Rams repeat

PALMER -- For the second time in as many seasons, Susitna Valley High School has won the 1-2-3A girls' cross-country running state title.

And for the second straight season, Tazlina Mannix led the Rams to the title with a second-place finish.

Mannix and fellow Ram senior Melissa Ostermick finished second and third for the defending champs in the 5-kilometer race on the Janecek Trails at Palmer High School Saturday.

Each of the five scoring runners for SVHS placed in the top 15.

Seward's Whitney Anderson won the race with a time of 18 minutes and 47 seconds.

Mannix finished with a time of 20:21 and Ostermick finished 20:24.

Jen Thompson, Kayti Krepel and Krystal Moore also finished in the top 15 for the Rams.

Thompson finished 11th with a time of 21:06, Krepel finished 13th at 21:16 and Moore finished 15th at 21:22.

Each of the Ram top-five finished within a 61-second time span.

Mannix's second-place finish comes just a week after winning the Region II title at Su Valley High.

In addition to her third place in state, Ostermick was also the Mat-Su Borough Champion this season.

Peter Doner led Colony to an eighth-place finish in the team standings with a fourth-place finish in the 4A boys' title race.

Doner finished in 16:21.

Ross Wise also had a top-25 finish for Colony. Wise finished 24th, with a time of 17:24.