Though most of the runners had never raced 4,000 meters, the girls of the Evergreen Storm competed like veterans on Saturday.
With four runners among the top 10, the Storm won the team championship for girls born in 1996 and 1997 at the USA Track and Field Oregon Association Cross Country Championships. The Oregon championships were held on Saturday at Oregon City High School.
The Storm cross country team was organized at the conclusion of the middle school cross country season less than a month ago. It includes runners in grades 6-9.
Alexis Fuller won the 4,000-meter race for girls ages 13-14. Her time of 15 minutes, 10.2 seconds, ranks among the best in the nation this year, according to Evergreen Storm organizer Scott Slamp.
Alexa Efraimson finished fourth with a time of 15:34.30. Prairie High freshman Nicole Goecke was sixth in 15:43.60. Cassie McKinney finished eighth in 15:55.90.
Also scoring for the Storm was Cadi Kirby, who was 14th overall in 16:16.9.
In team competition, the Storm finished with 31 points, beating the defending champion Central Oregon Running Club from Bend by 10 points, and Nike’s Bowerman Athletic Club by 17 points.
Next up for the Storm is the Pacific Northwest regional championships. That race is on Saturday, also at Oregon City High School. The top three teams there, and top 20 individuals from each age group, qualify for the USATF Junior Olympic cross country nationals.
The national meet will be held on Dec. 11 in Hoover, Ala. Slamp said the Storm is planning to raise funds and make the trip to nationals if the team qualifies.
The Evergreen Storm had 12 girls in the 13-14 age-group race. The team also was represented in several other age divisions, where individuals qualified for this week’s USATF Region 13 Championships.
A list of local results from the Oregon championships is in the Community Sports Scoreboard.
• Flanagan Clan girls qualify — The Flanagan Clan Girls Track Club of Woodland had five runners qualify for this week’s USATF Region 13 Championships.
Competing at the USATF Pacific Northwest Association Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Woodland Park in Seattle, Becci Westby took third place in the 5,000-meter race for girls 17-18 with a time of 21:10.
Presley Timmons took fifth place in the 3,000-meter race for girls 10 and younger with a time of 13:10.
Other Flanagan Clan girls who qualified for the Region 13 meet were Sarah Williams (10 and younger), and Ashley Jones and Danni Casey (13-14).
The USATF Pacific Northwest Association covers much of western Washington.
Triathletes shine
Two athletes from Vancouver were among the top finishers at the Silverman Half-Iron Triathlon on Nov. 7 near Las Vegas.
Joshua Monda placed sixth overall and third among amateurs, and Aaron Jenniges placed ninth overall.
The sixth-annual race featured many course records, according to Monda. The half-Ironman distance involved swimming 1.2 miles, biking 56 miles and running 13.1 miles.
Monda, 28, finished in 4 hours, 43 minutes, 44 seconds. He said he made up significant ground on the run to finish third among non-professionals.
Jenniges, 31, finished with a time of 4:55:27, one of 12 who came in under five hours.
The winner of the Silverman Half-Iron was professional triathlete Chris McCormack, who last month won the Ironman World Championship for the second time.
Monda said the Silverman course — which next year will become the home for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships — featured “relentless hills” with several portions into a strong headwind.
Monda and Jenniges often train together, Monda said. Each hopes to qualify for the 2011 Ironman World Championships.
Youth-Adult bowling
Katryn Comeau made the most of her participation in the Clark County Adult-Youth Doubles Bowling Championships.
She placed first, second, and fifth in the division for teams with the highest averages during the 22nd-annual tournament that concluded over the weekend at Husted’s Hazel Dell Lanes.
Tournament results released on Sunday are unofficial.
Katryn and Paul Comeau won the division for youth bowlers with averages of 175 and higher. Their three-game series score was 1,477, including a handicap of 384 pins.
Katryn Comeau and Mike Figuracion had the second-best series, scoring 1,455 with a 372 handicap. Katryn Comeau and Ray Wight scored 1,428 for fifth place among 19 doubles teams in the top division.
The tournament was held during three weekends.
Winners of the other divisions were: Theresa Kelly and Paul Comeau (150-174 average), Wylicia Faley and Harold Lynsa (125-149), Brandon Davis and David Wilson (100-124), Carter Duvall and Patricia Ellis (76-99), and Caitlyn Curry and Raymond Curry (75 and below).
The next United States Bowling Congress certified tournament is the Clark County Mixed Championship. That tournament will be held over three weekends beginning Nov. 27-28 at Bailey’s Classic Lanes.
It includes divisions for doubles and teams including men and women. Cost to enter is $80 per team or $40 per doubles entry. To enter, or to learn more, call Bailey’s Classic Lanes at 360-882-6921, or contact the Clark County USBC at 360-694-6348.
Row to Remember set
The Vancouver Lake Crew will hold its second Row to Remember at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 26.
Vancouver Lake Crew former rowers and friends are invited to participate in the all-comers race, which will begin at 10 a.m. with a mass start.
Held for the first time last year to honor the memory of Vancouver Lake Crew founder Bill Kalenius, organizers hope to make the Row to Remember a Thanksgiving weekend tradition as a way to re-connect with rowers and supporters who have gone to college and beyond.
To sign up, or to learn more, contact Anita Roberts by e-mail at aroberts@wa-net.com.
Race benefits students
The Turkey Trot Clark County will be held on Thanksgiving Day at Salmon Creek Park and Klineline Pond.
Participants in the third-annual event can choose from a 5-kilometer run or walk or a 10-kilometer run. Both start at 9 a.m. Nov. 25. There is an optional post-race swim in Klineline Pond.
The race is a fundraiser for the Principals’ Checkbook programs in the southwest Washington. This program helps teachers and administrators at over 90 area schools provide immediate funds for the basic needs of low-income children, including shoes, coats, school supplies, backpacks, field-trip fees, medication.
To learn more or to register in advance, visit www.turkey-trot.org. Participants can pre-register now online or sign up the morning of the race. Day-of-race registration opens at 8 a.m.
COMMUNITY SPORTS news items may be submitted to Paul Danzer at paul.danzer@columbian.com or 360-904-4632.
