Chugiak girls, South boys and Palmer’s Fischer Adams take state cross country titles

PALMER — Fischer Adams grew up running the trails in the woods surrounding Palmer High School.

On Saturday, Adams was crowned a state champion on those same grounds. Adams ran the course in a blistering time of just over 16 minutes to win the Division I boys cross country title.

“I’ve been running this course since I was in middle school,” he said. “I know it like the back of my hand.”

Now a senior, Adams finished 13th last year. He said the win was “super special” and he was able to celebrate with friends and family around the Palmer track where the race concluded.

”It just kind of comes full circle to be able to race state (at my) home course, win state (at my) home course,” he said.

He outpaced his next closest competitor, Colony’s Tobias Buchanan, by more than 42 seconds.

“I was just trying to tell myself to chase the biker (pacing the race) because, I mean, I don’t want anyone creeping up on me,” Adams said. “You’ve just got to keep pushing yourself at that point.”

In the Division I team competition, South Anchorage used a pair of finishes in the top 8 and solid depth to win the title. South finished with 83 points, outrunning Chugiak (89) and West High (89), which won last weekend’s Region IV team title.

Blaise Boyer (5th) and Vebjorn Flagstad (8th) paced the Wolverines. But South head coach Sara Miller said just as key were the runners who scored valuable points farther down in the pack.

“It was teamwork,” Miller said. “It’s an individual sport but you know, not everyone had their best day today. But because everybody pushed hard throughout and worked as a team unit, they were able to pull it off, which is awesome.”

The girls Division I race featured a kingpin and a newcomer taking the titles.

In the team competition, it was another victory for Chugiak, which has dominated the team results in recent years. But the individual title was earned by a runner who didn’t even compete at state last season: Mustangs sophomore Hannah Shaha.

Shaha finished with a time of 19:19.82. While she said she didn’t have nerves in her first-ever state meet, there was definitely anticipation.

“This morning I woke up at like 5 (a.m.) and it kind of felt like Christmas morning a little bit,” she said. “I was really excited it but it just felt like the same (level of) nerves of any other race.”

Shaha had been on a streak of setting personal records at nearly every race this season as she continued to ascend. While there was no PR on Saturday, that was just fine with her.

“I didn’t PR today, but honestly I got everything I could ask for,” she said.

Teammate Alliyah Fields, who placed second, was seven seconds back. The Mustangs’ 40 points were good enough for another state title, besting runner-up Juneau-Douglas (69).

“Honestly, more than the individual win is the team, and I get to do it with all my best friends,” she said of the Chugiak celebration.

The Division II races saw a pair of favorites complete victories. Sitka’s Clare Mullin finished second last season to teammate Anna Prussian, while Grace Christian’s Robbie Annett was third behind a pair of seniors: teammate David Sliwinski and Homer’s Seamus McDonough.

Mullin finished the race in 19:50.30 and was once again 1-2 with a teammate. This time it was Marina Dill, who finished 23 seconds back.

“It definitely feels pretty good,” Mullin said. “All of the hard work has paid off.”

Mullin ran side-by-side with her teammate for much of the race before breaking out in the final kilometer.

“At 4K I just gave it everything I had,” she said.

While Sitka finished 1-2 individually, it was Seward that took home the team title with a dominant performance, finishing with just 34 points.

Led by senior Hailey Ingalls, Seward runners finished 3rd, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th and 13th. Seward head coach Rachel Dow emphasized running as a pack and her team did just that.

“They are just an incredibly hardworking group of ladies,” she said. “I was telling them I wanted as many girls as possible in the top 10 and they killed it today. I could not be more proud of this group.”

Annett’s position as the favorite was a new one, but a spot he thrived in.

“It was super different,” he said. “I’ve always had two, three guys ahead of me I’ve been able to chase. ... It was kind of interesting in the beginning of the year because I didn’t really know how to (race as a leader) but just not being afraid to take it out fast I guess.”

Annett not only took the individual win, but helped Grace Christian to a team title as well. Kenai Central’s Gregory Fallon was runner-up, three seconds behind.

With 47 points, Grace Christian also got great finishes from Colton Merriner (3rd) and Simon Nelson (4th).

“Those guys are always pushing me in practice every day,” Annett said. “Taking turns leading workouts, it’s always been super fun.”

At the Division III level, Wrangell won the boys team title behind a stellar performance by sophomore Boomchain Loucks. Loucks won the race in 17:28.04 and was followed by teammate Keegan Hansen (18:12.65).

It was a repeat for Wrangell, but last year it was a senior-laden team and Loucks was the fifth runner.

“It was a big change,” he said. “It was good to come back and be the No. 1 guy. I grinded all summer. The seniors last year really pushed me last year and motivated me over the summer.”

Unalakleet’s Ourea Busk won the girls race at Division III. Busk finished third at state last year and had raced on the Palmer course earlier this season.

But her state performance was an impressive departure, dropping more than a minute off that previous time.

“I wanted her to just focus on running her race,” Unalakleet head coach Matt Roesch said. “She has always been the type of runner to, when the gun goes off, to just run.”

A young sophomore at 14 years old, Busk won by 19 seconds. Roesch said she raced like an experienced veteran, hanging back on the first lap before making her move.

“She was hanging behind but she looked relaxed,” he said. “At that point, it looked to me like she knew she could hang there. If that was the fastest lap that they were going to run, she felt good.”

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Bristol Bay’s Brooke Phelps, center, takes off from the starting line during a mass start in the Division III ASAA girls state cross country championships at Palmer High School on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

State Cross Country Meet

At Palmer High School

Division I

Girls

Team top 5

1. Chugiak 40; 2. Juneau-Douglas 69; 3. Colony 72; 4. South 116; 5. West 148.

Individual Top 10

1. Hanna Shaha, Chugiak, 19:19.82; 2. Alliyah Fields, Chugiak, 19:26.75; 3. Morgan Ainsworth, Colony, 19:27.23; 4. Hailee Giacibble, Wasilla, 19:34.82; 5. Ida Meyer, Juneau-Douglas, 19:41.54; 6. Tania Boomstra, Soldotna, 19:55.79; 7. Ella Hopkins, Colony, 19:57.41; 8. Miyana Kam-Magruder, Service, 20:01.49; 9. Ranya Tuckwood, Juneau-Douglas, 20:02.15; 10. Etta Eller, Juneau-Douglas, 20:07.76.

Boys

Team top 5

1. South 83; 2. West 89; 3. Chugiak 89; 4. Colony 102; 5. Juneau-Douglas 104.

Individual Top 10

1. Fischer Adams, Palmer, 16:00.69; 2. Tobias Buchanan, Colony, 16:43.44; 3. Blake Hanley, West, 16:49.14; 4. Elias Litzow, Kodiak, 16:50.82; 5. Blaise Boyer, South, 16:57.30; 6. Jarrett Jackson, Dimond, 16:59.10; 7. Owen Hayes, Chugiak, 17:00.60; 8. Vebjorn Flagstad, South, 17:01.23; 9. Elias Oswald, Service, 17:03.63; 10. Edgar Vera Alverado, Juneau-Douglas, 17:04.32.

Division II

Girls

Team top 5

1. Seward 34; 2. Grace Christian 57; 3. Sitka 57; 4. Homer 109; 5. Monroe Catholic 128.

Individual Top 10

1. Clare Mullin, Sitka, 19:50.30; 2. Marina Dill, Sitka, 20:13.76; 3. Hailey Ingalls, Seward, 20:57.74; 4. Sydney Mondeel, Grace Christian, 21:07.61; 5. Tagan Rinner, Grace Christian, 21:15.74; 6. Selah Brueckner, Seward, 21:30.05; 7. Lauren Kingstrom, Nome-Beltz, 21:32.09; 8. Juniper Ingalls, Seward, 21:42.26; 9. AwaLuk Nichols, Nome-Beltz, 21:50.00; 10. Katie Vanbuskirk, Seward, 21:52.35.

Boys

Team top 5

1. Grace Christian 47; 2. Sitka 66; 3. Homer 73; 4. MCCA 111; 5. Bethel Regional 118.

Individual Top 10

1. Robbie Annett, Grace Christian, 16:39.06; 2. Gregory Fallon, Kenai Central, 16:42.24; 3. Colton Merriner, Grace Christian, 16:49.23; 4. Simon Nelson, Grace Christian, 16:54.84; 5. Connor Hitchcock, Sitka, 17:00.33; 6. Trey Demmert, Sitka, 17:14.31; 7. Rafe Caruthers, Valdez, 17:21.03; 8. Orson Hoogendorn, Nome-Beltz, 17:29.34; 9. Ned Peters, Bethel Regional, 17:31.66; 10. Preston Kopp, MCCA, 17:33.71.

Division III

Girls

Team top 5

1. Dillingham 46; 2. Kake 56; 3. Craig 74; 4. Tikigaq 82; 5. Fort Yukon 90.

Individual Top 10

1. Ourea Busk, Unalakleet, 19:38.31; 2. Taylor Eddington, Tri-Valley, 19:57.72; 3. Ariel Godinez Long, Haines, 20:40.92; 4. Pagan Lester, Newhalen, 21:57.19; 5. Adelyn McCorison, Ninilchik, 22:21.30; 6. Maria Toth, Petersburg, 22:33.31; 7. Kinley Lister, Petersburg, 23:06.24; 8. Alana Harrison, Wrangell, 23:18.46; 9. Kayla Abbott, Glennallen, 23:22.20; 10. Violet Jack, Unalakleet, 23:37.05.

Boys

Team top 5

1. Wrangell 28; 2. Cordova 72; 3. Petersburg 75; 4. Bristol Bay 101; 5. Haines 105.

Individual Top 10

1. Boomchain Loucks, Wrangell, 17:28.04; 2. Keegan Hansen, Wrangell, 18:12.65; 3. Floyd Widsoe, Cordova, 18:13.52; 4. Aulis Nelson, Craig, 18:16.61; 5. Daniel Harrison, Wrangell, 18:23.99; 6. Alex Holmgrain, Petersburg, 18:25.25; 7. Keilan Wassillie, Bristol Bay, 18:35.21; 8. Tegan Hesse, Cordova, 18:49.76; 9. Xzavier Munoz-Torres, Kake, 18:55.76; 10. Latrell Lake, Hooper Bay, 19:07.34.