Arlington cross country teams punch state ticket with second-place finishes

Arlington cross country teams secured their places at the state championship meet by placing second in both the boys and girls District 1/2 4A titles on Saturday at Lakewood High School. The results mark a return to state competition for the Eagles, who missed the cutoff by a single point last season and ended an 11-year qualifying streak.

The girls team finished with 106 points, trailing only Issaquah, which recorded 94 points. Anabelle Klein ran the lead leg for Arlington, finishing ninth in 18:15.8. Her time reclaimed the school record she lost to freshman Ellie Oakes on Oct. 10, when Oakes ran 18:17.1 at the Nike Hole in the Wall XC Invitational. Oakes placed 15th in the district meet with a time of 18:36.7.

Coach Jon Murray said the team targeted a finish between second and fourth place to guarantee a state berth. He noted that Klein’s experience allowed her to manage her pace effectively despite falling back in the second mile. “She’s mentally the toughest girl we’ve ever coached,” Murray said. “When she has those physical issues, she doesn’t give up at all.” Klein finished two seconds ahead of Redmond’s Lenorah McGarty to close out her race.

On the boys side, Arlington posted 72 points to finish second behind Skyline, which won with 53 points. Senior Joshua Nguyen placed 11th in 15:53.0, anchoring a top five that included junior Jadon Cairus, fourth in 15:46.4, and junior Chase Koenigs, eighth in 15:50.8. Nguyen said he accelerated in the final stretch after noticing teammates fading, aiming to accumulate team points. “I had to make up for them, and just had to do it for my brothers to make up the points,” Nguyen said.

The Eagles also claimed individual district titles in adaptive races. Senior Ramon Little won the Ambulatory division in 11:44.8, and senior Derek Salmon took the Boys Unified title in 11:48.8. Freshman Kaelyn Roehl placed third in the Girls Unified race with a time of 17:02.2.

State competition is scheduled for next week in Pasco. The Arlington girls have three freshmen in their top seven scorers, while the boys rely on Nguyen’s leadership and Cairus’s recent improvement. Both teams will look to build on their district performance as they prepare for the state meet.