Cole Zink’s yell roared across Waterman’s Field on Saturday upon learning that he would be joined at the state 1A cross country meet by his teammates.
Zink, a senior, had finished the 5,000-meter course around South Whidbey High School as the sixth-place finisher among 1A boys. His time of 17:17.49 had already secured his berth to the state meet. But some slower-than-expected times for the Falcons appeared as though the team would miss the cut, as all seven of King’s athletes finished in the top 21 to run away with the District 1 team title.
Then came the wait for South Whidbey’s boys as the results were finalized and team points were tabulated. As soon as Zink heard, he ran out to his teammates near the finish line, yelling “We got fourth!” Hugging, smiling and congratulating followed for South Whidbey’s runners, fans and families.
“We put our hearts and souls into training this summer and fall,” Zink said. “It’s a great way to end it for these guys.”
Anders Bergquist, a Falcon senior, finished as the second-best South Whidbey runner. His time of 17:55.74 put him in 22nd place, narrowly missing an automatic qualifying spot in the top 20.
South Whidbey’s boys running team finished fourth out of 12 teams from District 1. Only the top five qualified as a team for the state race in Pasco on Saturday, Nov. 8. It is the second time in two years the South Whidbey boys team reached the statewide race.
A full varsity roster from South Whidbey gets to run in the state race. Alongside Zink and Bergquist will be sophomore Will Simms, who ran the third-fastest 5K race of his career Saturday in 18:20.91. Another sophomore, Cory Ackerman, will represent South Whidbey after posting a finish time of 18:41.15.
Truman Hood, a senior, came in 41st place out of 86 runners in 18:47.02. Collin Burns, a sophomore in his first year running for the Falcons, rounds out South Whidbey’s roster after finishing in 19:47.90.
“During the race, we just stuck together … It makes you want to go to state just for that, running as a team,” Hood said.
All the elation of South Whidbey’s boys contrasted starkly to the South Whidbey girls.
The Falcon cross country girls’ season ended Saturday after South Whidbey finished seventh in total points, missing the state-qualifying cutoff.
Running the course after hundreds of other athletes had cruised through the soaked earth and trails led to less-than-ideal conditions for South Whidbey and the other 1A and 2A runners. South Whidbey High School was the site of the District 1 race for all classifications, covering schools from Lynden to Auburn.
“The start was really soupy,” said Falcon senior Emma Lungren. “There were puddles. Back in the woods, there were huge puddles too. The worst part was when it was slippery, because falling is the worst.”
Mallorie Mitchem will represent South Whidbey as the lone Falcon girl at the state 1A meet. She took ninth place in the 1A race with a time of 20:51.05 — her third-fastest mark this season.
But an injury to Bethany Justus, who regularly finished as South Whidbey’s fourth runner this season, added nearly five minutes to her personal best time. Justus finished the race, however, pain-and-all, in 27:12.99.
“Weird things have been happening this season,” Lungren.
“I’m so proud of her for even finishing,” she said of Justus.
Anna Justus, a junior, ran her best race of the season, finishing in 23:50.21.
For Lungren, the lone girl senior for South Whidbey, her high school cross country career ended Saturday. Lungren finished in 22:00.50, good for 30th place but outside the top-25 state-qualifying spots.
“I feel like I knew it was my last time on this course and I gave it my all, and there’s no way I could have gone faster,” Lungren said. “I have no regrets.”