Three Arlington Eagle harriers represented their school Saturday, Nov. 4, at the 3A state cross country championships at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.
Coach Mike Shierk said in addition to being proud of his group of kids, one of the neatest things is that emergency personnel escorted them out of town.
I told the kids that getting there (to state) was the huge accomplishment, he said enthusiastically. Once you get there I try to make it a memorable experience. They had an awesome time. They raced well. I was real proud of the way they raced there and competed at the elite level.
Senior Lady Eagle Kristina Bosket placed 76th out of 136 of her elite peers with a time of 21:21 on the 5K (3.1-mile) course.
Juniors Paul Simbeck (17:47) and Luke Passalcqua (18:08) came in 77th and 101st, respectively, out of 143 total runners.
The two have alternated finishing 1-2 this season and never hesitated to credit their fellow harrier as a source of motivation.
Shierk said Simbeck and Passalacqua will be captains for the 2007 squad while Sarah Rayner and Colleen McElroy will lead the Lady Eagles.
Luke and Paul can take this years experience and build on it for next year, Shierk said.
He added that Rayner and McElroy both made the trip over the Cascades to soak in the experience and get excited for next year.