West Seattle RR Win Team Title; 24 Earn All-American Honors at National Junior Olympics in Indiana

Pacific Northwest Results Scoreboard 

On Saturday (14-Dec), 200 athletes representing 17 clubs from USATF Pacific Northwest competed at the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in Shelbyville, Indiana.  The competition was held at the Blue River Cross Country course, the site of numerous NCAA regional and conference championships. 

A total of 2922 athletes and 231 teams from across the country competed in the championships.

Races were contested in 6 age divisions (8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18) for boys and girls.  The top 25 finishers in each age division earned all-American status and the top three teams were awarded championship recognition. 

Twenty-four (24) athletes from the Pacific Northwest association earned all-American honors with four teams earning trips to the awards podium for their top-three finishes, highlighted by the national title won by the West Seattle Road Runner 9-10 girls.

THE YOUNG GUNS GET THINGS ROLLING (7-8)

In the first race of the day Danica Uzelac (Rain City Flyers) and Violette Dreher (Cascade Striders)ran to all-American finishes as they placed 19th and 24th, respectively. Their times were 8:32 and 8:39 on the 2 km course. 

198 runners and 16 teams competed in the 7-8 girls competition.

In the boys race, Gunnar Stephenson (Rain City Flyers) finished 17th running 7:52 on the 2 km course. The Cascade Striders finished fourth scoring 135 points; just 4 points off a podium finish. The team scorers were Tucker Johnson (35th), Suchir Iyer (46th), David Berkovich (76th), Everett Phillips (102nd), and Oscar Balitzer (106th). The West Seattle Road Runners finished 11th scoring 244 points. 

247 runners and 16 teams competed in the 7-8 boys competition.

WEST SEATTLE ROAD RUNNERS GO EAST TO WIN NATIONAL TITLE (9-10)

In the girls 9-10 3 km race, the West Seattle Road Runners ran to victory as their top five scorers were packed within 45 seconds of each other. They scored 76 points to defeat the California Comets by 11 points. Leading the way for the team were the all-American finishes by Everly Haase (11th; 11:57) and Lanna Caprara (22nd; 12:03). They were followed by Isobel Laing (33rd; 12:23), Annabel Sullivan (58th; 12:40), and Maya Morales Rowe (65th; 12:43). The Rain City Flyers and Cascade Striders finished 7th and 11th, respectively in the field of 18 teams. The Rain City Flyers were led by Tess Kussick who earned all-American honors finishing 19th in 11:59. 

291 runners and 18 teams competed in the 9-10 girls competition.

In the boys 9-10 race the top Pacific Northwest finisher was Ryan Koss (Cascade Striders) who finished 26th running 11:18; just .45 seconds off of an all-American honor. The West Seattle Road Runners and Rain City Flyers finished 10th and 15th, respectively in the team results. 

351 runners and 29 teams competed in the 9-10 boys competition.

RODRIGUEZ-VILLEN AND KEMPER NAB TOP FINISHES TO LEAD THEIR TEAMS TO THE PODIUM (11-12)

In the 11-12 girls 3 km race, Martina Rodriguez-Villen (Rain City Flyers) finished second to lead her team to second place finish while five other Pacific Northwest girls earned all-American honors. Rodriguez-Villen, who won the 9-10 division last year, earned her fourth straight all-American honor as stopped the clock in 10:39; trailing only Isla Rahmer of New Mexico who ran 10:28. Also earning all-American finishes were Teagan Kemper (8th; West Seattle Road Runners), Inez Mutzel (9th; Cascade Striders), Serena Robinson (13th; Mercer Island Bluebirds), Beau Sitzmann (15th; West Seattle Road Runners), and Savannah Brondstetter (17th; West Seattle Road Runners)

Rodriguez-Villen's low stick helped the Rain City Flyers secure the team runner-up finish as they scored 124 points. The other team scorers were Leah Kussick (31st), Eleanor Jones (38th), Mattea Borghesani (54th), and Katherine Schmidt (58th). West Seattle Road Runners finished fifth as a team with 188 points. Quick Track Club of California won with 82 points. 

363 runners and 27 teams competed in the 11-12 girls competition.

In the boys 11-12 race, Gus Kemper (West Seattle Road Runners), Teagan's older brother, finished fifth to earn his second career all-American honor (in 2022 he finished 11th in the 9-10 boys race). Joining Kemper on the all-American podium were Cache Tait (12th, Cascade Striders) and Braxton Stacey (18th, Salish Stride Youth RC)

Kemper's low stick led his West Seattle Road Runners team to a third place finish as they scored 218 points. The other team scorers, who all finished within 11 seconds of each other, were Milo Reese (76th), Henry Corr (101st), Porter Pierce (104th), and Kento Crandall (108th). Three other Pacific Northwest teams were Rain City Flyers (20th), Cascade Striders (21st), and South Hill Running (27th). Illinois based Palatine Pack won with a score of 131 pts.

411 runners and 37 teams competed in the 11-12 boys competition.

CONTRERAS AND BEELER RACE TO TOP-TEN FINISHES IN LARGEST RACES OF THE DAY (13-14)

The 13-14 4 km races were the largest of the day on both the boys and girls side. In the boys race 421 athletes crossed the finish line and in the girls race 394 runners competed. Both races had 37 teams score in the team competition.

The first off the line was the girls race and Elin Beeler (Cascade Striders) stopped the clock at 13:59 to finish eighth; earning her fourth consecutive all-American honor. The past two years she finished fourth (2023, 11-12) and sixth (2022, 9-10). In 2021 she was the 9-10 champion. Finishing just 12 seconds later was Sloane Clines (Salish Stride Youth RC) in 11th place as she earned her second straight all-American honor in the 13-14 division (2023, 22nd). She also led the Salish Stride Youth RC to a seventh place team finish with 288 points. The other team scorers were Margrete Smith (78th), Paige Ricks (94th), Mia Cook (114th), and Jaxzine Rush (142nd). The West Seattle Road Runners (334 points) and Rain City Flyers (394 points) finished 10th and 15th, respectively.

In the boys race, Luke Contreras (Club Northwest) ran to his second straight all-American finish as he placed seventh in arguably the most competitive race of the day. His time of 12:45 marked the first time breaking the 13-minute barrier. He led his Club Northwest squad to a 25th place team finish. The Rain City Flyers finished an impressive ninth in the team competition as they scored 350 points in the field of 37 teams. The team scorers were Karsten Christensen (39th), Brooks Oliver (66th), Sadler Golden (114th), Luther Branum (166th), and Wesley Reischl (206th).

ZIMMERMAN AND LENDRUM FORT FINISH THE DAY WITH TOP-TEN FINISHES (15-18)

The last two races of the day were the 15-18 boys and girls 5 km races. In each race individuals were competing in either the 15-16 or 17-18 division while team scores were based on runners from both divisions.

In the boys race, Oliver Zimmerman (unattached) finished sixth in the 15-16 division running 16:30. Earning all-American honors in the 17-18 division were Brody Will (Whisper Running, 10th, 16:34) and Aaron Ton (unattached, 24th, 17:59).

In the girls race, four Pacific Northwest athletes earned all-American honors in the 17-18 division. Leading the way was Anna Lendrum Fort (Rain City Flyers) who finished seventh. She was followed by Kallan Knapp (West Seattle Road Runners, 9th), Brynn Williams (unattached, 11th), and Makella Sweeney (King Cobras Athletic Club, 19th).

The West Seattle Road Runners finished fourth in the team competition with 95 points. Their team scorers were Lincoln Sitzmann, Clara Peak, Kallan Knapp, Leah Easterling, and Gemma Caprara.

Click here for the complete Pacific Northwest results scoreboard.