Newport cross-country running towards victory

REARDAN – Grizzly harrier Aimee Busby continues her streak of placing in the top 10 at cross-country races, the latest being her fourth place win at the District 6 NE2B League Championship Friday, Oct. 17 in Reardan.

Busby clocked in at 21:07 in the girls’ 5,000-meter varsity race, followed by Olivia Collins in eighth at 21:44. Sophia Peaker finished 30th with a time of 24:51. Savannah Garris finished 36th at 26:12 and Allysah Bays had a personal record at 26:35, earning her 37th place.

“I am very impressed with how the race went,” Newport coach Morgan Johnson says. “We had a lot of personal records on a course where not very many personal records are made. I am excited to see how they do at our regional championships.”

William Rheinford broke a season record in the boys’ 5,000-meter varsity race, clocking in at 20:51, earning him 41st place. Donovan Mason had a PR in 44th place at 20:54.

Another Grizzly with a PR was Aiden Tieman, finishing 58th with a time of 22:44. In 63rd place was Elijah Sattleen at 24:15, followed by Leif Axel in 65th place with a PR of 24:15.

Newport girls came in fifth overall in their category with a score of 87. Newport boys placed ninth with a score of 247. There were 12 high school teams that competed, including Newport.

When asked if he thought Newport cross-country was likely to go to state competition, Johnson answers in the affirmative.

“Yes, regardless of a slow course or not, the kids always expect to be their best every race,” Johnson says. “There is a very good chance we will send a few kids to state. The moment of truth is on the 31st and they will be ready to put their best race down. They have been training hard and are ready.”

Friday, Oct. 31, the Grizzlies head to the Colfax Gold Club for the District 6 1B/2B Regional Championships.

SOPHIA MATTICE-ALDOUS IS A MURROW NEWS FELLOW WORKING DIRECTLY WITH NEWSROOMS AT THE NEWPORT MINER AND RANGE MEDIA THROUGH A PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY. HER REPORTING IS AVAILABLE FOR USE VIA CREATIVE COMMONS WITH CREDIT.