ML’s Cooper takes 4th in age group at national meet

MADISON, Wisconsin — Mikayla Cooper, a senior at Moses Lake High School, recently raced in the National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships where she placed fourth in the 17- 18-year-old age group.

Cooper finished the 5,000-meter race in 19 minutes, 43 seconds, having to contend with a wind-chilled 14 degree day. Cooper ran a personal best at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association state cross country meet before placing first at the Inland Northwest Junior Olympic meet. She continued to the regional meet in Eugene, Oregon before nationals in Madison, Wisconsin.

Cooper started a GoFundMe account to help raise funds for the national meet and her goal was reached a week before the race.

“I really want to say thank you to my friends, family and my community for the outpouring of support,” she said.

As the sole competitor from Moses Lake, Cooper competed unattached.

“Next year it would be cool to see teams of middle-schoolers and high-schoolers represent Moses Lake,” she said.

— Staff report