Colony girls enjoy strong performance at Palmer Invite

PALMER — Last year, the Colony Knights girls cross-country running squad captured the Region III title by the slimmest of margins. This year, the Knights have been working to distance themselves from the remainder of the Region III pack.

Colony, which edged Soldotna with the tiebreaker in the Region III Championships team standings last year, has beat the next closest region rival by at least 15 points in every meet this season. Saturday, Colony finished third overall in the Palmer Invitational with 80 total points. Kenai was the next Region III team in the standings, placing sixth with 136.

Colony coach Rhonda Knopp said, while that might not be the focal point heading into a meet, the Knights certainly want to be ahead of their rivals.

“You’re always looking at your region. You’re always looking to be first in the region,” Knopp said. “But the most important thing, is we want to get to state. Stay healthy, be consistent and do our best.”

Knopp was third with her team’s third-place finish in a field that included incredibly deep teams such as West Valley and West Anchorage.

“Fabulous. I couldn’t be happier,” Knopp said of her team’s work. “We were up against some really deep, really big teams. These girls were just fabulous.”

The Knights have now placed in the top 3 of all four meets this year.

Colony placed four runners in the top 19 of the 4A girls’ varsity race to finish third overall in the team standings.

Sophomore Jill Bowker was third overall to lead the Knights, posting a time of 19 minutes, 24 seconds.

“It felt good. It was hard, but I pushed it,” Bowker said of her race after the meet.

The time marked continued improvement for the sophomore this season. Bowker has shaved time off in every meet this year, following the 20:09 she ran in the season-opening Colony Invitational. Her time Saturday was about four seconds faster than the 19:28 she posted at the Bartlett State Preview Meet last week.

“I’m really pleased with it,” Bowker said. “I wanted to get back into the 18s where I was last year, but I’m pleased with this. It’s faster than last week.”

Knopp praised the work of the sophomore, noting her ability to excel mentally during the race, which includes three loops on the Michael Janecek Running Trails.

“She ran a smart race, very patient,” Knopp said of Bowker. “She stayed focused for the three loops and made her move when she needed to.”

Cathelyne Powers (13th, 19:59), Jordyn Block (18th, 20:15) and Elisabeth Bowker (19th, 20:17) also earned top-20 finishes for the Knights. Knopp also noted the work of her fifth runner, Syndey Bruce, a newcomer to the varsity squad, who took a minute off her personal best Saturday. Bruce clocked a time of 20:53.

Palmer junior Ruby Woodings led the Moose with an eighth-place finish on her home trails. Woodings, who set a personal best at Bartlett last week, finished with a time of 19:47. Rya Berrigan was 28th for Palmer, with a time of 20:43.

West Anchorage’s Molly Gellart, the lone runner to crack the 19-minute mark, won the 4A girls race, with a time of 18:40. Kenai Central freshman Jaycie Calvert was the runner-up, with a mark of 19:14.

Wasilla senior Quincy Fuller led all Valley runners in the 4A boys race with a time of 16:41. Karl Greathouse (17:20) was 25th for Wasilla.

The Warriors were seventh in the team standings, with 161 points, two points behind region rival Soldotna in the standings.

Dakota Peterson-Thompson led Colony with a 17th-place finish, and time of 16:55. Ryan Kavalok (27th, 17:23) and Leif Mumma (30th, 17:25) placed in the top 30 for Palmer.

Fin Walker helped West Anchorage sweep the 4A individual titles. Walker placed first in the boys’ race with a time of 16:02.

West Valley of Fairbanks and West Anchorage finished first and second, respectively, in both the 4A boys and girls team standings.

Houston High’s Alison Van Pelt posted a top-10 finish in the 123A girls’ varsity race. Van Pelt was eighth with a time of 21:16.

The Houston Hawks placed fourth in the 123A boys’ team standings. Jens Knutson led Houston with an 18th-place finish, and time of 18:21.

Saturday’s invitational was among the largest ever hosted by Palmer High. The meet included 883 athletes from 44 teams.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Palmer Invitational

Sept. 5, Palmer High School

4A varsity boys team scores:

1. West Valley 68, 2. West Anchorage 72, 3. Lathrop 90, 4. Eagle River 159, 5. (tie) Soldotna 159, 7. Wasilla 161, 8. Chugiak 172, 9. Colony 250, 10. Palmer 257, 11. North Pole 296, 12. Kenai 323.

4A varsity girls team scores:

1. West Valley 51, 2. West Anchorage 71, 3. Colony 80, 4. Chugiak 104, 5. Eagle River 109, 6. Kenai 136, 7. South Anchorage 162, 8. Soldotna 191, 9. Lathrop 264, 10. Wasilla 297

123A varsity boys team scores:

1. Grace Christian 27, 2. Anchorage Christian 65, 3. Unalaska 80, 4. Houston 110, 5. Monroe Catholic 135, 6. Chevak 144, 6. (tie) Bethel 144, 8. Barrow 184.

123A varsity girls team scores:

1. Grace Christian 42, 2. Anchroage Christian 47, 3. Barrow 90, 4. Susitna Valley 101, 5. Bethel 119, 6. Hutchison 142, 7. Unalaska 144.

4A Varsity Boys

1. Finn Walker, West Anchorage 16:02 2. Derek Steele, South Anchorage 16:15 3. Ti Donaldson, West Valley 16:24 4. Jacob Walsh, Eagle River 16:29 5. Hamish Wolfe, South Anchorage 16:33 6. Spencer Herron, West Valley 16:34 7. Luke Meiwes, South Anchorage 16:36 8. Nick Carl, Eagle River 16:37 9. Quincy Fuller, Wasilla 16:41 10. Aaron Swedberg, Soldotna 16:44 11. Max Hartke, Chugiak 16:46 12. Logan Mowry, Lathrop 16:48 13. Enoch Porter, Lathrop 16:49 14. Brycen Lynch, West Anchorage 16:49 15. Vance Underwood, Lathrop 16:49 16. Foster Birnbaum, West Anchorage 16:50 17. Dakota Peterson-Tho, Colony 16:55 18. Justin Hannah, West Valley 16:56 19. Aaron Bravo, West Valley 17:10 20. Joaquin Monterrosa, West Anchorage 17:10 21. Declan Dammeryer, West Anchorage 17:14 22. Elliot Kenaston, West Valley 17:14 23. Will Balcao, South Anchorage 17:16 24. Alex Beehler, Lathrop 17:17 25. Karl Greathouse, Wasilla 17:20 26. Parker Trosper, Lathrop 17:20 27. Ryan Kavalok, Palmer 17:23 28. Kevin Brune, Lathrop 17:24 29. Ethan Davis, West Anchorage 17:25 30. Leif Mumma, Palmer 17:25 31. Andrew Hull, South Anchorage 17:29 32. Colin Lease, West Valley 17:33 33. Jack Ginter, Chugiak 17:37 34. Charlie Latimer, Chugiak 17:44 35. Koby Vinson, Soldotna 17:45 36. Joe Bue, West Valley 17:47 37. David Michael, Soldotna 17:48 38. Levi Michael, Soldotna 17:50 39. Josh Shuler, Soldotna 17:51 40. Thorsten Warhus, Wasilla 17:52 41. Ryan Dearborn, Chugiak 17:57 42. Kevin Davison, North Pole 17:58 43. Kaleb Greathouse, Wasilla 17:58 44. McKinley Larson, Wasilla 17:58 45. Isaak Bell, Wasilla 18:01 46. Lyle Chamberlain, South Anchorage 18:04 47. Quinn Carroll, South Anchorage 18:04 48. Carter Gladwill, Eagle River 18:04 49. Joshua Johnson, Eagle River 18:06 50. Gary Szekely, Eagle River 18:07

4A Varsity Girls

1. Molly Gellert, West Anchorage 18:40 2. Jaycie Calvert, Kenai Central 19:14 3. Jill Bowker, Colony 19:24 4. Peyton Young, Eagle River 19:28 5. Ithaca Bergholtz, Kenai Central 19:31 6. Jenna Difolco, West Valley 19:36 7. Faith Widman, West Valley 19:44 8. Ruby Woodings, Palmer 19:47 9. Brooke Gottmeier, West Valley 19:50 10. Fiona Fick, West Anchorage 19:52 11. Sam Starks, West Valley 19:54 12. Paige McManus, Eagle River 19:58 13. Cathelyne Powers, Colony 19:59 14. Emma Nelson, Chugiak 20:01 15. KayLee Manwaring, Chugiak 20:03 16. Maggie Meeds, South Anchorage 20:09 17. Cinnamon Monterrosa, West Anchorage 20:13 18. Jordyn Block, Colony 20:15 19. Elisabeth Bowker, Colony 20:17 20. Lauren Corkran, West Anchorage 20:18 21. Bailey Roe, West Valley 20:25 22. Addison Gibson, Kenai Central 20:26 23. Clare Cook, Chugiak 20:27 24. Brynn Kruchoski, Chugiak 20:32 25. Kellie Arthur, Soldotna 20:36 26. Kaitlyn Bailly, South Anchorage 20:39 27. Victoria Mayer, West Anchorage 20:42 28. Rya Berrigan, Palmer 20:43 29. Nieca Murphy, West Valley 20:45 30. Daisy Nelson, Soldotna 20:47 31. Helen Wilson, Eagle River 20:51 32. Sydney Bruce, Colony 20:53 33. Myah Smith, Eagle River 20:54 34. Gwendolyn Mueller, Chugiak 20:55 35. Lisbeth Olsen, Colony 20:56 36. Summer Frazier, Eagle River 20:58 37. Theresa Fernette, South Anchorage 21:01 38. Alex Mathis, Colony 21:02 39. Lupua Oba, Lathrop 21:02 40. Zoe Ratzlaff, West Valley 21:03 41. Mimi Allen, West Anchorage 21:03 42. Aubrey LeClair, West Anchorage 21:03 43. Allie Monrean, South Anchorage 21:06 44. Kate Paskievitch, Eagle River 21:08 45. Molly Erickson, Soldotna 21:12 46. Sara Hartke, Chugiak 21:17 47. Hannah Pothast, Soldotna 21:19 48. Hannah Brown, South Anchorage 21:20 49. Naomi Kiekintveld, South Anchorage 21:22 50. Kasey Paxton, Kenai Central 21:30

123A Varsity Boys

1. Kaleb Korta, Galena 16:03 2. Ross Enlow, Unalaska 16:19 3. Jacob Moos, Galena 16:35 4. Zach Hamburger, Cordova 16:55 5. Blake Bennett, Anchorage Christian 17:02 6. Trent Fritzel, Grace Christian 17:28 7. Cameron Sheldon, Grace Christian 17:32 8. Luke Fritzel, Grace Christian 17:41 9. Trevor Wilson, Unalaska 17:45 10. Nick Snow, Grace Christian 17:46 11. Caden Gerlach, Glennallen 17:48 12. Zach Young, Grace Christian 17:48 13. Eugene Alexie, Kuskokwim Learning A 17:48 14. Greg Trail, Nikolaevsk 18:00 15. Shain Hardiman-Agi, Chevak 18:05 16. Sean Dorsey, Glennallen 18:19 17. Robert Schaezlein, Grace Christian 18:20 18. Jens Knutson, Houston 18:21 19. Riley Martin, Grace Christian 18:21 20. Callen Davis, Tanalian 18:22 21. William Parks, Anchorage Christian 18:23 22. Alex Wuerth, Anchorage Christian 18:33 23. Joe Apfelbeck, Galena 18:34 24. Timothy Stoorza, Anchorage Christian 18:41 25. Carter Price, Unalaska 18:50 26. Sam Blom, Tanalian 18:51 27. Garrett Grahek, Monroe Catholic 18:51 28. Kade Taylor, Houston 18:56 29. Jayden Wilson, Frank A Degnan 18:58 30. Nathan Nayakik, Alak - Wainwright 19:06 31. Nathaniel Walsh, Monroe Catholic 19:10 32. Mathew Hunter, Bethel 19:11 33. Thomas Warren, Delta Junction 19:12 34. Jonathan Railing, Anchorage Christian 19:12 35. Landon Nicholson, Monroe Catholic 19:15 36. Lawrence Poe, Bethel 19:15 37. Al Lane Jr., Tikigaq 19:16 38. Etienne Kinne, Houston 19:17 39. Isaac Smolden, Houston 19:18 40. Kevin Goodwin, Barrow 19:20 41. Hugo Kakinya, Nunamiut 19:21 42. Ray Daniel, Bethel 19:22 43. Talon Shaishnikoff, Unalaska 19:28 44. Alex Esnardo, Unalaska 19:30 45. Jeremy Ulroan, Chevak 19:43 46. Rhett Jackson, Kuskokwim Learning A 19:45 47. Jonah Fefelov, Nikolaevsk 19:49 48. Jeremy Simmonds, Meade River 19:51 49. Thomas Dyment, Bethel 19:54 50. Benjamin Bitler, Houston 20:00

123A Varsity Girls

1. Briahna Gerlach, Glennallen 18:23 2. Tanner Ealum, Anchorage Christian 20:12 3. Alaina Wolgemuth, Barrow 20:17 4. Tessa O'Hara, Anchorage Christian 20:25 5. Elizabeth Balsan, Anchorage Christian 20:35 6. Grace Annett, Grace Christian 20:38 7. Ellie Bietsch, Su Valley 21:03 8. Alison Van Pelt, Houston 21:16 9. Charlee Demientieff, Grace Christian 21:27 10. Maddy Morgan, Grace Christian 21:27 11. Melissa Nicely, Barrow 21:43 12. Sarah Newton, Grace Christian 21:50 13. Sienna Carey, Su Valley 21:58 14. Jenna Markel, Grace Christian 22:00 15. Grace Moore, Hutchison 22:01 16. Brooke Plaster, Grace Christian 22:01 17. Jessie Davis, Anchorage Christian 22:02 18. Gloria Jacobsen, Glennallen 22:14 19. Sarah Brown, Galena 22:40 20. Haley O'Brien, Bethel 22:42 21. Alanna Kochuten, Unalaska 22:58 22. Cora Ferrell, Hutchison 23:03 23. Dorothy Bukowski, Bethel 23:18 24. Megan Hickman, Nikolaevsk 23:33 25. Sophie Swope, Bethel 23:43 26. Chloe Mongoyak-Bro, Barrow 23:49 27. Bernadette Hartley, Su Valley 23:53 28. Sophie Poe, Bethel 23:56 29. Courtney Mitchell, Anchorage Christian 24:02 30. Becca Land, Anchorage Christian 24:15 31. Margaret Chayalkun, Chevak 24:25 32. Mary Kate Parks, Anchorage Christian 24:40 33. Kristin Hopson, Barrow 24:42 34. Ada Harvey, Frank A Degnan 24:52 35. Amelia Napper, Unalaska 24:55 36. Monica Slats, Chevak 25:10 37. Summer Sagoonick, Frank A Degnan 25:25 38. Katherine Germain, Su Valley 25:34 39. Roxanne Marchuk, Delta Junction 25:38 40. Henrietta Nicholai, Kuskokwim Learning A 25:41 41. Taylor Holman, Unalaska 25:50 42. Jenysa Ahmaogak, Alak - Wainwright 25:57 43. Bridgette Oviok, Tikigaq 26:03 44. Bernice Kagak, Meade River 26:14 45. Isabella Freeman, Barrow 26:15 46. Rebecca Masterson, Barrow 26:32 47. Dominique Ekak, Nunamiut 26:32 48. Celeste Harrell, Su Valley 26:43 49. Nichole Hank, Tikigaq 26:49 50. Abigail Fry, Nunamiut 26:50