Evergreen Storm runners set sights on Junior Olympics nationals

The Evergreen Storm had three runners win races and won one team title during the Pacific Northwest Association Junior Olympics Cross Country Championships on Saturday in Seattle.

Savanna Craig won the race for girls ages 15-16, completing 5,000 meters in 19 minutes and 40 seconds. Victoria Kehler won the young women’s race for ages 17-18 with a time of 20:32.27. Kehler finished 10 seconds in front of teammate Cassie McKinney, who placed second. The Storm had four of the top seven in the young women’s race.

The other individual champion for the Vancouver club was Tyler Dihn, who won the 3,000-meter race for boys ages 9-10. It was his first cross country race. His time was 11:58.

The Pacific Northwest Association covers western Washington. The races were held at Lower Woodland Park. A total of 46 of the Evergreen Storm runners will return to the same courses on Nov. 22 for the regional championships, where teams and runners will try to qualify for the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics Cross Country National Championships.

Led by Rachel Blair’s second-place finish, the Evergreen Storm girls team won the title in the 13-14 age division. Blair’s time was 15:21. Allison Warta (fifth, 15:55), Serena Smith (sixth, 16:13), Emilia Pullen (16th, 16:35) and Presley Timmons (23rd, 16:47) scored for the team.

Blair finished second behind Taylor Roe, who finished second in the Junior Olympics nationals for this age group a year ago.

In the 11-12 age group (3,000 meters), both Storm teams placed second. Scoring for the girls team were Sydnee Dyer (10th, 12:17.35), Makena Harbertson (11th, 12:17.91), Olivia Dinnel (15th, 12:22), Gabriella Warta (16th, 12:28) and Drew Lobis (22nd, 12:56).

Scoring for the boys team were Andres Solorzano-Jones (11th, 12:05), Hunter Davenport (12th, 12:06), Porter Craig (14th, 12:16), Jonathon Wells (15th, 12:18) and Tyler Lehnertz (16th, 12:23).