The North Whidbey Middle School cross country team began its season Thursday, Sept. 20, at Skagit Valley College.
The Cougars boast a team of 70 runners this fall, and 51 competed in the five-school opener.
North Whidbey put in its strongest performance in the seventh-grade girls race where Carly VanGiesen (10:11) and Ella Bishop (10:14) finished 1-2, 30 seconds ahead of the next competitor.
Jameson O’Hara earned the best finish by a North Whidbey seventh-grade boy by taking third (9:47), nine seconds behind the leader.
In the eighth-grade contests, Sydney Lupien (10:34) was third among the girls and Avi Salinger (9:04) took second in the boys race.
The Cougars host their next meet at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26, at Fort Nugent Park.
North Whidbey results
Seventh-grade girls (23 runners): 1, Carly VanGiesen, 10:11; 2, Ella Bishop, 10:14; 6, Claire Paul, 11:00; 11, Kayla Bodenhafer, 12:01; 14, Lola Chargualaf, 12:22; 15, Cayla Turner, 12:32; 16, Aoi Lynn, 13:23; 17, Carliee Meadows, 13:25; 19, Iliyana Roldan, 14:34; 21, Sadi Marriott, 20:27; 22, Payton Syring, 21:30.
Seventh-grade boys (34): 3, Jameson O’Hara, 9:47; 5, Jackson Wesley, 9:57; 7, Alex Jenkins, 9:59; 9, Jacob Figarelle, 10:34; 11, Lucas Brown, 10:42; 12, Landon Vandergrifft, 10:56; 15, Tayshaun Bulthuis, 11:32; 16, Emmanuel Galvan, 11:36; 17, Ayden Hawkins, 11:57; 21, Caden Guy, 12:34; 22, Jacob McWilliams, 12:37; 25, Jeroam Wood-Pina, 12:50; 26, Joshua Trigg, 12:53; 27, Henry Jordan, 13:29; 28, Cyris Roldan, 13:30; 30, Theron Hull-Walton, 13:44; 31, Tyler Leonard, 13:47; 34, Ethan Fields, 16:06.
Eighth-grade girls (18): 3, Sydney Lupien, 10:34; 7, Adrienne Root, 11:02; 8, Alexia Sanchez, 11:45; 10, Lexius Neman, 12:20; 11, Milaina Souders, 12:25; 14, Camille Glownia, 14:12.
Eighth-grade boys (34): 2, Avi Salinger, 9:04; 4, Jacob Pearson, 9:28; 5, Michael Abunimeh, 9:29; 6, Kayden Frazier, 9:36; 10, Miles Erikson, 9:41; 13, Myles Eckles, 9:48; 16, Taryn Hardy, 10:49; 17, Noah Turner, 10:51; 25, Jeff Hogarth, 12:47; 27, Gavin Clark, 13:27; 29, Branden Reetz, 14:02; 31, Aiden Daniels, 14:40; 32, Edgar Martinez, 15:16; 33, John Hernandez, 16:27.
