Tri-Cities cross country at a glance
Rene Ferren
Sep 08, 2006
Columbia Basin 4A
Returning champions (Big Nine) -- Dual meets, Walla Walla (boys) and Eisenhower (girls); Districts, Eisenhower (girls).
Returning state qualifiers -- Boys: Tyler Noland, sr., Richland. Girls: Eisenhower, team (Ann McCarthy, jr.; Jessica Montoya, soph.); Richland, team (Kiley Johnson, soph.; Brianna McMullin, jr.; Annie McDonald, soph.); Kristen Ballinger, sr., Wenatchee; Sandra Martinez, soph., Davis.
Prognosis -- Same old, same old. The CBL and Greater Spokane League figure to get three state berths, and two are virtually locked up by powerhouses Mead and Ferris, Nos. 1 and 3 in the nation according to Harrier magazine. That leaves a host of teams fighting for one spot, with Walla Walla and Richland both figuring in that mix. Wa-Hi returns four of its top runners off last year\'s dual-meet champs, including seniors Bowe Ebding and Trent Sislow. Richland has Noland, which gives the Bombers a great head start, but has to replace Nos. 2 and 3 runners John McDonald and Kevin Joyce. A pair of sophomores, Benn Fussner and Caleb Parker, could fit the bill, said coach Bruce Blizard.
The biggest news on the girls side is that senior Cydney Knight, who led the Bombers to a state berth last year, transferred from Richland to Pasco late in the summer and will not run for the Bulldogs to concentrate on basketball. The Bombers, ranked fifth in 4A in the preseason, still figure to be the team to beat, thanks in part to the addition of two transfers -- Allison Mills from Riverside, Calif., and Danielle Amparan from Clark County, Ind. -- plus getting junior Caroline Hedel, a state placer in the high hurdles, and 5:34 miler Annette Oliveras, a junior who missed all of last season because of injuries. \"Any one of five girls could be our No. 1,\" Blizard said. \"It depends a lot on the type of course.\" Richland will need all five at their best considering five teams were in the preseason top 10 (Central Valley, Mead, University and Wenatchee are the others), and never count out perennial power Eisenhower.