomore Cecelia Guenther joined together to pace sophomore Emily Harrington, in her first year as a Pirate harrier, to a thirty-four second personal best of 22:11 over the 5k. Harrington improved by one minute and 23 seconds over the season, chopping her time down in every race.
Following the top three Pirates were sophmore Emma Campbell and senior Amelia Medeiros. The women’s team was feted after the race with an award for attaining the best GPA (Grade Point Average) in their category, with a 3.99 GPA.
The men’s team was represented at State by freshmen Josh Healey and Cash Nowicki. Healey was the second freshman across the line with a time of 17:20, which bodes well for next year’s run at State. Healey was followed by teammate Nowicki, who will continue to race at this weekend’s USATF Junior Olympics race in Seattle to close out his season.
The coaches of the Pirate Cross Country Team think of this year’s teams as one of the most cohesive and supportive in recent memory. The athletes were led by senior captains Yarkin and Oli Nielsen, who guided the young team through a season of growth and comradery.
The tightly knit group turned out every day with a serious commitment to training hard while also bonding together in their unique and sometimes comical way, from Taylor Swift sing-alongs in the travel vans to raft-building in the annual trip to Maury Marine Park.
The coaches also appreciate the parental support the team received all year, along with the support of the community in helping host the Pirate home meet in September.
The team met together this past week to present the team awards and introduce the 2024 team captains, who will be announced publicly at a later date.
