Seniors sweep opening cross-country race

PALMER — Palmer High senior Chris Osiensky and Colony senior Audrey Michaelson kicked off the 2012 prep cross-country season in the Valley with first-place finishes in the fifth annual Colony Twilight at Colony High School on Tuesday.

Although some runners made the trip to Nikiski for a 5-kilometer race on Monday, Colony High’s 2.5-K served as the opening gun for the running season in the Valley. Clad in tie-died T-shirts and sun-soaked, runners made their way through the Ed Strabel Trails at Colony High in near perfect conditions.

“It’s a perfect opener for kids to figure out what cross country’s all about,” Wasilla High School head coach Gary Howell said. “We haven’t had a day like this hardly all summer. The kids came out and have fun.”

Michaelson and Wasilla senior Jenna Ford started the 2012 season right where they have been every fall during the high school careers — in the front pack.

“It’s been great to watch her grow as a runner and a person for last four years,” Howell said of Ford, who finished third Tuesday. “It’s kind of bittersweet, but we’ll enjoy it.”

The top two were joined by other runners from the perennially strong Wasilla girls’ team. Sisters Mariah and Riley Burroughs also had top-5 finishes. Mariah was the race runner-up.

Michaelson, the defending Colony Twilight champ, earned her second Twilight title with a time of 9 minutes and 28 seconds, four seconds ahead of Mariah Burroughs. Ford was third at 9:36.5, Colony’s Makenzie Thompson finished fourth at 9:55.9 and Riley Burroughs was fifth at 10:00.1.

Hana Bohman was sixth to lead Palmer.

Osiensky led all Valley boys with a time of 8:09.3.

“He needs to get used to running out front,” said Palmer head coach John Bishop. Osiensky highlights a depleted Palmer squad, which graduated many of its front-runners.

“As Chris goes, the team goes,” Bishop said.

Osiensky edged Seward’s Miles Knotek to win the race. Knotek, who finished third in the ASAA/First National Bank State Championships last October, placed second at 8:10.6. Colony’s Lyon Kopsack was third at 8:12.4. Seward’s Michael Marshall and Colony’s Brandon Schafer also finished in the top-5.

Wasilla’s Brendon Lee led the Warriors with a fifth-place finish.

The prep cross-country season will kick into its next gear with the Bartlett Invitational, Colony Invitational and Palmer Invitational over the next three weeks, but local athletes see the Twilight as a good early-season test.

Colony Twilight

Tuesday, Colony High

Combined team scores:

1. Colony 67, 2. Wasilla 105, 3. Seward 143, 4. Palmer 153.

Boys individual results:

1. C. Osiensky, Pal 8:09.3; 2. M. Knotek, Sew 8:10.6; 3. L. Kopsack, Col 8:12.4; 4. M. Marshall, 8:16.4; 5. B. Schafer, Col 8:16.8; 6. B. Sessom, Col 8:17.5; 7. S. Hermann, Pal 8:19.1; 8. B. Lee, Was 8:31.9; 9. M. Moore, Sew 8:32.1; 10. L. Reed, Col 8:33.6; 11. D. Sinnett, Col 8:37.1; 12. J. Gentz, Pal 8:45.0; 13. D. Peterson-Thompson, Col 8:52.7; 14. K. Lucas, Col 8:54.6; 15. S. Carpenter, Was 9:00.1; 16. B. Carricaburu, Was 9:00.7; 17. K. Frick, Was 9:01.3; 18. C. Pulver, Was 9:02.4; 19. T. Berry, Sew 9:10.6; 20. J. Link, Col 9:11.6; 21. T. Marshall, Was 9:13.5; 22. J. Buchanan, Sew 9:20.5; 23. Z. Zmuda, Col 9:24.1; 24. B. Moore, Sew 9:24.7; 25. L. Seims, Was 9:27.4; 26. T. Murray, Col 9:32.6; 27. C. Danner, Col 9:34.5; 28. A. Pahno, Sew 9:36.3; 29. D. Gillespie, Sew 9:36.9; 30. N. Harrison, Col 9:43.0; 31. B. Mahan, Pal 9:45.0; 32. N. Zweifel, Sew 9:48.2; 33. P. Berry, Sew 9:46.6; 34. S. Brewi, Sew 9:52.0; 35. K. Ivy, Sew 9:55.2; 36. T. Zwiefel, Sew 9:56.5; 37. J. Kingsland, Sew 9:56.9; 38. E. Grazulis, Col 10:02.9; 39. A. Nelson, Col 10:03.3; 40. K. Greathouse, Was 10:06.4; 41. L. Jones, Col 10:06.8; 42. Z. Marsh, Pal 10:08.2; 43. S. Larue, Pal 10:15.8; 44. J. Swanson, Sew 10:17.4; 45. R. Kavlock, Pal 10:18.1; 46. W. Golding, Was 10:19.1; 47. P. Mow, Sew 10:20.2; 48. C. Olsen, Col 10:28.2; 49. R. Diotte, Col 10:29.4; 50. N. McKimson, Was 10:29.9; 51. S. Adams, Col 10:30.2; 52. S. Stauble, Sew 10:33.6; 53. W. Wall, Was 10:33.8; 54. R. Abbott, Was 11:00.1; 55. B. McKimson, Was 12:01.2; 56. B. Ingersoll, Was 12:38.7; 57. Z. Blair, Col 12:42.8; 58. G. Birch, Col 14:23.6; 59. L. Spradlin, Sew 14:27.2; 60. G. Plush, Sew 21:06.9; 61. J. Dotomon, Sew 22:04.2.

Girls individual results:

1. A. Michaelson, Col 9:28.0; 2. M. Burroughs, Was 9:32.1; 3. J. Ford, Was 9:36.5; 4. M. Thompson, Col 9:55.9; 5. R. Burroughs, Was 10:00.1; 6. H. Bohman, Pal 10:01.3; 7. B. Meier, Col 10:28.9; 8. M. Ringgenberg, Was 10:37.3; 9. T. Spaic, Col 10:40.3; 10. L. Dyer, Sew 10:40.6; 11. R. Diotte, Col 10:50.6; 12. J. Kopsack, Col 10:58.2; 13. A. Devine, Was 10:58.4; 14. J. Braun, Sew 10:59.1; 15. M. Southwick, Pal 11:14.7; 16. M. Meyerhofer, Col 11:25.9; 17. L. Kromery, Sew 11:43.3; 18. M. Osiensky, Pal 11:43.6; 19. S. Schmidt, Was 11:45.9; 20. A. Pell, Was 11:55.3; 21. L. Olsen, Col 11:55.8; 22. A. Qualls, Pal 12:08.5; 23. A. Goyette, Col 12:20.4; 24. D. Ingersoll, Was 12:25.5; 25. R. Hogan, Pal 13:09.7; 26. B. Estes, Sew 13:21.0; 27. L. Kromery, Sew 13:27.1; 28. A. Atwood, Sew 13:51.8; 29. K. Lindeman, Was 14:10.1; 30. K. Munday, Was 14:10.8; 31. K. Knotek, Sew 14:27.4; 32. S. Pralle, Col 15:04.4; 33. A. Hawthorne, Col 15:35.3; 34. H. Michaelson, Col 16:34.8.