Mead boys cross country finishes third at Nike Cross Regional, awaits possible bid to national meet
The storybook season for the Mead boys cross country team added another stupendous chapter Saturday afternoon.
Ranked 19th in the nation, Mead took third at the Nike Cross Regional under overcast skies at the Spokane Polo Grounds.
Appropriately, the sun broke through the clouds and cast an appropriate brilliant glare on the finish line with dark skies off in the east.
Stumptown, consisting of runners from Jesuit High School in Portland, won with 88 points. Forest Park took second with 149 points and Mead was one point behind.
The top two boys and girls teams earn berths to the Nike Cross National meet Dec. 6 in Portland. Four more boys and girls teams will earn at-large berths.
Mead, which cruised to a State 4A championship last weekend, made a statement for an at-large berth. Jovanny Lieb led Mead, finishing 23rd in 15 minutes, 11.4 seconds. Stejer Frankler was next for Mead at 31st (15:16.7), followed by Aaron Pooler (55th, 15:29.3), Jonah Wiser (76th, 15:41.1) and Noah Reischman (77th, 15:41.2).
Mead coach Austin Stuchell was ecstatic afterward.
“We were the underdogs,” Stuchell said. “Now we’ll let the (selection) committee make its decision. We outperformed ourselves. I can’t ask for anymore. I think they ran better today than they did at state. It’s kind of a fairytale ending.”
Except Mead would like one more race.
It was a disappointing day for Coeur d’Alene, the defending NXR champ. Coeur d’Alene finished a distant sixth with 212 points.
Wyatt Carr led Coeur d’Alene, taking eighth (14:48.7).
“It was a tough one,” Coeur d’Alene coach Emry Carr said. “I have to look at our splits and process it. I don’t know what exactly happened.”
Coeur d’Alene was having difficulties from the beginning, Emry Carr said.
“I don’t know where it went wrong,” Carr said. “It’s a tough, tough way to go out.”
Coeur d’Alene trains for the NXR and less for the state high school meet. The fact Carr’s team didn’t finish where it hoped to Saturday made things more frustrating.
“That’s why it doesn’t matter if you’re ranked third in the nation or not,” Carr said. “You gotta run the race. And if you don’t perform on that date that’s the way it goes.”
Cohen Butler of Camas, who won the 4A state individual title a week ago, captured the boys championship in a scorching time of 14:36.8
Addison Kegel, a freshman from Billings, Montana, won the girls title in a time of 16:51.7.
Kegel, a freshman from Billings Central Catholic, went undefeated during her high school season. Her time Saturday was a personal best by 17 seconds.
What was even more impressive about Kegel’s win is she was accidentally knocked to the ground about halfway through the race. But she scrambled to her feet, eventually taking the lead with 400 meters to go.
“I am so amazed,” Kegel said. “I wanted to finish in the top 10. The gravity of the race still hasn’t sunk in yet. This course was made for (personal bests).”
The NXR race moves to the Course Spokane Valley next year.
Annabelle Carr of Coeur d’Alene Charter, who won a second straight state title two weeks ago, was the highest-finishing area runner at 29th (17:52.6).