Another 5K in the books for the Eagles. Both the Boys and Girls Team scored a perfect 15 points against Hazen HS this weekend. The teamwork and depth of our runners was highlighted once again. It was a dry, but hillier course and we had about 9 runners PR!
Alec Barran and Julia David Smith both lead the teams with victories.
This week – our final week! I’m really sad to see the season end so quickly, but immensely impressed and proud of how far our runners have come in such a short amount of time.
Coach Liza, Coach Katie, Coach Jackie, and Coach Paul
Our first 5k of the season is complete! After the veteran runners requested to race at Lake Sammamish State Park, we made that magic happen in just a few short days. Huge shout out to all the volunteers that helped us pull it off and the booster club for the support.
Race Recap – It was a muddy day, but relatively rain free. We tried to keep the course on pavement and solid ground, but a few muddy corners claimed some runner wipeouts. Even in those conditions, we had a lot of PRs for the athletes and both the Girls and Boys teams claimed victories against Liberty HS.
The IHS ladies took 6 of the top 7 spots, including an impressive win by Julia David Smith, 3rd place debut race by Darwin Hanson followed by Anna Jensen, Julia Ryan, Jane Harig, and Eliza Fuhs. To complete the trilogy of Julias on our team, Julia Wood placed 11th as our 7th runner.
The gentlemen also demonstrated their depth of the varsity squad. Alec Barran had a battle at the finish to move up to 2nd place. 4th through 8th place was Jonathan Liu, Jerry Imai-Takemura, Brennen Rickey, Josh Delgadillo, and Ben Konopka. Josh Geisser stepped up as our number 7 and took 10th place .
Once again the team came together and supported each other. From the handmade hair-ties, team chants, cheering on each other, and even helping get all the cones, these athletes continue to embody the Eagle XC spirit and legacy.
Next Saturday – Race at Phillip Arnold Park (11 am boys, Noon girls) no spikes, racing flats or trainers only. See map for course. Be there an hour early for check in with your masks.
LAST DUEL MEET is with Skyline on 3/2 (Friday) after school at Klahanie Park. Tentative times are Boys at 3:30 and Girls at 4:30ish, but I will get those confirmed this week.
Only 2 weeks of practices left, the season is flying by!
It’s been almost a year and half since we have raced, and yesterday we showed up with spirit, spunk, and speed for our dual meet against Mt. Si.
We kicked off the day with Boys Race 1 and a very fast start. The top 5 IHS pack of Alec Barran, Jonathan Liu, Jerry Imai-Takemura, Brennen Rickey, and Josh Delgadillo pushed each other to a competitive finish. Mt. Si demonstrated strong top runners to win the meet, while our strength is the depth of the boys team with solid performances across the board. Freshman Brennen Rickey and Elijah Miller, debuted their high school careers in Race 1.
Girls Race 1 followed with some team cheers and traditions at the starting line. Julia Ryan led our team with a 3rd place finish. Again, depth was a huge strength of our team with Jane Harig, Sarah Burke, Anna Jensen, and Kate Yahn coming in 5th – 8th. The girls just missed out on a victory, with Mt. Si beating us by only 2 points. Impressive freshman performance by Jane Harig running as our number 2 this weekend.
Julia David Smith was invited to try and break a record at the Sunfair Race in Yakima, Wa. She won by over a minute and enjoyed racing, and didn’t quite break the record. Photos and more info here.
Boys and Girls Race 2 highlighted the strength of some of our younger athletes. Sophomore Ty Lauritzen led the majority of the race with an impressive 40 second victory. Freshmen – Ignacio Garcia had a stellar kick to come in second and Ilyaas Motiwalla came in 4th. Three freshman girls swept their race, Rachel Dennie, Giada Oliva, and Clara Tubbs.
The most important performance of the weekend was the amazing team spirit. After cooling down, a lot of our team stayed (physically distanced of course) to cheer on runners. Also, the volunteers that helped us pull off a safe and successful first meet – THANK YOU! The welcoming and collaborative culture of this team is evident and we hope to continue to foster that tradition.
WHAT a day to be an Eagle!! All 3 Issy runners had absolutely incredible races. After an evening filled with both glutenous and non-glutenous pasta, an architecturally unsound gingerbread house, and sledding (don’t ask), one could say that these kids were prepared to run pretty dang quick.
Highlights
Julia “I’ll have the Special K with a side of salmon” David Smith
STATE CHAMP, 17:26. Last year, she was 2nd in 18:01. Not much else to say aside from, she demolished it! Julia beat everyone by a minute (WOW), ran powerfully and competed with herself the whole way through. Ding dong, Julia ran strong!
Darwin “if I could warm up in Crocs, I would” Hanson
49th in 19:22 (PR!). Last year, she was 94th in 20:21…at this rate, she’ll be -41st by senior year! A well-earned improvement and race for this girl. Keep it going Darwinski!!
Liam “I own 8 onesies, and they’re life-changing” Heninger
46th in 16:12 (PR!). He was the 1st freshman in 4A and 2nd freshman over ALL classifications. His secret? Something along the lines of chocolate milk and a really good attitude.
Truly only positive remarks to say about this Issy XC State crew. With stellar positive attitude and gritty racing, they perfectly represented what it means to be an Issaquah Eagle.
Special shout-out to “manager” of the weekend, Jerry, for keeping the others in line and contributing to a swell time in Pasco. You’re awesome, Jerry!!
Thanks to everyone who drove all the way out to support. You guys brought some amazing energy that the meet wouldn’t have been the same without.
Good luck to those competing at NXR next weekend! Represent Issaquah well, and please make it easy for the parent chaperones 🙂
Under perfect racing conditions, and with the potential of being the final race of the season, it was THE time to truly leave it all out there, no gas left in the tank, no regrets. Many of you took full advantage, ran confidently, and had the races of your lives.
Highlights
STATE QUALIFIERS
Darwin Hanson
Darwin ran relentlessly on Saturday. This girl knew what she wanted and went for it. Darwin consistently works hard and has an infectiously positive attitude. To say the least, she deserves this. We are all extremely psyched and happy for Miss. Darwinski!
Julia David Smith
In her usual composed and confident way, Julia took the Kingco win for the 3rd year in a row. She consistently dominates, and will be very exciting to see her matched up against other strong competitors this weekend. Go Julia go!
Liam Heninger
Liam earned first team all Kingco and State qualifier as a freshman. Very. Impressive. Liam is the only freshman boy to individually qualify from Kingco! It’s no surprise though, as Liam has what it takes, consistently gives his all, and is a fearless competitor.
Best of luck to Darwin, Julia and Liam this Saturday in Pasco!
Girls placed 5th – Scoring: David Smith 1, Hanson 13, Ryan 23, Anna Jensen 35, Padmanabhan 42
Shout out to the seniors: Swathi Padmanabhan, Berry Chen, Tiffany Wung, Jasper Fuhs, Sam Rosenkranz, Torin Carmichael, and Conner Tobey, who all competed in their last XC race for Issaquah. Proud of all your hard work over the years and for being such positive influences on the team! We’ll miss you!!
Huge thanks to all the teammate and family supporters for bringing such incredible energy!! You guys are awesome.
See you all at Awards Night tomorrow at 7pm (Tuesday)!!! Remember to bring your laundered uniform in a bag with your name on it!
“Tough Mudder” or XC meet?? Whichever one it was, you guys sure ran tough through the mud! If I got a dollar for every Issaquah shoe fallen victim to the course, I would get at least $9! The course conditions Saturday were probably easily the worst conditions you all have ever had to run in. Regardless, we saw some incredibly strong efforts and positive attitudes. Way to give it your all in your last race of season. Feeling the Issaquah pride!
So mud fun! (pc Lawrie Robertson)
Highlights
Jr/Sr Boys
2nd – Scoring: Saviello, Violette, Angell, Huard, Jordan
Proud of you all for finishing the season strong! It was so exciting to watch all of your phenomenal improvements from beginning to end. Thanks for a fun season! See you all at Awards Night 🙂
pc LawrieA couple of awesome and dedicated volunteers! Thanks to all the other parents and fans who came out too 🙂 (pc Lawrie)
A solid final dual meet of the season! Way to push yourselves and give your best out there at St Edward (Edition II, revised). Saw some awesome Issy packs. Strong work, Eagles!
2nd place for the girls, David Smith with the individual win
Redmond 21
Issaquah 35 – Scoring 5: David Smith 1, Hanson 6, Ryan 8, Anna Jensen 9, Padmanabhan 11
Inglemoor 85
Looking smooth girls! (pc Lawrie)
And just like that, the season is nearly done. The time flew by almost as fast as you all run! Some of you have done 4 races in 10 days (that’s a lot), so it is normal to feel a bit worn out at this point. Luckily, you all have enough time to physically recover and mentally recharge before the next, and, for many of you, last meet of the season (*tear*). Keep doing your best to sleep, fuel, take care of any ailments, and do everything in your control to be in tip-top shape for this final stretch. You’ve put in the work, now be confident and trust yourselves out there, Issy.
Some seniors getting sappy ❤Or maybe just happy to almost be done…?
$1 pancakes bigger than your face? Yep. Approximately 537 runners per race? Uh huh. PRs on PRs?? YOU BET. Hole in the Wall did not disappoint. Way to summon your eagle powers yesterday and race hard, Issaquah!
A happy team (pc Megan Haas)
Highlights
Frosh/Soph Boys
After some mild confusion and an impostor trying to steal Jonathan’s 3rd place finish, the boys were indeed the Champions of the Frosh/Soph 1 boys race!
Scoring 5: Jonathan Liu 3, Wiederien 10, Delgadillo 13, Murphy 15, Mularoni 21
These boys are winners! (pc Lawrie Robertson)
PRs for Liu, Wiederien, Delgadillo, Mularoni, Scheppat, Chollman, Konopka, Fulford and Bendt!
JVBoys
4th out of 45 teams – Scoring 5: Haas 17, Takeuchi 28, Geisser 33, Chin 35, Violette 51
JV boys (pc Megan)
PRs for Haas, Tak, Geisser, Chin, Tenace and Angell, and SRs for Violette and Mascavage!
…and a missing shoe for Trevor Jordan 😥
(don’t worry, he found it eventually)
V Boys
13th out of 52 teams – Scoring 5: Heninger 65, Fuhs 99, Barran 130, Imai-Takemura 133, C Tobey 170
Step aside, boys! Alec is on the move! (pc Lawrie)
PRs for Heninger, Fuhs, Barran, Imai-Takemura and Tobey!
V Girls
19th out of 42 teams – Scoring 5: David Smith 2, Hanson 92, Ryan 152, Anna Jensen 184, Padmanabhan 227
Pre-race hype (pc Lawrie)
PRs for David Smith, Hanson, Ryan, Jensen, Wung and Nybonn, and a SR for Padmanabhan (that’s every quah gal in the race :O).
JV Girls
11th out of 21 teams – Scoring 5: Chen 41, Wood 73, Aja Jensen 74, Putnam 96, Greta Cavotta 106
Berry finishing strong! (pc Lawrie)
PRs for Chen, Wood, Putnam and Patterson, and SR for Cavotta!
It was very impressive how well you all raced in the hoards of people. Navigating through races with so many bodies and elbows flying everywhere is an added challenge that take up extra energy. Regardless of the un-ideal conditions, majority of you still ran fast and/or PRed, which shows that you are adaptable and that there is still more to come for you all. So…let’s get after it Tuesday at St Edward!! Final dual meet of the season. PROCESS BEFORE OUTCOME. NO REGRETS. ICE. HAVE FUN 🙂
pc Lawrie
THANKS SO MUCH, fans, for cheering Issy on at this fun meet. Always appreciate the support.
Scheppats (awww!!) (pc Lawrie)
PS: Coach Lizzzz wants to remind everyone to get in those ZZZ’s
On a crisp, sunny day at North Bend’s hottest frisbee golf course, we witnessed some strong Issy running! This “mini Kingco” meet featured us, Mt. Si, Bothell, Woodinville and North Creek. Twas a flat, fast, fun course, and it was great to see a bunch of you take advantage of it.
Scheppat showing off his ability to multi-task cheering and course marshalling for a tough pack of guys! (pc Lawrie)
Fun race for these guys with a solid individualwin and lifetime PR for TrentAngell and 3 freshmen (Konopka, Chollman, Heu-Weller) contributing to the score! Wooohooo! Exciting improvements for these guys with more to come.
Angell in the zone (pc Lawrie)
Girls
Took the win!
Issaquah: 38 (Scoring 5: David Smith 1, Hanson 5, Ryan 6, Anna Jensen 8, Chen 19)
Mt. Si: 41
Woodinville: 50
Bothell: 112
packs… (pc Lawrie)
Individual win for David Smith with Hanson, Ryan & Anna Jensen finishing in the top 10 and Chen top 20!
Looks like Mt Si doesn’t want to bring the phone (pc Lawrie)
Had a strong pack of boys with Heninger, Fuhs, Imai-Takemura, Barran, Carmichael and Rosenkranz all in the top 20!
Overall, great performances today and execution of race plans. You guys did super well pushing and feeding off of each other in your packs. Way to run hard and support each other! Little reminder for you all – as it gets chillier (~60-deg and below), it is important that you bring and WEAR warm clothes, before your race. You will perform and feel much better in your race when your muscles are warm and happy even if you think you “feel fine” wearing shorts pre-race in 56-degree weather.
And THANKS to you fans who bundle up and support, regardless of the conditions outside ❤
Jax Saviello says, “woofwoof!!!” (Roughly translates to: “Eagles rule!!!”)
Well that was fun! Whilst appreciating the scenic views from the majestic Chambers Bay, the Issy crew took advantage of the all around ideal conditions and had a stellar day.
Start of JV boys race feat. a view (pc Lawrie)
Highlights
Girls poised on the podium (pc Lawrie)
Major highlights in every single race. Some exceptional finishes and practically everyone PRed! WOO HOO!
Boys Varsity
5th (out of 45 teams) with a 29-second spread between the scoring 5 (Heninger, Barran, Fuhs, Imai-Takemura, Carmicheal). That is nuts! These guys have some SERIOUS depth.
Varsity boys
Liam Heninger went sub 16 (15:53.7)! As a freshman! He can’t be stopped!
Girls Varsity
2nd (out of 31 teams)!! SO AWESOME ladies!!!! (Scoring 5: David Smith, Ryan, Hanson, Anna Jensen, Padmanabhan)
First varsity race (pc Lawrie)Second varsity race (PC Lawrie)
Julia David Smith took the win and went sub-17 (16:45)! Wowee!
Boys JV
2nd with a 23-second spread between the scoring 5 (Haas, Murphy, Takeuchi, Geisser, Wiederien)!!
JV boys (pc Lawrie)
Girls JV
3rd with an 8-second spread between the scoring 5 (Patterson, Roberts, Putnam, Wood, Greta Cavotta)! Craziness! These gals truly finished as a unit.
JV girls (pc Lawrie)
Boys JV Open
2nd with a 37-second spread between the scoring 5 (Tenace, Chin, Violette, Jordan, Huard)!
Issy squad somewhere mid-race (pc Lawrie)
Cody Tenace was 2nd with a 17:40, 1:43 faster than last week! Break-through much?
Tenace flying by Bellarmine at the finish (pc Lawrie)
**Regarding the confusion over course distance: It was indeed closer to a 3 miles (for everyone; they did not alter the course for any of the races). However, xc courses are rarely, if ever, exactly 5k. The elements and conditions of every course varies too, so time is ultimately pretty arbitrary in xc. So please STOP freaking out about the numbers. They are just a rough estimate of where you’re at, and yes of course still get excited about PRs. Overall, the most important thing is that you are learning how to work together and compete, which is what prepares you for the post season when all that matters is place.
This is the best that these runners have looked all season. Everyone ran aggressively, was engaged and focused, confident, and when the pain kicked in, these kids didn’t back off – they embraced it and ran hard through the finish. On top of that, there was some serious pack synergy going on, meaning that this group is learning to run together and help each other out, which can lead to immense improvements for all! All of the coaches were very impressed and proud of what Issy did out there. Let’s keep it rolling into this week (regardless of if the wheel’s prophecy is that you survive the swim upstream or get eaten by a seagull 🙂 ).
Josh x2 and Wiederien packing it up! (pc Lawrie)
Word on the street is that you all are having fun together, so that’s cool. Absolutely loving the vibes out there. Keep it up!
pc Lawrie
And of course, THANKS to all the fans who made the trek over to cheer on your fierce eagles!
Nybonn fam (pc Lawrie)
PS: Thanks for cheering your coaches on in the community race 🙂 You guys made it fun!
(pc Lawrie)
