Hermiston Girls XC 5th At Richland Invitational

John L. Braese

RICHLAND – Racing in one of the largest meets of the season, the Hermiston girls’ cross country team came home with a fifth-place finish after competing at the 52nd Max Jensen Richland Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 9.

The Bulldogs competed in Division 1, running in a race with 90 participants. Led by a seventh place showing by sophomore Megan Joyce, Hermiston finished the day with 121 points. The eventual team title went to the team from Mead with 35 points.

Joyce finished the 3-mile course in 18 minutes, 30.18 seconds. Running a personal best for 3 miles, freshman Elizabeth Newman came in within the top 20 with a 19th place finish.

This race was measured in miles instead of the usual kilometers.

The Bulldog boys finished 10th in the team standings after a score of 251 points. Like the girls, the Mead boys also took home the crown with 86 points.

The lone Hermiston runner in the top 50 runners was freshman Jaysen Rodriguez in 19th. Rodriguez clocked a time of 15:50.81.

Girls team scores: 1. Mead, 35. 2. Kennewick, 96. 3. Wenatchee, 120. 4. West Valley (Yakima), 120. 5. Hermiston, 121. 6. Seattle Prep, 156. 7. Central Valley, 181. 8. Kamiakin, 212. 9. Mt Spokane, 229. 10. University, 247. 11. Pullman, 252. 12. Hanford, 296. 13. Chiawana, 331.

Hermiston girls’ individual results: 7. Megan Joyce, 18:30.18. 19. Elizabeth Newman, 19:03.40. 24. Alexia Serna, 19:15.54. 41. Ashley Treadwell, 20:11.89. 48. Madeline Franke, 20:29.09. 59. Lillian Fields, 21:05.56.

Boys team results: 1. Mead, 86. 2. Lewis and Clark, 91. 3. Seattle Prep, 93. 4. Hanford, 102. 5. North Central, 131. 6. West Valley (Yakima), 148. 7. Wenatchee, 158. 8. Central Valley, 199. 9. Mt Spokane, 232. 10. Hermiston, 251. 11. Chiawana, 278. 12. Pullman, 284. 13. University, 296.

Hermiston boys’ individual results: 19. Jaysen Rodriguez, 15:50.81. 60. Zachary Turner, 16:44.75. 64. John Mills, 16:48.53. 65. Pedro Pacheco, 16:49.92. 69. Logan Springstead, 16:59.94. 83. Grant Anderson, 17:47.66. 90. Kellen Joyce, 18:09.53.