Fields, Forests, and Faster: The Last Three Weeks of Riverhawk Cross Country
By Jill Pearson Bell
“I ran cross country in high school,” my aunt remarked casually, watching The Dalles girls line up for the start of their 3k tuneup in Beaverton. This was news to me- in 32 years of knowing her and 7 of coaching, she’d never mentioned it.
She elaborated: “I was the fifth runner for Newport”- you need five runners to score as a team- “and I always finished dead last. But I did finish.” It was the first race she’d watched since racing, and true to form, she cheered for every racer- and just a little louder for the ones who finished last.
You learn a lot about people over the course of a season- what makes each runner “tick,” family backstories, group dynamics, and unique personalities and goals. Over the course of the last four meets, the Riverhawk runners have proven themselves and improved, with their sights set on the district meet this Wednesday.
Heppner, Oct. 5
The Dalles’ deep JV squad proved itself once again, racing against varsity teams at the Mustang Invite in Heppner. The girls’ team placed second with 61 points, to Heppner’s 22. Junior Nayeli Vergara raced tough, finishing in the top ten at 8th place. Her strong finish led the way for multiple PRs for her teammates; freshman Marley Perry shaved over two minutes off her time (24:55), as did senior Mayet Winwood (25:28).
The men’s improvements were similarly dramatic, with newcomer Ivan Martinez going sub 30 for the first time, Aiden Nunez knocking off a minute and a half (21:38), and NAME. Josef Lutz (18:46) and Sawyer Dray’s (18:57) sub-19-minute finishes helped the boys’ squad also place second behind Pasco- 73 points to their 23.
Philomath, Oct. 7
The Philomath course, while notably less shaded than previous years (see why here), was a good opportunity to race against the top 4A schools on the west side, just as they had in Baker with the eastern schools. Once again, the Riverhawks held their own, with the boys’ team finishing second behind Newport, with junior Caleb Caldwell (15) and sophomore Tyson Long (4) medaling. The girls’ team finished third with 88 points, just behind Cottage Grove, with Alaina Casady in the top 10 in third. While no one from the Riverhawk varsity saw outstanding times in Philomath- only three saw modest PRs- most of them were consistent, and encouraged each other to stay patient looking forward to Estacada. Despite the muggy conditions, the teams were proud to bring home two baby trees (“Douglina” and “Grant”), which they hope to plant soon at Sorosis.
Estacada, Oct. 11
With depth and close times among the top five, both Riverhawk JV squads won their races. The girls, led by Rokiah Notbohm’s win at 23:50, scored 23 points, while the boys led by Noah at 17:59 scored 35. The top five of the JV boys were only 38 seconds apart, with Sawyer Dray, Zeb Stelzer, Phoenix Nanie, and Steven Pereira, all finishing in the mid-18s.
By far, though, the most exciting finish belonged to junior Alaina Casady, running with Oregon City’s Lydia Dale for the entire race to absolutely demolish the 20-minute barrier for the first time, running second for 19:20, a 56-second PR.
“I felt more focused and in the moment than usual,” Casady remarked after her race, beaming. “Now that’s out of the way I’m looking to the 18’s.” Her enthusiasm and pride was shared by her teammates, who collectively placed and ran faster than last year- as in, each of the seven runners for 2023 would have beat all seven runners from the 2022 State squad.
Beaverton, Oct. 17
Instead of the originally planned John Day 5k, the coaching staff decided to finalize their varsity roster for districts at a metro area 3k, hosted by Southwest Christian in Beaverton. The tight and slippery field start and narrow woodland paths felt quick to the runners if they could avoid getting boxed in from the start. Noah Preston and Josef Lutz “ran with fire in their eyes,” commented coach Mandi Williams, earning them the sixth and seventh varsity slots.
After a slip-up at the start, it would have been easy for Preston to give up, but he battled back, helping The Dalles place second with 61 points behind Valley Catholic’s 22. The girls’ race- also second overall, was even tighter: Alaina Casady’s third place, along with Ruby Jaimes Mora (7th), Abigail Pope (8th), and Nayeli Vergara (11th), and Laura Black (14th) put their team just one point behind Valley Catholic’s 32 points.
While the results of the last three weeks have been heady and exciting, The Dalles runners know not to count their riverhawks or districts before they’ve hatched. If anything, their strong showing at the district preview and the 3k tuneup will likely motivate the other Tri-Valley teams to outwork and outkick them this week.
The team will do what they always do, though: train hard, rest well, get in their long runs, and trust each other.
“Is it weird to say they look good?” my aunt asked that day in Beaverton, watching dozens of exhausted runners stumble back to the tent. I reassured her it wasn’t strange at all - I knew exactly what she meant.
The Riverhawk Cross Country teams head to McIver State Park in Estacada for the Tri-Valley district meet on Wednesday, Oct. 25 Come cheer them on!
More details and times can be found on athletic.net
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