Senior team captain strives for team-bonding

Camille Mackie was determined to make her senior cross country season special.

A team captain for the West Valley cross country team, Mackie arranged team-bonding time in addition to training runs.

“Over the summer we did a lot of hanging out together,” she said. “I really wanted this team to share closer bonds.

“The last couple years we weren’t as close as we could have been.”

“This year seems a lot closer than we’ve been in years past. We’ve all been together for a long time – three years for some of them. We’re a lot more comfortable with one another and we still do a lot of things together, like having weekly team dinners.”

Mackie’s efforts not only have paid off in West Valley team chemistry, they’ve paid off for herself. The Eagles are ranked No. 4 in the most recent Class 2A state poll, and Mackie is in the midst of her best season yet.

Mackie placed 20th, the second West Valley runner to cross the finish line, in the Eagles’ division of the Bob Firman Invitational meet in Boise last month, turning in an impressive 21 minutes, 20 seconds 5K.

“She’s running better than she’s ever run for me,” coach Jim McLachlan said. “A lot of time, runners will tail off a little during their senior season, but not Camille.

“She plays softball in the spring instead of running track, and I have always thought that put her a bit behind when it comes to running. But she’s worked hard and she’s having her best season.”

Running behind junior Krystal Hughes, who’s having an outstanding season in her own right, Mackie and sophomores Alex Fraser and Rachel Rubright have alternated in the Nos. 2-3-4 spots.

“There’s not much daylight between the three of them,” McLachlan said. “They push each other and encourage each other. I don’t think they really care who finishes where, so long as the team does well.”

That, in itself, is a change for Mackie, who was frequently frustrated by her performance a year ago.

“I can’t point out what I was feeling last year, but this year is a lot different for me,” she said. “I feel more motivated to do things this year. This is my last year, so I’m trying to put it all out there.”

“The last couple years I think she was frustrated with how she performed,” the coach said. “She had high expectations and she would get upset with herself when she would fall short of meeting them.”

Mackie’s expectations remain high – she’s just shifted them from the personal to the team.

The Eagles lost by a single point to Cheney in their dual meet – the only thing standing between the team and a league championship.

“We were without our No. 2 runner, Alex Fraser, and our No. 6 runner, Stacia Kline, in that meet,” Mackie said. “It was frustrating to come that close and not beat the Blackhawks – they’ve been our rival for so long.

“At the same time, it gives us a lot of confidence going into the district meet, knowing that we’ll be back at full strength.”

Mackie and her teammates have their sites set on reaching the state meet and finishing their season on the awards platform afterward.

“It’s been a long time since a West Valley team has run at state, let along stood on top of the awards platform at state,” she said. “We haven’t gone for as long as I’ve been here. We were determined to change that.”

To reach that goal, the Eagles face perhaps the second toughest district challenge in the state.

Riverside and Cheney, the league’s two state representatives, finished second and fifth, respectively a year ago while the Eagles and a talented Deer Park squad stayed home. All four teams return virtually intact from last year and will battle for three team berths to state.

The three GNL rivals are ranked together in the most recent state Class 2A poll by the Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association. West Valley comes in at No. 4, just ahead of No. 5 Cheney and No. 6 Riverside.

The toughest district battle is in the Northwest, where No. 1 Bellingham faces No. 2 South Whidbey and No. 3 Sehome.

If it helps, Mackie has shined in Saturday races.

“I guess weekends agree with me,” she laughed. “I’m not exactly sure why. I just hope I can keep it up.”

The state Class 2A championship meet is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 3 at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.