Mount Si girls cross country team loaded in ’08
September 11, 2008
By Ryan Piersol
The Mount Si girls cross country team begins the season in less than a week with a team more experienced and healthier than it has fielded in several years.
Fresh off a season in which the Wildcats just missed qualifying for districts, the team returns nearly everyone, including some runners who missed last season with injuries.
Mount Si hasn’t qualified for districts in four years, but could erase that gap this fall.
“It looks really promising for the girls. We really have a shot (at qualifying for districts),” said head coach Christine Kjenner, whose team officially starts the season Sept. 17. “We haven’t heard the final allocation yet for our league, but if there are four teams, we’ll have a shot at it. When you’re going against the likes of Bellevue and Mercer Island, it can get tough. But we do have a shot.”
Mount Si has that shot because of runners like junior Alex Rudd, who has qualified for state each of the last two seasons. A two-time top-five all-league finisher, Rudd was 21st at the state meet a year ago. She’s battled a nagging leg injury in 2008, but appears to be at full speed now.
“She looks great. She looks strong and she’s been running hard,” Kjenner said. “Until she gets against some competition, it’ll be hard to tell exactly where she’s at, but she looks really good right now.”
She’ll be joined on the varsity by Megan Past, who is expected to be one of the top runners in the league after competing in just one race last season because of an injury. Other returning varsity runners are Dannah Parsons, Wendy Hecker, Geena Bumgardner and Jesserah Helm.
Kjenner said newcomers Kendall Maddux and Sally Miller could also push for time on the varsity.
The Wildcats find themselves in a revamped league this season, joined by Redmond, Skyline, Eastlake and Liberty in the East division of the Crest League.
“It’s going to be different. We’re going against teams we haven’t run against before like Eastlake,” Kjenner said. “It’s going to be an interesting season.”
The Mount Si boys lost their top two runners to graduation, but have several varsity runners back. They’ll be led by Zac Pearlstein, Brett Duncan and Max McDevitt. Just 12 runners tried out for the boys squad this year.
Reach editor Ryan Piersol at editor@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434.
Comments
Got something to say?
