It’s been an “interesting year” for the cross-country team, said Coach Bill Napier, with no standout athletes but some “good ones” and many personal bests.
Last year, then-senior Alem Belete finished 10th at the state meet in Pasco.
“I had a lot of kids who came out for the first time this year who were seniors and many of them commented that they wished they had come out sooner,” said Napier.
He said this year’s underclassmen have “a lot of potential.”
Cross country officially starts as a sport in middle school, which Napier said will help in recruiting incoming freshmen.
The Foster girls team, which finished 11th overall in the subdistrict tournament, finished 15th overall at the 2A district tournament Nov. 1 at the American Lake Golf Course.
Junior Shakila Omar was the best finisher the girls, finishing 71st with a personal best time of 23:33.65. She ran 22:43:65 in the sub-district meet.
Senior Alejandra Silva finished 75th with a time of 23:45.15 and senior Jessica Birchfield finished 96th, with a time of 25:24.90.
Four Foster runners, Cindy Marquina, Michelle Martinez, Kathy Vo and Naomy Hernandez, finished in a tight group.
On the boys side, senior Elijah Hawkins finished 44nd in the 5000 meter, with a time of 17:52:64, which beat his best time by about six seconds. Senior Yohanes Beyene finished 68th, with a time of 18:28:90.
The district times weren’t good enough to make it to the state tournament Nov. 8 in Pasco.
