South Whidbey cross country heads to state

For the 13th time, South Whidbey’s boys and girls cross country teams qualified for the state meet.

November 7, 2025 1:30 am

By NATHAN WHALEN

Special to The Record

For the 13th time, South Whidbey’s boys and girls cross country teams both qualified for the state meet that takes place Saturday, Nov. 8 at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.

The teams were propelled to the state meet based on their performance in the the District 2 championships, which took place Nov. 1 at South Whidbey High School. The boys team placed second and the girls team placed fourth.

“We’ve had a good year. We’re in a good conference,” South Whidbey cross country coach Doug Fulton said. He added the runners are getting over colds and flus, and they’re feeling good.

Sophomore Reed Atwood won the girls district race running 18:58. South Whidbey’s top five district runners are seniors Lyla Hutson (15th) and Desi Andrews (23rd), Junior Lilly Katzininger (31st) and senior Olivia Martin (38th).

Atwood also won the Emerald Sound Conference Championships and placed 28th in the women’s elite under 19:40 at the Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational, which took place Oct. 11 with 150 high schools competing.

“She’s a special runner. She’s running really well and really fit,” Fulton said.

On the boys side, the Falcons finished second behind two-time defending state champion Cedar Park Christian.

Senior Rowan Jung placed second, running 16:15. Junior Ashler Stadler placed 10th and freshman Ash Kline placed 13th. Junior Arlo McLachlan placed 23rd and junior Milo Acosta placed 29th.

The boys team heads to the state meet ranked fourth in the WIAA coaches poll while the girls team is ranked 10th. Saturday’s state meet appearance marks the 30th team appearance for the girls team and the 21st appearance for the boys.

Fulton said the boys team’s goal is to have a podium finish at the state meet. “I think we have a good shot.”

He added that the girls team’s goal is to finish in the top 10.

Fulton added the state meet has been held at Sun Willows since the early ‘90s. Because it’s been held on basically the same course, runners can easily compare their performance to runners and teams from previous years.

Competing at Sun Willows is also a highlight for runners who will graduate soon.

“The experience of state is pretty awesome for the seniors,” Fulton said.