Second place. Third place.
Planning, near-perfect tactics and all-out efforts by 14 runners Saturday has made it possible for the Falcon boys and girls cross country teams to add these words to their long and successful histories. Running at the WIAA state meet at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco, both South Whidbey teams delivered on pre-season rankings and almost delivered on their dreams.
Going into the race, both teams seemed to have a perfect chance to end the season as the best boys-girls cross country program in the state. After taking the runner-up team placing in 2002, the girls were back to defend that spot. The boys, bolstered by runaway victories at conference and district meets this fall — and fueled by a desire to improve on a disappointing ninth-place finish at the meet in 2002 — had their sights set on victory.
As it turned out, both teams missed their goals by one place. But in doing so, the Falcon runners likely accomplished more with less than any boys and girls teams that had come before them.
Boys post big gains
Though lacking the star power they had when they placed second in 2000 on a tiebreaker for the championship, the Falcon boys looked like a favorite to win, right up until the scores were tabulated. Controlling some of the top placings with fourth, ninth and 23rd place finishes by senior James Sundquist, sophomore JD Peters and junior Holton Schmitt, the Falcons took an advantage over Chelan, the 2A team favored throughout the season to take the championship. But a previously unheralded team from Cashmere snuck under the radar, placing its scoring five runners between 17th and 32nd, tallied the best score as South Whidbey’s fourth and fifth runners — sophomore Chris dePender and freshman Jason Fitz — crossed the line in 50th and 74th places.
Still, said Sundquist — who led the boys race through 2.5 miles before dropping off the pace in the final 200 yards — the Falcons could not have run better. dePender ran his race more than a minute faster than he did on the same course in 2002 and Fitz was one of the top freshmen in the race.
“Our team did an excellent job,” Sundquist said.
As for his own race, the conference and district champion said he could not have given any more. He spent most of the race trying to wear down the competition, shaking everyone except race winner Michael Dols of Chelan, Nolan Mulvaney of Elma and Lucas Massey of Tenino.
“I felt it was definitely a race I should take the front the whole way,” Sundquist said.
His placing was vast improvement over the 32nd he took in 2002, due largely to a 70-second improvement between the two years. Behind him, his teammates made great strides over the previous year’s championship. JD Peters lopped 27 seconds off his best at Pasco to pick up 12 places, and Holton Schmitt was 1:15 quicker. Running fourth for the Falcons, Chris dePender — who ran as an alternate at last year’s championship — was 1:07 and 64 places improved.
Also running for the team were seniors Jeff Strong and Phil Schorr. Strong was running in his second state race, while Schorr made his debut, taking 100th place overall.
Girls give it their all
“It’s probably the best I’ve ever felt. I put everything out there.”
Though she was speaking just for herself, senior Falcon Callie Supsinskas could have been talking about every girl on her team. From first across the line to the last, each South Whidbey girl had to run their gutsiest race of the year to make top three as a team, and to come close to equaling the Falcons’ second-place in 2002.
Supsinskas did indeed “put everything out there,” leading her team with a 13th place finish that was four spots and 39 seconds better than the previous year. Behind her, in 15th, sophomore Mary Bakeman fell just off the torrid pace she set as a freshman in her Pasco debut, but equalled the finish placing set by graduate Julie Gabelein in 2002.
When it came to team scoring, the Falcons were almost able to cluster enough athletes near the front of the race to at least take second place. Though junior Nancy Godsey was a much improved 25th at the finish line and despite the fact that Falcon Katy Gordon notched the 11th best freshman state time ever for South Whidbey, teams from East Valley-Yakima and Riverside finished their top five runners ahead of the Falcons. Riverside beat South Whidbey by just two points for runner up.
Behind the front four, sophomore state rookie Britta Madison was the only other scoring Falcon. She placed 61st overall.
Also running was three-year state veteran Becky Gabelein, and state rookie Melissa Mydynski. Gabelein placed well behind her 22nd-place 2002 finish, while Mydynski was 71st overall.
Despite missing out on second place by an eyelash, Supsinskas — the team’s captain and leader on the course through much of the season — had no regrets.
“It was just a great team of girls,” she said.
With their high placings, Supsinskas and Sundquist qualify for the Oregon-Washington Border Clash championship meet on Nov. 22. At the meet, the top eight state runners in every division in both states will face off in combined races to determine who the best runners in the Northwest are. Falcon JD Peters is an alternate in the boys race.
