23 Pacific Northwest athletes earn All-American honors
Results Despite cold, wintry conditions, USATF Pacific Northwest athletes delivered an impressive series of performances at the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships, where approximately 2,500 athletes from across the country competed on the national stage, including 190 athletes from the Pacific Northwest. The championships highlighted the depth of the Pacific Northwest association, with athletes earning podium finishes, strong team results, and numerous All-American honors awarded to the top 25 finishers in each age division.
Pacific Northwest clubs were especially strong in the team competition, highlighted by Cascade Striders capturing the national title in the Boys 7–8 division and the Rain City Flyers bringing home the Boys 9-10 title. Three additional Pacific Northwest teams earned top-three finishes in their respective races, and across all divisions, 23 athletes from the association earned All-American honors with top-25 performances against the nation’s best fields.
The Pacific Northwest dominated the Boys 7–8 division, placing two teams atop the standings and flooding the top 25 with standout performances. Five Pacific Northwest athletes earned All-American honors in the division, led by Reid ONeal (Cascade Striders, 6th), followed by Theo Smith (Federal Way Track, 9th) and Rory Hale (Rain City Flyers, 13th). Additional All-American finishes were recorded by Simon Kelly-Stallings (Cascade Striders, 19th) and Beckett Andescavage (Rain City Flyers, 20th).
Cascade Striders captured the national title with 52 points, led by scorers Reid ONeal (6th), Simon Kelly-Stallings (19th), Everett Phillips (29th), Max Crampton (33rd), and Elliot Unger (36th).
Rain City Flyers secured second place with 72 points behind Rory Hale (13th), Beckett Andescavage (20th), Wesley Gagnon (34th), Oliver Linkem (37th), and Sebastian Luk (68th).
Pacific Northwest athletes earned All-American honors in the Girls 7–8 division, led by Violette Dreher (Cascade Striders, 9th) and Ava Olmstead (Mercer Island Bluebirds, 10th), with Harper Wishnie (Cascade Striders, 22nd) also finishing inside the top 25.
Cascade Striders earned a third-place team finish with 98 points, led by scorers Violette Dreher (9th), Harper Wishnie (22nd), Cora Koss (68th), Anisha Pathak (89th), and Ivelina Mihova (102nd).
Strong depth highlighted the Boys 9–10 race for the Pacific Northwest association, with Gunnar Stephenson (Rain City Flyers) leading the way in 31st place. He was joined near the front of the field by Elias Manthey (Federal Way Track, 39th), Evan Montz (Cascade Striders, 45th), and Desmond Hoopes (Rain City Flyers, 48th), as four Pacific Northwest runners cracked the top 50.
Rain City Flyers won the team title with 134 points, led by scorers Gunnar Stephenson (31st), Desmond Hoopes (48th), Stuart Baker (61st), Amos Kelly-Stallings (69th), and Harrison Newkirk (77th).
Tess Kussick (Rain City Flyers) earned All-American honors with a 16th-place finish, while Ruari Latimer (West Seattle Road Runners) added another All-American performance in 25th.
West Seattle Road Runners placed seventh in the team standings, followed by Rain City Flyers in 12th.
Maceo Conta (Rain City Flyers) earned All-American honors with a 17th-place finish in the Boys 11–12 division.
Rain City Flyers placed fifth in the team standings with 155 points, led by scorers Maceo Conta (17th), Jamie Hall (45th), Alex Linkem (49th), Cameron Fiess (61st), and Lee Hoopes (93rd).
Six Pacific Northwest athletes earned All-American honors in one of the meet’s most competitive races. West Seattle Road Runners teammates Teagan Kemper (3rd) and Beau Sitzmann (4th) and Beau Berry (5th; Mercer Island Bluebirds) all crossed the line within one second of each other to nab three of the top five places. Additional All-American performances came from Leah Kussick (9th), Martina Rodriguez-Villen (11th), and Savannah Brondstetter (19th).
West Seattle Road Runners earned a runner-up team finish with 121 points, led by scorers Teagan Kemper (3rd), Beau Sitzmann (4th), Savannah Brondstetter (19th), Isobel Laing (99th), and Maya Morales Rowe (107th).
Karsten Christensen (Rain City Flyers) earned All-American honors with a 17th-place finish in the Boys 13–14 division.
West Seattle Road Runners posted a 16th-place team finish, while Whisper Running (19th) and Salish Stride Youth Running Club (27th) ran strong team races.
Eleanor Jones (Rain City Flyers) earned All-American honors with a ninth-place finish in the Girls 13–14 division.
Rain City Flyers secured sixth in the team standings, while Salish Stride Youth Running Club and West Seattle Road Runners placed 10th and 12th, respectively.
Brody Will (unattached) earned All-American honors with a fourth-place finish in the Boys 17–18 division, while Zachariah O’Keefe (West Seattle Road Runners) added another All-American performance with a 24th-place finish in Boys 15–16.
Catherine Harju (West Seattle Road Runners) earned All-American honors with a 13th-place finish in Girls 15–16, while Kallan Knapp (West Seattle Road Runners) closed out the championships with a 10th-place All-American performance in Girls 17–18.
The following USATF Pacific Northwest athletes earned All-American honors at the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships by finishing inside the top 25 of their respective age divisions, listed in order of finish:
• Teagan Kemper — 3rd, Girls 11–12 (West Seattle Road Runners) • Beau Sitzmann — 4th, Girls 11–12 (West Seattle Road Runners) • Brody Will — 4th, Boys 17–18 (Unattached) • Beau Berry — 5th, Girls 11–12 (Mercer Island Bluebirds) • Reid ONeal — 6th, Boys 7–8 (Cascade Striders) • Theo Smith — 9th, Boys 7–8 (Federal Way Track) • Violette Dreher — 9th, Girls 7–8 (Cascade Striders) • Leah Kussick — 9th, Girls 11–12 (Rain City Flyers) • Eleanor Jones — 9th, Girls 13–14 (Rain City Flyers) • Ava Olmstead — 10th, Girls 7–8 (Mercer Island Bluebirds) • Kallan Knapp — 10th, Girls 17–18 (West Seattle Road Runners) • Martina Rodriguez-Villen — 11th, Girls 11–12 (Rain City Flyers) • Rory Hale — 13th, Boys 7–8 (Rain City Flyers) • Catherine Harju — 13th, Girls 15–16 (West Seattle Road Runners) • Tess Kussick — 16th, Girls 9–10 (Rain City Flyers) • Maceo Conta — 17th, Boys 11–12 (Rain City Flyers) • Karsten Christensen — 17th, Boys 13–14 (Rain City Flyers) • Savannah Brondstetter — 19th, Girls 11–12 (West Seattle Road Runners) • Simon Kelly-Stallings — 19th, Boys 7–8 (Cascade Striders) • Beckett Andescavage — 20th, Boys 7–8 (Rain City Flyers) • Harper Wishnie — 22nd, Girls 7–8 (Cascade Striders) • Zachariah O’Keefe — 24th, Boys 15–16 (West Seattle Road Runners) • Ruari Latimer — 25th, Girls 9–10 (West Seattle Road Runners)