Running through the muck of a rain-soaked course, Oak Harbor High School junior Alexis Smith produced the top finish by a Wildcat runner at the Western Conference cross country championships at Lakewood High School at Smokey Point Saturday, Oct. 21.

All 21 Wesco teams, regardless of classification, ran together, and Smith placed 11th out of 161 runners in the 5,000-meter varsity girls race in 19:28.12.

The Wildcat girls placed 13th as a team with 352 points; the Oak Harbor finished 10th with 313.

Edmonds-Woodway (102 points) won the girls title; Jackson (43) took the boys team championship.

Smith was eighth among 3A runners and fourth among runners representing the Wesco North.

Lake Stevens’ Taylor Roe (17:30.53) won the individual girls crown, while Jackson’s Joseph Skoog (15:48.37) captured the boys race.

Sophomore Megan Smith was the second highest finisher for the Oak Harbor girls, taking 30th (20:10.58).

The Smith sisters and the next two Wildcat runners, Riley Grace Borden and Alora Caillier, all set personal records.

Senior Ben Gasper (26th, 16:42.22) and sophomore Dallas Riddle-Stevens (38th, 16:53.41) led the Oak Harbor boys.

Gasper finished eighth among Wesco North runners even though he fell twice on the sloppy course. Riddle-Stevens broke 17 minutes for the first time in a 5,000-meter race.

Head coach Eric Peterson praised the effort of Josh Stone, “who ran himself into our top five with a nice PR.”

The district meet is Saturday, Oct. 28, at South Whidbey High School. The 3A girls race begins at 10:35 a.m.; the 3A boys take off at 11:40.

The top three teams and the top 21 individuals qualify for the state meet, which is Saturday, Nov. 4, at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.

“We plan to qualify a few kids for the state meet,” Peterson said. “(It) should be exciting to watch.”

Oak Harbor results at the Wesco meet

Varsity girls (161 runners): 11, Alexis Smith, 19:28.12; 30, Megan Smith, 20:10.58; 106, Riley Grace Borden, 22:14.83; 110, Alora Caillier, 22:20.98; 134, Brenna Rothman, 23:28.23; 135, Stephany Flores, 23:28.75; 150, Megan Keating, 24:20.26.

Varsity boys (186): 26, Ben Gasper, 16:42.22; 38, Dallas Riddle-Stevens, 16:53.41; 81, Tyler Grehan, 17:34.6; 96, Joseph Ralston, 17:50.59; 113, Josh Stone, 18:10.64; 115, Michael Lym, 18:11.44; 122, Cole Fishburn, 18:21.91; 132, Micah Franklin, 18:30.15; 147, Chris Brooks, 18:55.53; 156, Dylan Sanchez, 19:09.92; 157, John Pope, 19:10.26.

JV girls (177): 93, Madison Korneli, 25:10.79; 172, Cienna Brenner, 31:00.96.

JV boys (341): 86, Hunter Hogarth, 19:14.47; 98, Peyton Horn, 19:22.22; 145, Jack Rowley, 20:03.69; 172, Garrett Levell, 20:27.4; 177, Jacob Dailey, 20:33.72; 206, Isiah VandeGriend, 20:57.65; 218, Luke Turner, 21:11.75; 219, Jeremiah Dailey, 21:14.67; 233, Joey Ledgerwood, 21:29.41; 242, Kurt Husler, 21:46.15; 302, Alex Amick, 23:33.87; 305, Pablo Closson, 23:35.72; 316, Brennon Sanchez, 24:38.4; 317, Casey Towsley, 24:40.97; 318, Andres Sanchez, 24:41.9.