Wasilla girls open with win

ANCHORAGE — The Wasilla Warriors girls cross-country running squad started the 2012 season right where it left off in 2011 — winning a team title at Bartlett High School.

Wasilla, which won its second straight state title on the Bartlett High trails last October, won the first major meet of the new season, scoring the girls’ team title at the Bartlett Invitational Saturday in Anchorage.

Even though he was leading the two-time defending state champions into the meet, Wasilla head coach Gary Howell said, frankly, he was a bit surprised by the win Saturday.

“I was trying to do the math in my head. I didn’t even think we won,” Howell said by cellphone Saturday evening.

But with a meet-low 93 points, the Warriors did win. Mariah Burroughs and Jenna Ford finished seventh and eighth respectively to help Wasilla earn the team title, and finish nine points ahead of runner-up West Anchorage.

Howell figured his team, which graduated only two scoring runners from the 2011 state champs, would be in contention for the Bartlett crown. But maybe second would be realistic.

Howell said Wasilla is not quite at full strength, as sophomore Peggy Mathis works to recover from an offseason collarbone injury.

“She’s only been cleared to run in the last week or so,” Howell said of Mathis.

But Mathis put together a solid race to help the Warriors finish first in the team standings.

Complete results were unavailable as of press time, but Howell said Riley Burroughs finished 15th for the Warriors, and Mathis and Mandi Rinngenberg both posted top-25 finishes.

Colony senior Audrey Michaelson led all Valley runners with a fourth-place finish in the girls varsity race.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com, follow him @matsu_sports and find him by searching Valley Sports Huddle on Facebook.

Bartlett Invitational

Saturday, Anchorage

Girls team scores (top 5):

1. Wasilla 93; 2. West 102; 3. Lathrop 128; 4. Grace Christian 129; 5. Dimond 145.

Girls individual results (top 10):

1. A. Ostrander, Ken 17:58; 2. B. Lizotte, Lat 18:41; 3. R. Roelle, West 18:58; 4. A. Michaelson, Col 19:01; 5. H. Steffensen, Ken 19:08; 6. J. Northey, Ser 19:11; 7. M. Burroughs, Was 19:12; 8. J. Ford, Was 19:22; 9. M. Kubichek, Lat 19:40; 10. G. Graham, East 19:42.

Boys team scores (top 5):

1. West Valley 33, 2. Service 75; 3. Kodiak 94; 4. Grace Christian 150; 5. Kenai 202.

Boys individual results (top 10):

1. L. Thomet, Kod 16:01; 2. C. Christiansen, Kod 16:07; 3. P. Noon, WV 16:19; 4. E. Hoefler, WV 16:29; 5. M. Donaldson, WV 16:33; 6. M. Knoteck, Sew 16:37; 7. K. Grzeda, WV 16:38; 8. L. Fried, Kod 16:39; 9. L. Schlemme, Ser 16:48; 10. G. Szweda-Mittelstadt, Ser 16:50.