Mavericks cross country sweeps Wenatchee Invite

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks swept the competition at the 29th annual Wenatchee Cross Country Invitational at Walla Walla Point Park on Saturday. Both the varsity and junior varsity squads for the boys and girls teams earned first place in their respective 5k races. 

“(Wenatchee) puts on a great invite every year, and they had some really good teams, their team included, and Eastmont was present, and then they brought in some schools that are just very high quality,” Head Coach Larry Dagnon said. “But when the time came to run, our kids, (for) one they know that course very well, and two, they performed exceptionally. From our first kid to our last kid, they put their best foot forward. They came to work, and the results showed a full team performance.” 

Across both JV teams, a total of 10 runners placed in the top 10, aiding their respective squads to a first-place finish as a crew. For varsity, both the boys and girls turned in strong performances for first place finishes as a team, as well. Overall, the Mavericks put together a team performance in Walla Walla Point Park.  

The boys were led by Lane Christensen (16:29.5) and Liam Roseburg (16:51.1) who finished third and fifth individually. Not far behind were Colton Lucero (17:02.6) at seventh, Maxwell Jolley (17:04.6) in eighth, Jonathan Sandoval (17:06.9) in ninth and Noah Demchuk (17:12.7) at 10th to round out the top 10 runners. Gabriel Cabiao solidified the team's first place finish with a 17:51.4 running time.  

“They didn't get the first- or second-place spot (individually), which they were kind of disappointed in, but it's really tough to beat Cade Hill from Eastmont – he's just exceptional,” Dagnon said. “After Cade was in, they kind of made a wall. They were calling themselves the ‘Gold Wall,’ and kids were just really having a hard time getting around them. They all ran together for the most part until there was about 300 meters left, and then they opened it up, and their placings spoke for themselves. All seven of our guys really did well.” 

Just like the boys team, the girls turned out strong performances that were riddled with season/personal best performances – highlighting the Mavs consistent improvement as the season has unfolded, Dagnon said.  

“They came out, they worked as a team, and they thought Eastmont was going to press them – and Eastmont did,” he said. “We were down three runners from our top four, but the rest of those girls really took it as a challenge, and it really showcased some depth that we possess because we were able to let Jocelyn (Anderson), Emma (Wallace) and (Sarah Humpherys) just came in and (they) did exceptionally well. They all brought strong races, and their mindset was really good. They knew that they had a mission, and the kids talked about wanting to try to win it without their three teammates and they did.”  

Dagnon came away from that race amazed at his team's determination to show up when called upon.  

“They didn't back down, and they could have used it as a day, saying second (place is) okay, but they didn't, and so we’re really proud of how they came through, and the attitudes were fantastic on the course,” he said. “They looked good while they were doing it; there wasn't a lot of personal struggles. There was a lot of personal victories for a lot of kids. It was a really successful meet for the ladies.” 

Also seeing the JV squads perform so well spoke to the depth and talent this Mavericks team has from top to bottom, Dagnon said.  

“It was a really unique moment for us to just watch everything just settle in and seeing the smiles after the race kind of told the story. All the shirts that Wenatchee awarded the kids for the top 10 finishers. We had a whole bunch of those shirts getting on the bus – were exceptionally proud of them,” the coach said.  

The Mavericks turn their focus to this weekend, when they travel to The Course in Spokane Valley for the Nike Bob Firman Invitational, which spans from Friday to Saturday. Aside from the alleged nightmare parking, Dagnon and the Mavericks are eager to perform on an exceptional course, he said.  

“It was built so people could come and run championship-type races, and it's phenomenal,” Dagnon said. “As a spectator, you can get all over the course. It's a wooded area. The footing was a little bit soft when we saw it last time, but I think it's going to be amazing. We're excited about it, other than the 4:30 a.m. where we have to meet the bus on Saturday morning.” 

RESULTS: 

Place, Name, Time 

Men's 5,000 Meters JV 

1: Vincent Hunt – 18:09.3 

3: Owen Martel – 18:48.8 

4: Liam Michie – 18:59.8 

6: Grayson Barlow – 19:00.1 

8: Ariah Torres – 19:18.8 

11: Cohen Ewell – 19:30.3 

13: Carson Cook – 19:30.9 

26: Archer Turnbull – 20:37.1 

27: Isaiah Doehne – 20:38.3 

29: Silas Molitor – 20:43.0 

36: Charles Paul III – 21:07.1 

41: Finnegan Austin – 21:27.7 

70: Easton Bellamy – 23:58.8 

94: David Ramos – 26:50.6 

Women's 5,000 Meters JV 

1: Aleyah Loera – 22:31.1 

2: Charlotte Chesley – 23:07.6 

5: Danielle Barnett – 23:32.4 

6: Adelyn Chamberlin – 23:42.1 

9: Afton Payne – 24:56.7 

16: Natalie Ottmar – 26:16.2 

18: Genesis Anderson – 26:39.5 

32: Hadlie Cox – 29:12.9 

38: Kezhya Scheel – 30:28.9 

42: Emily Roueche – 30:48.3 

Men's 5,000 Meters Varsity 

3: Lane Christensen – 16:29.5 

5: Liam Roseburg – 16:51.1 

7: Colton Lucero – 17:02.6 

8: Maxwell Jolley – 17:04.6 

9: Jonathan Sandoval – 17:06.9 

10: Noah Demchuk – 17:12.7 

19: Gabriel Cabiao – 17:51.4 

Women's 5,000 Meters Varsity 

6: Aspen Hoenes – 20:24.3 

8: Amelia Olascon – 20:39.1 

11: Khloe Helm – 20:49.9 

14: Emily Bong – 20:58.0 

15: Sarah Humpherys – 21:19.7 

20: Emma Wallace – 21:51.8 

21: Jocelyn Anderson – 22:05.3 

    The Mavs boys cross country squad celebrates in the sand after a first-place team finish at the Wenatchee cross country invite Saturday.
  

    Moses Lake cross country coaches and runners join together for a team photo at the Wenatchee cross country invite on Saturday.
  

    The Moses Lake boys junior varsity cross country team gathers to celebrate after strong performances at the Wenatchee cross country invitational.