PASCO — The Ephrata Tigers cross country team had quite the day at the state championships over the weekend with each team that qualified finishing in the top ten.  When the day was over, Ephrata's Co-Ed Unified team took seventh, the boys took sixth and the girls took fourth. 

"It's a culmination of a lot of stuff that happens throughout the year," said Tigers Head Coach Lyndsy Roberts. "The kids deserved it. They've worked hard all year to reach that moment and to see them reach and have the success they did was great and rewarding. It was a special day." 

Starting with the Co-Ed Unified team, Tigers' seniors Sunnie Neff and Zane Seig took seventh after their 2.1-mile race. Neff finished with a time of 7:39.8 and Seig finished with a time of 5:56.3 for a total finish time of 15:01.00.

Roberts said this was the first time Ephrata has sent a unified team to state, which brought some unknowns to the table. Despite this, he and his runners were excited to be part of the event and see a variety of different runners competing. 

Neff, who was the unified athlete on the state team, was partnered with JV athlete Seig. The coach said the ability for the two to work together and finish seventh shows the depth of the Tigers cross country program. 

"We have such a good depth of runners that are solid runners that we could have chosen a wide variety of different kids to pair with Sunnie that are all fast and that helped bring that average down quite a bit," he said. "Then just to have Sunnie, who has been working with us for quite a few years and be rewarded for all of her hard work and all the miles she's run with us was really great." 

The boys found themselves competing at a high level, finishing with an average time of 17:05.9 from the top five runners for sixth place. Leading the way was junior Caleb Fitts who took seventh (16:06.40) and was followed by junior Niko Diaz in 25th (16:45.10). 

Rounding out the Ephrata's times were sophomore Caleb Schooler in 59th (17:16.40), freshman Seve Molitor in 73rd (17:25.80), sophomore Louden Leenhouts in 108th (17:55.70), junior Mitchell Johnson in 127th (18:11.90) and freshman Mike Jimenez in 146th (18:47.10). 

"To qualify was a really big deal for us last week and then we came in and we set some high goals," said Roberts. "We reassessed what we were capable of because we'd set a new standard from districts and we came into the state meet just hoping to place as high as possible." 

The coach said he was very proud of all the times that the boys finished with, especially given the difficulty that the Sun Willows Golf Course can bring. One in particular he was very proud to see the work from Fitts, who despite successfully qualifying for state didn't finish districts the way he hoped. During districts he had bounced back for a strong finish. 

"To come forward and claim a top seven time in the entire state was awesome to see, and I knew he was capable of it," he said. "He was the guy that took it out and led for us and then the rest of the guys did a great job of just filling in and following." 

Fitts' success throughout this season and his career comes from his commitment as a long distance runner and putting in the hard work all season, said Roberts. 

"He just keeps running and when you have somebody that is able to buy in and be a leader like that for the rest of the guys to follow, it sets the standard for the team that everybody else follows," said the coach. 

Ephrata's girls wrapped up their successful and competitive season with an average of 20:19.30 for their top five runners for their fourth-place finish. Leading the team was senior Abigail Chamberlain finishing in ninth (19:06.30). 

The remaining top five runners stayed consistent in their grouping with junior Savannah Harper in 24th (20:07.60), freshman Zoie Grubb in 30th (20:27.40), junior Rebecca Wiser in 44th (20:56.40) and Hannah Malone in 49th (21:00.40). The final two Tiger runners, freshmen Eden Morris and Gracee Neff, rounded out the times with 112th (22:41.50) and 119th (22:57.30) respectively. 

"We've had a strong group of girls the last couple of years, but just missed out on making it to state and this year it all kind of came together," said Roberts. "We kept them healthy and we've had quite a bit of success throughout the year, winning a couple different invites. So the goal was always to push for a state podium finish." 

During the state meet, the coach said each girl who competed stepped up and had a great day on the course. The fourth place finish was truly a consolidated effort from everyone on the team. 

"I'm just so thankful the girls put it all together," he said. 

The two seniors that qualified, Abigail Chamberlain and Hannah Malone, were key components in helping push the team forward for success at state. Roberts said the girls have taken up all leadership aspects from excelling with their running to creating fun moments and building camaraderie with their teammates. 

"Some of the things that are more on the social side that make cross country fun, they're a big part of that," he said. "They've been such an important part of this program for four years, since they were just little freshmen. They've made state every year and just to see them get rewarded with a team finish this year is well deserved for them." 

With the season now concluded the Tigers can start looking toward the future success for the program.  

The coach said Ephrata had a pretty young team this season and on the boys' side, each of their state contenders will be returning next season. Though the girls will be losing two state contenders, the young returning roster will be hungry to make their way back to state next season. 

"You can't replace some of these athletes, the girls especially, but we've got to try to find a couple more to reload and keep moving in the right direction as a program," said Roberts. "Set high standards and keep pushing for those types of results because it's a lot of fun to go to state and be successful in a program." 

Ephrata's success all season long, from first place finishes to state qualifications and even Roberts himself earning the title of coach of the year, couldn't have been done without the hard work of each member of the team. For that the coach said he is grateful. 

"They are hardworking, they're academically successful, they hang out with each other when they're not even at practice," said Roberts. "It's just a really strong group and it's something a bit special. I just want to say thank you to them." 

RESULTS:  

BOYS – 6th – 17:05.9 top 5 average 

5 – Caleb Fitts, 16:06.40 

14 – Niko Diaz, 16:45.10 

40 – Caleb Schooler, 17:16.40 

49 – Seve Molitor, 17:25.80 

71 – Louden Leenhouts, 17:55.70 

86 – Mitchell Johnson, 18:11.90 

100 – Mike Jimenez, 18:47.10 

COED UNIFIED – 7th - 15:01.00  

Sunnie Neff, 7:39.8 

Zane Seig, 5:56.3 

GIRLS – 4th - 20:19.6 top 5 average 

7 – Abigail Chamberlain, 19:06.30 

18 – Savannah Harper, 20:07.60 

24 – Zoie Grubb, 20:27.40 

37 – Rebecca Wiser, 20:56.40 

40 – Hannah Malone, 21:00.40 

77 – Eden Morris, 22:41.50 

84 – Gracee Neff, 22:57.30 

    Caleb Fitts, a junior from the Tigers, rushes ahead of the crowd for a seventh-place finish at Sun Willows Golf Course.
  

    EHS senior Abigail Chamberlain runs across the final stretch of the course during the state championships to finish ninth.
  

    Hannah Malone, a senior for the Tigers, works to finish strong at Sun Willows Golf Course and took 49th in state.