Cross country: SHS race to second place at home meet

By Michael Carman • October 9, 2024 1:30 am

Sequim’s girls cross country team turned in a second-place performance on its “home turf,” the Voice of America course at Dungeness Recreation Area in the second Olympic League meet of the season on Oct. 2.

Wolves’ runners totaled 99 team points on the 3.1-mile course to edge North Kitsap (100) and Port Angeles (101), with Bainbridge easily winning the meet with 20 points.

Dawn Hulstedt posted Sequim’s top finish, placing fifth overall with a time of 21 minutes, 38.43 seconds.

Wolves freshman Marea Denton placed 15th in 23:48.88, Birdie Pyeatt came in 23rd in 24:08, Manuela Valle Jover came in 27th (25:16.77) and Aspen Goldner ended up 41st (27:05.32). Bainbridge’s Sabine Hartenstine won her second consecutive league race in 20:30.87.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Sequim’s Adrian Osborne runs ahead of the pack during the Olympic League cross country meet at Voice of America at the Dungeness Recreation Area on Oct. 2.

Sequim’s Adrian Osborne led the Wolves’ boys, coming in 19th in 18:51.37. Freshman Westley French clocked a time of 20:11.2 to end up 36th, while Johnathan Tipton placed 41st Jackson Hines was 47th and Meikel Hagedorn 48th.

Bainbridge junior Ben Crandall won the race, setting the course record in 16:29.5.

The Spartans won the team portion with 35 points. Port Angeles was sixth with 152 points and Sequim placed seventh with 183.

Racing at John Payne

Sequim runners also took part in the 28th John Payne XC Invitational at Chambers Creek Properties in University Place on Oct. 5.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Sequim freshman Westley French competes in an Olympic League cross country meet at Voice of America at the Dungeness Recreation Area on Oct. 2.

Osborne was Sequim’s top finisher with a 35th place in the 5,000-meter varsity silver race in 17:45.4. Teammate Reid Randall, a district meet qualifier in 2023 who was competing in his first meet of the season, was 43rd in 17:55.4.

Freshman Bill Struve was 20th in the junior varsity silver race in 20:14, helping the Wolves’ JV team place ninth out of 19 teams in the silver division.

On the girls’ side, Hulstedt was 78th in the varsity gold race, finishing in 20:46.7. Pyeatt, competing in the varsity silver division, took 64th in 23:13.9.

Looking ahead

The Wolves compete at a league meet on Oct. 9 in Port Angeles before the Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational in Lakewood on Oct. 12, their final tune-up for the postseason.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Sequim freshman Marea Denton competes in an Olympic League cross country meet at Voice of America at the Dungeness Recreation Area on Oct. 2.

Sequim hosts the Olympic League meet on Oct. 24 at The Cedars at Dungeness Golf course.

Top teams and individuals advance to the Westside Classic district meet, slated for Nov. 2 in University Place.

The state cross country championship races are slated for Nov. 9 in Pasco.