The Cedarcrest Cross Country squad competed last Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Sunfair Invite in Yakima, one of the team’s biggest of the season. Coach Bruce McClellan reported that six boys, five in the top six, and two of the top three girls spent their morning taking the college SAT tests at a nearby school. Four arrived later than planned, so they ran in the open event, a combination race and costumed run.
The SAT takers had to evade girls in prom dresses, people carrying swords and shields, mascots, people playing leapfrog. Quinn Radbourne ran 16:44 and Jonathan Gunderson ran 16:54 to make fourth and fifth on the Cedarcrest team’s record book for Sunfair. They are now two of only six boys to ever run sub-17 minutes on this course.
The day’s seven hours of racing started with the freshman race, in which Ian Fay, one of the Red Wolves’ top boys runners, took third place with the fastest time by a Cedarcrest freshman on this course. Cameron Hammontree took eighth for the boys, Courtney Tobin took third for the girls and Madi Shinn took fifth in the frosh events.
In the sophomore race, John Shaw, 14th, and Isaac Harper, 16th, both ran under 18 minutes, respectable times for the Sunfair course, says the coach.
In the varsity and open races, Olivia Waterman was in the fastest flight and was good for 19:07 and 14th place.
“Fourteenth place may not sound like much, but take my word for it, that fastest flight is a loaded field,” McClellan stated. “Multiple returning state champions are commonplace in the fastest Sunfair flight.” Her time broke Missy Dowd’s Cedarcrest record for fastest time on the course, by 16 seconds, putting her in elite company. Amelia Anderson ran 19:39, becoming the fifth-ranked Red Wolf. Diana Carr ran 20:05 to make eighth on the team books.
Logan Orndorf ran 15:42 for ninth place in the fastest flight. As with the girls, that flight is extremely deep, says McClellan. His time breaks James Conrick’s team record by 29 seconds.
Athletes of the meet were Austin Beebe and Kiana Ward, both running their fastest races of the season, Amelia Anderson, and the record breakers of Waterman, Fay and Orndorf.
