Swegler Richmond leads SW runners at Nike meet / Cross country

By Jim Waller • November 18, 2019 1:30 am
South Whidbey’s Kaia Swegler Richmond runs to 17th place out of more than 700 runners at the Nike Regional meet Saturday. (Photo by Karen Swegler)
South Whidbey’s Kaia Swegler Richmond runs to 17th place out of more than 700 runners at the Nike Regional meet Saturday. (Photo by Karen Swegler)

South Whidbey High School junior Kaia Swegler Richmond finished 17th out of 737 at the Nike Cross Country Regional Meet Saturday, Nov. 16, at Eagle Island State Park in Boise, Idaho.

Seven boys and Grace Huffman joined Swegler Richmond on the SW XC Club at the meet, which included more than 150 teams and 2,300 athletes from seven states spread over four divisions.

Swegler Richmond, running in the girls Open Invitational, ran the dusty, uneven, rocky 5,000-meter course in 19:31.7. Huffman placed 423rd in 22:32.7.

In the boys Open Invitational, Michael Harwell placed 186th out of 1,224 in 17:20.2. Thomas Simms was 340th (17:47.5), Reilly McVay 501st (18:14.5), Aidan Donnelly 558th (18:25.2), Trent Hogarth 629th (18:38.3), Aidan O’Brien 642nd (18:40.9) and Preston Leon 808th (19:13).

The South Whidbey boys finished 66th (1,742 points) out of 114 teams. Hillyard International XC from Rogers High School in Spokane was first with 173 points.

The South Whidbey boys head out at the beginning of the regional race Saturday. (Photo by Karen Swegler)

The South Whidbey boys head out at the beginning of the regional race Saturday. (Photo by Karen Swegler)