Kayleen Keeney and Jakob Hiett were named Most Valuable Runners for girls and boys cross-country at the teams’ awards banquet Tuesday, Nov. 11.
Coach Andrew “Keebler” Allen described the season as “interesting,” noting that the girls placed fifth in a highly competitive district meet this year after two of their top four runners suffered injuries that weren’t from cross-country. The boys, who had to rebuild after losing four varsity runners from last year, finished third in the district after actually running faster than last year’s team did.
“It was a young group but a fun group,” Allen said, noting that the Huskies lose only two runners from the boys side – district and state champion Jakob Hiett and exchange student Jun Kaneyama, and three from the girls – seniors Sierrah Owen and Jessica Stockman, and exchange student Kanon Nakamura.
Allen also noted that the Huskies have grown in numbers, particularly on the boys side, with the five runners necessary to form a junior varsity team for the district race, behind the seven-man varsity squad, for the first time in years.
“The good news is none are seniors,” he said.
Keeney, a junior, was a mainstay for the girls team, Allen said. She was the third runner last year for the Huskies, but was forced to move up to No. 1 or No. 2 frequently this year, due to injuries to other team members.
In the district race she went out with the leaders, per instructions from her coaches, and hung on for as long as she could, eventually finishing 10th, directly behind freshman teammate Bethany Gingerich, who passed her on the home stretch.
“She’s very tough, but she couldn’t quite hold on,” Allen said.
Hiett was not only the front runner for Sweet Home, but he was also a team leader, the coach said.
He won his third straight district title, then led from start to finish to win his and the school’s first boys state championship.
Rookie of the Year went to sophomore Trey Reed, who finished eighth in the district in his first year as a cross-country runner after being the only freshman to qualify for the 4A state meet in the 400 last spring.
Most Improved Runner went to junior Allen Cuilla, also in his first year as a cross-country runner.
Most Inspirational was junior Maria Daniels, who ran six minutes faster in this year’s district race than she did over the same course two years ago as a freshman.
Assistant Coach Kambria Schumacher noted that Daniels has struggled with shin splints, “but she toughed it out.”
The Will to Win award went to junior Julian Hesberg, who finished fourth in the district meet for the Huskies, in a personal-best 18:43 over 5000 meters on a course not known for personal-best times.
Allen announced a new award, the Community Award, which will be presented to a runner who demonstrates commitment to service to his or her community and team, “who makes a positive impact on the community.” The recipient this year is sophomore Issac Justham, who has been very involved in the Manna Meals program and has also been a primary recruiter for the cross-country team.
“I think one of the reasons we had such a large team on our guys side had to do with him,” Allen said.
The lone fourth-year letter winner was Jakob Hiett, and Sierra Swanson received a third-year letter.
Second-year letters went to Daniels, Justham, Dana Hiett, and Keeney.
First-year letter recipients were Gingerich, Nakamura, Reed, sophomore Nick Rietz, senior Jessica Stockman, Hesberg and freshmen Nelson Rodgers and Noah Taraski.
Junior varsity certificates went to Adam Barber, Cuilla, Jake Hindmarsh, Sierrah Owen, Cameron Tabor, Kaneyama and Nick Tolman.