On November 2nd, 2024, the Gig Harbor Tides Varsity runners arrived at the school in the morning, under a cover of clouds, and rode a bus down to Chambers Creek Properties for the district meet. This meet was the qualifying event for state, and it came after the girls varsity team placed first and the boys varsity team placed second at the league meet. Athletes had been training hard for this event, and they had their eyes set on competing on the statewide level.
Just as expected, the Gig Harbor High School Cross Country team delivered nearly identical results as at league, with the girls varsity team placing first overall and the boys varsity team placing second. The races were fast and furious, with the fastest female athlete of the day, Elektra Higgins of Peninsula High School, running a 17:48.6 5k, and the fastest male athlete, Jax Corvin of Lakes High School, running a 16:08.2 5k.
The Women’s 3A Varsity race began promptly at 12:50, and runners dashed off the start and onto the course. Gig Harbor’s lady tide runners ran splendidly, attacking the difficult uphills and flying down the downhills. Taylor Sletner (12), a senior and the fastest female runner on the team, placed second with an incredible time of 18:08.5. Hot on her heels were two athletes from Central Kitsap High School and Auburn Mountainview High School, followed by our very own Lejla Carlsson (11), who finished with the extraordinary time of 18:50.1 in fifth place. Ella Savage (9), placed eighth, Clarabelle Simmonds (10) placed 16th, Ruby Savage (11) placed 17th, Laila Flynn (11) placed 33rd, and Sofia Simmonds (12) placed 51st out of 134 runners.
The men’s 3A Varsity race started at 2:00 and was over less than 23 minutes after it started. The first runner to cross the finish line was Corvin, followed by Michael Vlach of Central Kitsap, Damien Sledd of Lakes, and Gavin McKeegan (11) of Gig Harbor High School, with a time of 16:18.3. Close behind him was Joey Campbell (12), placing fifth with a time of 16:27.3. Max Dower (10) was the next Tide to cross the finish line in 11th, followed by Joshua Minner (10) in 15th and Jack Greer (10) in 18th. Galen Peloquin (9) finished in 32nd and Preston Nelson (9) finished in 43rd, all running sub-18-minute 5ks.
The athletes had an amazing time overall at the meet, despite the damp, muddy conditions of the course. Their training paid off as they approached the course with confidence and took it on bravely, with minimal nerves. Clarabelle Simmonds reported regarding her performance, “I have great teammates, and they take away a lot of the stress because we have great friendships, we have lots of fun, and we dance before our races, which is the best part.” She then added with excitement, “And we won!” McKeegan stated, “It’s been a blessing; it’s a fun experience. It’s definitely a lot better than last year, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”