MOSES LAKE – High school cross country teams from around the state met at the Spokane Polo Grounds on Saturday to compete in the eighth annual Battle for the 509. Basin teams that were part of the competition included Ephrata, Lind-Ritzville, Moses Lake, Othello, Quincy and Warden. 

“We had a really strong team showing at the varsity level,” said Ephrata Tigers head coach Lyndsy Roberts. “We entered in the red division, which was the division slightly below the championship division, and they responded really well." 

Tigers sophomore Caleb Fitts led the charge for the team’s success in the red division, earning fourth place in the 5k with a time of 17:05. Fitts was followed by Maddax Iverson at 17:43, Cooper Black at 17:50.9, and Niko Diaz at 17:51.1, which earned the Tigers first place in the event. 

“Caleb ran aggressively and pushed towards the front of the race, which set the standard for the rest of the team,” said Roberts. “He has been a strong leader for us all season, and now is gaining more confidence.” 

The Tigers girls earned twelfth overall in the 5k with Savannah Harper leading the charge with a final time of 19:58.3. She was followed by Hannah Malone with a time of 20:49.7, Rebecca Wiser with 21:29.8 and Sunnie Neff at 24:13.5. 

“Savannah joined a short list of Ephrata girl runners that have gone under 20:00 for a 5k race,” said Roberts. “She ran with strength and confidence. Really proud of her effort. 

The Lind-Ritzville Broncos' top placement from the boys was in the JV Silver 5k by Wyatt Walker, who ran for 21:59.5, and for the girls was Reagan Korthuis with a time of 25:36.5. 

The Moses Lake Mavericks participated in the varsity championship, where the boys finished in eleventh. The top runners from that group were Liam O’Shea with 16:35.2, Lane Christensen with 16:49, Maxwell Jolley with 17:00 and Colton Lucero with 17:12.7. 

The Mavs girls earned sixth in the varsity championship with the top runners being Rachel Nofziger, who finished with 19:44.3, Aspen Hoenes with 19:47.8, Natalie Vehrs with 20:20.5 and Kaytlyn Russel with 20:36.5. 

For the Othello Huskies, the boys earned ninth overall in the red division with the top runners being Alejandro Mendoza with 17:20.2, Carlos De la Cruz with 18:04.5, Daniel Gonzalez with 18:47.4 and Conner Gilvert with 19:01.4. The top runners for the girls were Betsy Policarpio with 22:05, Kimberly Alcaraz with 23:52.7 and Jocelyn Guerrero Gonzalez with 23:54.8. 

The Quincy Jacks boys runners earned twenty-third in the red division with top placements from Sergio Esparza with 18:39.3, Emanuel Santiago with 18:55.1, Issac Ramirez with 18:57 and Julian Ochoa with 20:01.6.  

For the Warden Cougars, assistant coach Kristina Martin said the team ran well, especially after having a home league meet just two days prior.  

“They were running on some tired legs, but they exceeded our expectations,” said Martin.  

The Cougars team participated in the JV races and had a standout performance from Aiden Castro in the Novice event, where he earned twenty-fourth with a time of 23:30.1.  

“That was really fun to be able to tell him, ‘Hey, look at how far you have come, you’re in the top 30 out of this massive race,’ and of course, his expression was priceless when he saw that, and he was five seconds away from an all-time personal record.” 

LJ Beavers also had a strong performance for the Cougars, ending with a time of 22:19.8. The top runner for the girls was Anna Marcus, who earned a final time of 27:39.7. 

All of these teams will be headed to various meets throughout today and Saturday. Times and locations for each team can be found both on the Columbia Basin Herald website and on the school’s athletic sites. 

    Cooper Black and Niko Diaz from the Tigers run behind an athlete from Eastmont during the Battle for the 509 meet. The boys team earned first in the red division at the meet.
  

    Tigers runner Sunnie Neff keeps up the pace as she competes in the Battle for the 509. Neff finished with a time of 24:13.5