| Northwest Region
Regional Meet: November 15, 2008 at Boise ID
Oregon - Washington - Idaho - Montana - Alaska - Hawaii
Two teams and five individuals per gender will qualify for NXN national finals December 6, 2008 at Portland OR |
Results - Photo Gallery
Girls Championship: Andrews drops one for the ages
Crusader Harriers OR 47, Wolfpack XC (Eastlake WA) 110
Girls Story by Dave Devine, DyeStat senior editor
Photos by Robert Rosenberg
 It was supposed to be an epic showdown of large-school state champions from five different states. Alaska 4A and defending NXN Northwest champ Leah Francis versus Montana AA champ Heidi Turner versus Oregon 6A champ Annamarie Maag versus Idaho 5A champ Liz Brandon versus Washington 4A champ Alyssa Andrews. Five girls, each the fastest at their respective state meets, meeting in a single race for the title of NXN Northwest champion and a bid to race at the finals in Portland, Oregon. Even without Montana’s Turner, who stayed home to nurse an injury, it should have been tightly-contested and memorable for the matchups.
It turned into a coronation.
Gig XC star Alyssa Andrews ran away from the field just past a mile and a half, putting over 15 seconds on her adversaries en route to the first girls time ever under 18 minutes on the Eagle Island State Park 5k layout. Her 17:58.6 clocking slashed nearly ten seconds from an already-impressive 18:08 course record thrown down by Brandon only two weeks earlier at the Idaho state meet. The weather may have been perfect, the conditions ideal, but Andrews’ performance still added up to something special.
The lead pack in the girls championship race had streamed across the lakeside beach toward the 1 mile mark still tightly bunched, with Andrews, Brandon and Oregon’s Khalia Tidwell fronting a dense cluster through a split of 5:40. After wending her way through the S-curves leading to Spectator Hill, Andrews hit the base with a slight gap, but Tidwell churned powerfully up the hill to seize the lead. At that point, just short of a mile and a half, a switch flipped for Andrews.
“When that girl [Tidwell] passed me on the uphill, I was like, ‘Alright, I’ve got to get a gap if I’m going to beat her.’ So I tried to get a gap at a mile and a half, and I just started going.”
Andrews reclaimed the lead on the ensuing downhill (left) and pulled clear from her pursuers in the second loop of the course. By the time they crossed the beach a second time, she’d hit 11:31 for 2 miles and carved out a nearly insurmountable lead. The race seemed to be for second.
And what a race it was.
Francis, the defending champ and 3-time Alaska state XC champ, was battling with Maag and Noelle VanRysselberghe, the top two runners from heavily favored Crusader Harriers (Jesuit OR, below). Moving into contention was Idaho 5A third placer and local favorite Nicole Nielsen, a 2007 Foot Locker finalist and runner-up to Francis at the 2007 NTN NW regional. Nielsen had struggled with an iron deficiency earlier in the season, but her recent performances indicated a return to last year’s form, and this was her back-to-the-top race. Another strong effort was coming from Washington 4A runner-up Sandra Martinez, working her way through the pack to put herself into contention for one of the NXN Finals invitations being extended to the top five finishers not attached to a qualifying team. Others fighting for position included Brandon, Washington 3A runner up Carey Parker, Idaho 4A champ Emily Nist, Crusader Harriers #3 Payton Schutte and a slightly-fading Tidwell.
 Up front, Andrews showed no signs of waning, though in her own mind she was starting to fall apart. Told she looked strong right through the record-setting finish, her response was somewhat incredulous.
“People keep telling me that, but I was feeling like crap the last mile. I felt good the first mile, I was relaxed, but the second lap was hard, and then the hill at the end killed me. The downhill was awesome— that saved me.”
Even if she appeared confident, Andrews admitted she was running scared, well aware of the talent maneuvering behind her, even if their faces and uniforms were unfamiliar.
“It made me more nervous, because I had no idea who was here. It was kind of a good thing, but it still made me nervous.”
Gracious and accommodating to press in the finish area paddock, she was keeping an eye on the crowded chute and her arriving teammates as the team competition unfolded deeper in the pack. Her own Gig XC (Gig Harbor WA) had been ranked #2 in the region heading into the Washington state meet, only to be upset by one point by a NW#3 Eastlake WA team that was highly-considered entering the season, but struggled with injuries during the early autumn months. The Washington triumph had shown Eastlake was on the rebound, and would be strong contenders for the second team berth to Portland.
In the moments after her win, Andrews was still hopeful her one-point starter had been enough to lead Gig XC in turning the tables on Eastlake (competing as Wolfpack XC in the post-season).
 “We wanted this so bad,” she said. “We lost by a point; it was so frustrating. We were like, ‘Alright, it’s on now.’ It more came from us; our team wanted it so bad. I’m hoping that we did it.”
An hour later, as the team awards were announced, it was clear that Gig’s valiant effort had fallen short. The Crusader Harriers, as expected, scored an untouchable 47 points behind Maag’s runner-up 18:14 and a hard charging sixth-place, 18:20 finish from Schutte. VanRysselberghe faded slightly in the closing mile, finishing 11th in 18:34, but the Crusaders’ depth meant even a few lost places had no impact on the final outcome. Wolfpack XC, meanwhile, using the same tight pack tactics which delivered their state title a week earlier, snagged the second girls’ ticket to Portland without any runners in the top 25. Megan Batty (28th 19:17) led off the Wolfpack tally as the 14th scorer after unattached individuals were removed, fronting a 110-point effort that relegated Gig XC to third with 128.
Until the final scores were announced, the Wolfpack runners were uncertain of the outcome, but as soon as their team name was announced (left) as the second-place team, they erupted in celebration.
The struggle for individual berths was just as compelling, as Nielsen (3rd 18:17), Martinez (4th 18:17), Francis (5th 18:17) and Parker (7th 18:24) asserted themselves down the long homestretch for the coveted spots after team qualifiers Maag and Schutte are removed.
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Crusader Harriers girls (Jesuit OR) pose with 2008 Olympian Nick Symmonds - Photo by Robert Rosenberg
Results
Nike Cross Northwest Regional
Eagle Island State Park, Boise, ID
Last Completed Event
Event 5 Girls 5k Run CC Championship
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Name Year School Avg Mile Finals Points
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1 #257 Alyssa Andrews 09 Gig XC Club 5:47.2 17:58.6 1
2 #219 AnnaMarie Maag 11 Crusader Harriers 5:52.2 18:14.2 2
3 #368 Nicole Nielsen 09 Lions XC 5:53.0 18:16.6
4 #764 Sandra Martinez 09 Una-Wa-Yakim 5:53.1 18:16.9
5 #590 Leah Francis 10 Serr/Treadwe 5:53.2 18:17.2
6 #225 Payton Schutte 11 Crusader Harriers 5:54.1 18:20.1 3
7 #423 Carey Parker 09 Montlake CC 5:55.2 18:23.5 4
8 #663 Liz Brandon 10 Team Idaho 5:56.3 18:26.8
9 #327 Emily Nist 12 Knights RC 5:56.4 18:27.1 5
10 #516 Alexandra Jones 09 Rose City XC Club 5:56.7 18:28.0 6
11 #226 Noelle VanRysselber 09 Crusader Harriers 5:58.5 18:33.7 7
12 #760 Madeleine Meyers 12 Una-Wa-Seatt 5:58.9 18:35.0
13 #736 Khalia Tidwell 10 Una-Or-Gresh 5:59.5 18:36.8
14 #321 Ruby Roberts 10 Kingston RC 6:01.6 18:43.4
15 #522 Lucy Whipps 10 Rose City XC Club 6:02.5 18:46.3 8
16 #491 Megan Fristoe 12 Pinnacle CC 6:02.7 18:46.6 9
17 #195 Kayleigh Tyerman 09 Crater Comet 6:02.8 18:47.2 10
18 #723 Keli Dennehy 10 Una-Mt-Butte 6:05.8 18:56.3
19 #762 Chloe Treleven 09 Una-Wa-Tacom 6:06.4 18:58.3
20 #517 Alexa Kearns 10 Rose City XC Club 6:07.4 19:01.4 11
21 #483 Molly Mitchell 09 North Idaho LC 6:07.8 19:02.5
22 #737 Tate Murray 10 Una-Or-Lake_ 6:08.2 19:03.9
23 #497 Kaylee Campbell 09 Preston CC Club 6:09.3 19:07.3 12
24 #741 Mimi Krieger 11 Una-Wa-Belli 6:09.8 19:08.9
25 #813 Priscilla Timmons 09 Flanigan Clan 6:09.9 19:09.2
26 #444 Bug Simmons 09 Mountain Vie 6:11.0 19:12.7 13
27 #135 Michelle Hickerson 10 Centennial XC Club 6:11.6 19:14.3
28 #779 Megan Batty 11 Wolfpack XC Club 6:12.4 19:16.9 14
29 #531 Megan Bartlett 09 Sandpoint XC Club 6:12.5 19:17.4
30 #635 Hannah Mittelstaedt 10 Tahoma XC RC 6:13.1 19:19.0 15
31 #777 Jordan Powell 09 Wildcat XC 6:13.4 19:19.9
32 #309 Alexandra Litzsinge 09 Highland of 6:14.0 19:22.0
33 #220 Shannon Mahoney 11 Crusader Harriers 6:14.4 19:23.1 16
34 #791 Katelyn Steen 11 Wolfpack XC Club 6:14.5 19:23.4 17
35 #261 Brittany Kealy 11 Gig XC Club 6:14.6 19:23.7 18
36 #65 Sarah Olson 09 Boise Striders 6:14.8 19:24.2
37 #215 Adrienne Demaree 12 Crusader Harriers 6:15.0 19:24.9 19
38 #664 Ruth Fritz 12 Team Idaho 6:15.5 19:26.4
39 #758 Erin Hegarty 11 Una-Wa-Richl 6:15.7 19:27.2
40 #308 Cristal Delgado 09 Hermiston Harriers 6:15.8 19:27.5
41 #498 Allie Ford 09 Preston CC Club 6:16.0 19:28.2 20
42 #739 Hayley Gregoire 11 Una-Or-Portl 6:16.2 19:28.6
43 #495 Kellie Schueler 10 Pinnacle CC 6:17.1 19:31.7 21
44 #788 Chelsea Orr 10 Wolfpack XC Club 6:17.4 19:32.4 22
45 #577 Annie Moore 10 Sehome XC RC 6:17.5 19:32.7
46 #755 Lindsay Benster 12 Una-Wa-Merce 6:18.1 19:34.6
47 #426 Laura Sauvage 10 Montlake CC 6:19.5 19:39.0 23
48 #218 Claire Hagler 09 Crusader Harriers 6:19.6 19:39.3 24
49 #780 Erin Blodnick 10 Wolfpack XC Club 6:19.9 19:40.2 25
50 #216 Sabrah DeVoir 11 Crusader Harriers 6:20.0 19:40.5 26
51 #499 Heidi Free 11 Preston CC Club 6:20.2 19:41.3 27
52 #633 Lauren Clawson 11 Tahoma XC RC 6:20.3 19:41.5 28
53 #61 Kate Jamboretz 11 Boise Striders 6:20.4 19:41.8
54 #258 Claire Betterbed 09 Gig XC Club 6:20.6 19:42.3 29
55 #442 Jordan Mathes 12 Mountain Vie 6:21.9 19:46.4 30
56 #500 Hailee Harrison 11 Preston CC Club 6:22.5 19:48.2 31
57 #783 Tasha Lingenbrink 09 Wolfpack XC Club 6:22.6 19:48.5 32
58 #554 Julia Fonk 10 SE Pdx XC Club 6:22.9 19:49.6 33
59 #511 Erin Bergmann 11 Rose City XC Club 6:23.3 19:50.7 34
60 #482 Rhianna Grossman 10 North Idaho LC 6:23.6 19:51.6
61 #712 Mariah Meyer 11 Una-Id-Pocat 6:24.1 19:53.3
62 #636 Julianna Mock 12 Tahoma XC RC 6:24.4 19:54.2 35
63 #322 Jordan Engelhardt 09 Knights RC 6:25.3 19:56.9 36
64 #263 Danie Moon 11 Gig XC Club 6:25.8 19:58.4 37
65 #407 Ashley Baldovino 10 Mile High Striders 6:26.0 19:59.2
66 #324 Codi Gifford 09 Knights RC 6:26.1 19:59.6 38
67 #430 Kelli Ellingson 11 Mountain Vie 6:27.0 20:02.1 39
68 #494 Kyra Kelly 09 Pinnacle CC 6:27.1 20:02.5 40
69 #419 Krista Beyer 10 Montlake CC 6:27.8 20:04.9 41
70 #408 Talissa Baldovino 09 Mile High Striders 6:28.2 20:06.0
71 #320 Rose Bishop 11 Kingston RC 6:28.3 20:06.4
72 #439 Katie Larson 11 Mountain Vie 6:28.4 20:06.6 42
73 #260 Erin Hull 10 Gig XC Club 6:29.2 20:09.0 43
74 #559 Madison Trowbridge 11 SE Pdx XC Club 6:29.4 20:09.8 44
75 #496 Hilary Sharpe 09 Pinnacle CC 6:30.8 20:14.2 45
76 #193 Silver Siebert 09 Crater Comet 6:31.2 20:15.3 46
77 #770 Jessica Sagen 11 Whitefish AC 6:31.6 20:16.7 47
78 #115 Brianna Parcells 09 Burley RC 6:32.6 20:19.7
79 #434 Lexi Hawkins 09 Mountain Vie 6:33.0 20:20.8 48
80 #492 Sara Fristoe 12 Pinnacle CC 6:33.4 20:22.3 49
81 #493 Mackenzie Naffziger 10 Pinnacle CC 6:33.9 20:23.7 50
82 #192 Damaris Remigio 11 Crater Comet 6:34.0 20:23.9 51
83 #711 Rebecca Lassere 12 Una-Id-Pocat 6:34.2 20:24.6
84 #768 Loni Hanson 10 Whitefish AC 6:34.9 20:26.7 52
85 #632 Molli Bahlenhorst 09 Tahoma XC RC 6:35.3 20:28.1 53
86 #638 Blair Slater 10 Tahoma XC RC 6:36.3 20:31.1 54
87 #786 Haley O'Connor 11 Wolfpack XC Club 6:36.3 20:31.3 55
88 #756 Gabi Goyette 10 Una-Wa-Merce 6:36.5 20:31.7
89 #782 Ashley Horton 09 Wolfpack XC Club 6:37.7 20:35.4 56
90 #188 Arianne Laferriere 10 Crater Comet 6:38.1 20:36.8 57
91 #266 Christy Sipes 10 Gig XC Club 6:39.1 20:39.8 58
92 #443 Valerie Mitchell 12 Mountain Vie 6:39.2 20:40.1 59
93 #470 Afton Mckinlay 11 Mt. Spokane XC Club 6:39.9 20:42.3 60
94 #435 Hillary Holt 10 Mountain Vie 6:40.3 20:43.7 61
95 #189 Anya Martinez 09 Crater Comet 6:40.5 20:44.3 62
96 #268 Kelly Williams 11 Gig XC Club 6:40.7 20:44.8 63
97 #558 Katie Skinner 10 SE Pdx XC Club 6:40.8 20:45.0 64
98 #421 Katie Jensen 09 Montlake CC 6:41.3 20:46.8 65
99 #754 Molly O'Callahan 10 Una-Wa-Merce 6:41.5 20:47.2
100 #425 Martha Russell 09 Montlake CC 6:41.5 20:47.5 66
101 #466 Molly Cole 12 Mt. Spokane XC Club 6:41.7 20:48.1 67
102 #767 Bailey Easton 11 Whitefish AC 6:42.8 20:51.3 68
103 #325 Erin Gordon 12 Knights RC 6:42.9 20:51.6 69
104 #184 Lindsey Bascom 09 Crater Comet 6:44.0 20:55.0 70
105 #634 Emily Duerson 11 Tahoma XC RC 6:47.6 21:06.4 71
106 #330 Lara Tuthill 10 Knights RC 6:48.7 21:09.7 72
107 #472 Courtney Zalud 09 Mt. Spokane XC Club 6:49.1 21:10.9 73
108 #467 Sarah Craig 10 Mt. Spokane XC Club 6:49.3 21:11.5 74
109 #468 Melissa Inouye 12 Mt. Spokane XC Club 6:51.2 21:17.4 75
110 #560 Allison Young 10 SE Pdx XC Club 6:53.6 21:24.9 76
111 #196 Jessica Vig 11 Crater Comet 6:57.0 21:35.4 77
112 #471 Kayce Smith 09 Mt. Spokane XC Club 7:00.0 21:44.9 78
113 #637 Paige Pliler 10 Tahoma XC RC 7:00.4 21:45.9 79
114 #329 Kat Stidham 11 Knights RC 7:02.2 21:51.5 80
115 #490 Brooklin Brumund 09 Pinnacle CC 7:05.7 22:02.4 81
116 #469 Stephanie Inouye 09 Mt. Spokane XC Club 7:07.5 22:08.2 82
117 #557 Joy Shufeldt 09 SE Pdx XC Club 7:08.0 22:09.6 83
118 #771 Hannah Weaver 10 Whitefish AC 7:09.5 22:14.3 84
119 #422 Shannon McCarty 09 Montlake CC 7:12.7 22:24.4 85
120 #515 Katy Henkle 12 Rose City XC Club 7:13.4 22:26.6 86
121 #514 Nora Helfand 12 Rose City XC Club 7:15.5 22:32.8 87
122 #501 Morgan Harrison 12 Preston CC Club 7:18.0 22:40.7 88
123 #519 Jen Olson 10 Rose City XC Club 7:20.3 22:47.8 89
124 #549 Lauren Bailey 09 SE Pdx XC Club 7:22.7 22:55.3 90
125 #553 Jeanette Edel 09 SE Pdx XC Club 7:22.8 22:55.7 91
126 #328 Stephanie Souza 10 Knights RC 7:24.7 23:01.7 92
127 #420 Kate Crawford 09 Montlake CC 7:29.9 23:17.6 93
128 #769 Breanne Leggitt 12 Whitefish AC 7:31.8 23:23.6 94
129 #502 Elise Keller 11 Preston CC Club 7:47.1 24:11.0 95
Team Scores
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Rank Team Total 1 2 3 4 5 *6 *7 *8 *9
=================================================================================
1 Crusader Harriers 47 2 3 7 16 19 24 26
Total Time: 1:33:56.00
Average: 18:47.20
2 Wolfpack XC Club 110 14 17 22 25 32 55 56
Total Time: 1:37:41.40
Average: 19:32.28
3 Gig XC Club 128 1 18 29 37 43 58 63
Total Time: 1:37:12.00
Average: 19:26.40
4 Rose City XC Club 145 6 8 11 34 86 87 89
Total Time: 1:38:33.00
Average: 19:42.60
5 Pinnacle CC 164 9 21 40 45 49 50 81
Total Time: 1:38:57.30
Average: 19:47.46
6 Mountain View Xc/ Idaho 172 13 30 39 42 48 59 61
Total Time: 1:39:28.61
Average: 19:53.72
7 Preston CC Club 178 12 20 27 31 88 95
Total Time: 1:40:45.70
Average: 20:09.14
8 Tahoma XC RC 185 15 28 35 53 54 71 79
Total Time: 1:39:53.90
Average: 19:58.78
9 Montlake CC 199 4 23 41 65 66 85 93
Total Time: 1:39:41.70
Average: 19:56.34
10 Knights RC 220 5 36 38 69 72 80 92
Total Time: 1:40:24.90
Average: 20:04.98
11 Crater Comet XC Club 226 10 46 51 57 62 70 77
Total Time: 1:40:47.50
Average: 20:09.50
12 SE Pdx XC Club 300 33 44 64 76 83 90 91
Total Time: 1:44:18.90
Average: 20:51.78
13 Whitefish AC 345 47 52 68 84 94
Total Time: 1:47:12.60
Average: 21:26.52
14 Mt. Spokane XC Club 349 60 67 73 74 75 78 82
Total Time: 1:45:10.20
Average: 21:02.04
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