Timberline @ Oly (LBA 5k) – 2/20/2021 – Sunny day, 50ish degrees, muddy, and with some now on the ground
In the weirdest high school cross-country season on record, the first meet of the season was cancelled due to excessive snowfall, making this race at LBA not only the first race of the season but also one of the first events of any kind that has gathered multiple people together in any part of Olympia in the last eleven months! The newly formed South division of the South Sound League brought Timberline to the Bears’ home course, which only five days before lay beneath nearly a foot of snow and acting as the site for one of the most difficult fartlek workouts on record. Quality of competition aside, this year has truly made manifest the thrill of being allowed to compete – petty nuances which may at some point have elicited complaint seemed trivial, and it is difficult to encapsulate the joy in witnessing and experiencing human interaction during what once might have been considered a ho-hum community event. With the first WIAA sanctioned race in a year and a half, Ethan Coleman continued his undefeated streak of racing in commanding fashion, with George Merrifield handily racing to second and Christian Browne outkicking his Timberline opponent for the Oly 1-2-3 sweep, solidifying an 18-42 varsity victory. Asher Coppin and Danny Pree rounded out the varsity scoring, with Riley Smith and Owen Windrope displacing all but two Blazers. Both with outstanding improvement from the fall, Calvin Aldrich and Ben Barzyk improved over and nearly a minute from times they ran in the fall, respectively, and John McDurmon improved twenty-four seconds from his last race on the course (albeit in much more favorable racing conditions)! Jonathan Merchant, freshman Soren Olsen (nearly four minutes faster than his previous course best in the fall), Ethan Aldrich, Brodey O’Brien, and Brady Elliott finished in a #1-5 sweep of The JV race. Well done Bears!
4A State Championships @ Sunwillows GC (5k - new course 2018) -- 11/3/2018 -- Windy but dry and cool
With
a new two-loop course at Sunwillows, a different hotel in the My Place down the
freeway, and a yet-untried eating establishment in iHop, the most daunting
aspects of the day-before-state proved to be an intense burr field and a nearly
impassable cross-walk post-Yolks-breakfast shopping. Kate Riggs started off the
4A racing with an outstanding jacket-earning PR to take 36th in the
girls’ race. Despite his lack of dongle on the trip, Connor Griffith once again
proved that he can run with the best in the state, leading the pack through the
first mile and holding on for a podium finish. Taking the #2 position for the
Bears was Max Barnes, with Ethan Coleman running an outstanding PR time to
garner the #3 varsity shirt. Tilahun Castro held off a charging Ben Kosa to
round out the scoring, but Sam Fleckenstein’s and Jack Van Nuys’ displacing
roles were much needed, as Sam finished well in front of Glacier Peak’s
stripey-shorted #6 runner. Ideal conditions persisted through the dunes, where
questionably-placed wrist-bands made for an exhilarating game of Capture the
Wristband. Tilahun Castro once again conquered the Fidelina’s burrito challenge
along with coaches Rich and Jesse. Nice season, Bears
District 3/4 Championships @ Chambers Bay GC (5k) -- 10/27/2018 -- Beautiful and cool, with some muddy ground
In the week leading up to the district championships the ennead of post-season-bound harriers collaborated as a think tank in the inaugural deliberation of team vs. individual warm-up; through much heated deliberation it was determined that Max doesn’t like warming up. It also deserves noting that Max did not receive a pin. He definitely earned a pin, but at the West Side Classic apparently only six are awarded to the third place team. Fortunately this in no way detracted from his post-race Coca-cola on the awards knoll… or his post-race Coca-cola at Dairy Queen because the 2:30 PM wait at the Olive Garden would have most likely been at least three times longer than it took Connor Griffith to win a district title! That is correct, Connor won two pins on the day, the first for his outstanding individual race, pulling away from the lead group in the last 300 meters for a decisive victory in his orange William Winlock Miller jersey. Also running superbly for individual qualifying spots to the state meet were Tilahun Castro, Max Barnes, and Ben Kosa, with Ethan Coleman one place shy in an even 50th. On to State, Bears!
SPSL Championships @ Ft. Steilacoom (5k) -- 10/18/2018 -- Beautiful, sunny, and nice
With incredible racing conditions, the 4A varsity male harriers took to the course following a 6th place district-qualifying performance by the lady Bears. For the first time in recorded history (the last 11 years), the Bears legitimately brought home an outright league championship (not counting the fake tie for league championship in 2016). Outstanding races from Tilahun Castro (with a sixth place overall finish) and Ethan Coleman (running to the Oly #4 position in his first sub-17 minute 5k) made this possible, narrowly beating Bellarmine by 3 points after a hastily scrawled and initially-incorrect tie score immediately following the race. It should be noted that Sam Fleckenstein would have won the tie break between him and Bellarmine’s #6 runner. It should be noted that six days after the SPSL championships Max Barnes’ race deserved at the very least seven words of description in The Olympian article. In a sickness-depleted JV race, the Bears took the third team spot. Jack Bowers led the effort with an outstanding sub-18 minute performance, followed by Cade Fischer. George Merrifield took over two minutes off of his Ft. Steilacoom Invite time, and also turning in an outstanding improvement was Quinn Murry. Other exceptional improvements of note were run by Terang Bae, Asher Coppin, Brenden Bamba, Rio Forrester, and improving by over four minutes was Ben Barzyk! The bus was only about 20 minutes late (breaking the several hour late streak from the last two years), but it was well worth it to see Brian make a breathtaking maneuver around illegally-parked cars in the bus turn-around. Well won, Bears!
Frosh/Soph “The Classic” @ Wright Park (3.5 K) – 10/12/2018 – Sunny and nice
With a slightly revised starting area due to the planting of new trees in Wright Park, the Bears took to the course with appropriately high expectations, both in terms of racing and park art. It should be noted that every Olympia harrier competed well in the race. Displacing many a runners were Eli Noesen and Asher Coppin, and scoring in the number four and five positions were Elijah Frisk and Matthew Scott. George Merrifield garnered some hardware for his venerable top 25 finish, and earning top seven medals in the race were Christian Browne (6th) and Ethan Coleman, who both consistently worked their way forward throughout the race; Ethan moved to an eventual 4th place finish in a time that would have handily won the race last year. Well competed, Bears.
Narrows Twilight @ Lincoln Bowl (2 miles) -- 10/10/2018 -- Clear and cool
Echoing in the minds and hearts of the Olympia harriers were three words, possibly five: blood, lightning, and grease (hay bales). All were evident as sixty-nine men toed the taped line eighteen meters shy of the finish line at the historic Lincoln Bowl. With music blaring, adrenaline rushing, and hearts pounding, the JV open race literally leaped off the line with Matthew Scott blistering the first lap in under seventy seconds, and while the gutsy initial pace did slow he managed to hang on for an outstanding time. The varsity race held the only dual meet loss of the season for the Bears, but it was not without several outstanding individual performances, notably Connor Griffith’s 9:19 3200m which would rank him #3 on the OHS all-time track list and Jack Van Nuys, who led Connor through the first two laps, most probably establishing PR’s in 800m/1600m and hanging on remarkably well in the second half of the race for a 3200m PR (maybe a 400m PR as well). Tilahun Castro also ran his first sub 10-minute 2-mile, with significant PR’s from Max Barnes, Ben Kosa, and Sam Fleckenstein; Ethan Coleman once again moved up well throughout the race to hold his varsity position. Cade Fischer, Quinn Murry, and Jack Bowers took the JV team race out fast, leading through the first several laps. In the end Cade managed to break up a large South Kitsap pack for a fourth place finish. Nicely done, Bears.
Bill Kehoe Invite @ St. Martins (5k) -- 10/6/2018 -- Pleasant and partly cloudy
For the first time, in the history of Olympia High School cross-country, the Bears raced at St. Martin’s University. This statement can be averred not only because of high confidence levels over the last 27 years given by an intimate knowledge of the Bears’ race schedule, but also because up until 2006 the university was technically a college. More importantly, Jack Bowers started off the day with a run-away victory in the JV team race, with Cade Fischer taking the second place overall spot in the race. Quinn Murry also ran to a brownie time, placing a venerable 10th in the race for the 3rd placing JV team. Asher Coppin narrowly missed his brownie place in the JV open race, but he did indeed authoritatively establish a rung on the ladder, with Ben Barzyk authoritatively breaking the 25-minute barrier for the first time. Connor Griffith ran away with the overall victory in the varsity race, leading the varsity to a team win as well. Max Barnes turned in the 2nd Oly mark of the day with Tilahun Castro and Ben Kosa following. Ethan Coleman, racing with the varsity for the first time, nearly skipped the 17-minute 5k entirely, continuing to follow the extrapolated trajectory of his race yesterweek in an effort imperative to the Bears’ victory, without which there would have been no trophy, pomp, nor circumstance. Jack Van Nuys and Christian Browne displaced many a-runner, the latter of which raced in stripeys for the first time in his career. Terrific racing, Bears!
Shelton, Timberline, Curtis @ LBA (5k) -- 10/3/2018 -- Overcast and cool
This meet had originally been planned as a dual meet between Olympia and Curtis, but it resulted in a four-way bout (and the Capital girls also showed up unannounced, but that just added to Andy’s joy in establishing the first ever volunteer/coach’s pastry dugout bench), with both Timberline and Shelton desirous to take part in the first ever LBA woods 5k course, replete with log jump and wending woods-racing. Beyond the enigmatic assemblage of competition, the Olympia harriers took it to the varsity-hampered Vikings, High Climbers, and Blazers in authoritative fashion, scoring a perfect fifteen points. Connor Griffith established a course record time. Completing the varsity sweep were Tilahun Castro, Max Barnes, Ben Kosa, Sam Fleckenstein, Jack Van Nuys, and for the first time with an outstanding and athlete-of-the-meet-earning performance was freshman Ethan Coleman. Other notable improvements were turned in by Cameron Ligtenberg (4:30 faster than the time trials course, which was at least .15 miles shorter), Michael Zhao (1:32 faster than Time Trials and also earning a spot on the ladder), and Ben Barzyk (5:54 faster than Time Trials!). Splendid performances, Bears.
Stanford Invite, Curtis Invite, Teal Run (5k) – 9/29/2018 – Beautiful weather in California
The trip down to the California Bay Area began with Ben Kosa not being at the parking lot and the rest of the team driving to his house to pick him up. Towards the end of the trip Ben Kosa returned late to the van in Albany, Oregon. Throughout the trip Ben and others were late in arriving back to the van, whether it be because of sauntering, garnering Burger King Crowns, miscommunication, and occasional lack of listening. To give a more positive reflection on the trip it should be noted that no bears were struck on I-5 during this trip. In all truth there was an appreciable amount of relationally enriching team chemistry generated accompanied by the production of a nearly unappreciable quantity of trash/recycling housed inexplicably in the recesses of the Dodge van. In terms of racing, the varsity harriers in the Seeded race at the Stanford Invite garnered a venerable 14th place finish out of the 27 teams in the race. Connor Griffith ran in the front pack of the race -- three separate times with the race being called back twice -- eventually finishing in an outstanding 15:29, which was ninth in the race and the tenth best time on the course over the course of the day. Tilahun Castro ran a huge 5k PR for the #2 Oly spot, followed by outstanding races from Max Barnes and Ben Kosa, respectively. Andrew Prentice led the charge in the Teal Run, leading Jack Bowers and Quinn Murry in their lucrative sweep of $225 of gift cards, using necessary speed in order to return to the van after multiple unforeseen delays to the race start. The JV team was led by Christian Browne and Ethan Coleman, both with outstanding 5K PR’s for a 12th place team finish at the Curtis Invite. Way to go, Bears.
Oly @ Bellarmine (5k) -- 9/20/2018 -- Overcast and nice
Michael Zhao learned a lesson about listening to bus departure times, hearkening back to Andy’s impassioned early-season oratory on attention to details. Despite this setback the Bears attacked the European-style racing course at Bellarmine with grit and determination, dominating on the Varsity, JV, and C-team fronts. Connor Griffith held with the front pack for a mile before opening up a comfortable lead, and the rest of the varsity only allowed one Bellarmine harrier to disrupt the pizza party-garnering perfect score. Alas, the JV and C-team both scored a perfect 15 points and were so close to a perfect 15-50. Three notable improvements on what was probably a slower course than the Ft. Steilacoom 5k were turned in by Ben Barzyk, Ben Kosa, and George Merrifield. Swell races, Bears.
Ft. Steilacoom Invite (5k) -- 9/15/2018 -- Overcast, great racing conditions
With the inclusion of chip timing, 1400 more athletes than anticipated, and new additions to the park (including the inability to occupy the traditional near-hedge spot due to new grass growth), this Ft. Steilacoom Invite proved to be the largest ever, which was especially significant after the oddly-placed SPSL preview meet of yesteryear. Lacking the depth of years past, the JV squadron placed a solid ninth out of the 33 full teams. Jack Bowers led the JV crew, squeaking a brownie mark by one tenth of a second, and following him were Quinn Murry, John Bussy, Ethan Coleman, and George Merrifield. In the varsity Gold race Connor Griffith ran to a superb 9th place overall finish in his first sub-16 minute 5k. Tilahun Castro made his 2018 debut race off of hip injury in under 17 minutes, not quite holding off a charging Max Barnes in the finishing stretch. Sam Fleckenstein and Ben Kosa rounded out the scoring, with Jack Van Nuys displacing many with his first sub-18 minute 5k. The guys took a venerable 8th in the Gold division race, which would have won the Silver or Bronze division races. Combining all the races of the day, the Bears would have taken 9th (#5 runners make a significant difference in combined scoring and thus Curtis leapt in front) out of the 88 full teams. John Bussy took the gold medal for plumb consumption, reducing the ludicrous amount donated by coach Barnes by sixteen. Superb job, Bears.
Puyallup, Olympia @ Graham-Kapowsin (2 miles at Frontier Park) – 9/11/2018 – Cool and some sprinkling rain
With the potential for variable bus departures the OSD was able to take advantage of the Tumwater School District strike, acquiring a bus driver for the later-departing male Bears. Running at Frontier Park for the second time since 2016, the Bears showed overwhelming dominance on nearly all fronts. Connor Griffith ran to an outstanding time on the course, and moving up to the overall #2 spot was Max Barnes, who was followed in hot pursuit by Ben Kosa. Sam Fleckenstein continued an Olympia sweep of the top four spots, with Jack Van Nuys rounding out the varsity scoring. In a hypothetical JV race (separated from varsity) Quinn Murry would have led a top three sweep, leading Ethan Coleman and John Bussey. Matthew Scott and George Merrifield rounded out the scoring for a dominant JV squadron. Despite some concern over the lack of buses for a return trip, two buses did eventually arrive and the team was treated to a circuitous journey home through previously unexplored recesses of JBLM. Well done, Bears.
Capital Invite (2.23 Miles) – 9/8/2018 – Overcast and nearly perfect racing conditions
An unprecedented two days of outdoor practice were cancelled in the first week of the season, allowing for relay work in the hallways of the school and a dark, particulate mask-wearing long run for the first time to French road. The day before the Capital Invite a shirt design was submitted that was truly ghastly, and this was followed by multiple designs of which the coaching staff ceremoniously washed their hands. Ethan Coleman led out the racing in the freshman group with an outstanding 6th place finish, followed closely and also in a medal-earning performance by George Merrifield in 12th place. Two sophomores toed the starting line in the race that bore their class’ namesake, with Christian Browne turning out the 7th fastest Oly time for a 17th place overall finish with nearly a minute improvement over last year, and Brenden Bamba running a fine debut cross-country race. The Junior race proved to be the main team event for the Bears, with a victorious team effort led by Connor Griffith, winning the race with the third fastest time of the day. Max Barnes ran to a superb 7th place, followed by actual and near-top-20 performances, respectively, from Ben Kosa and Jack Van Nuys. Sam Fleckenstein was the lone senior Bear, but he showed true mettle (albeit not quite of the wooden variety) in his 9th place effort, not only representing his class but also representing with class. Great Job Bears!