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Wahluke wins cross-country individual boys title; girls take team title

CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years AGO
by CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | October 20, 2021 1:00 AM

MATTAWA — Wahluke High School sophomore Angel Vazquez was first across the finish line in the boys race at the cross-country meet Thursday at the South Central Athletic Conference meet against Wapato, Zillah, Kiona-Benton and La Salle high schools. The WHS varsity girls finished first in the girls team competition.

Vazquez took the lead just after the 1-mile mark and wasn’t challenged for the rest of the race. Cross-country coach David Miskimens said Vazquez has been improving throughout the season.

“Angel has come a long way,” Miskimens said.

Junior Adamaris Arellano was the top WHS girls finisher, taking third.

“She’s starting to close in on a personal record,” he said.

The cross-country season was abbreviated in the 2020-21 school year due to the coronavirus pandemic, so it was tough to make a comparison, Miskimens said, but Arellano is ahead of where she was at the same time in her freshman year.

The girls won the meet even though the team was missing a runner due to illness. The boys team finished third.

“They (WHS teams) did pretty well, all in all,” Miskimens said. “We saw some pretty good performances from a lot of people. Timewise, I did see improvement.”

The state meet will be Nov. 6 in Pasco, and the top 21 runners and top three teams in each conference will qualify to compete. Miskimens said he thinks Vazquez and the girls team have a good chance of qualifying for the state meet.

photo

Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald

The Wahluke High School girls cross-country team takes off from the start line at the meet at WHS Thursday.

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