{"id":112543,"date":"2024-10-05T21:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-06T05:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/home\/crimson-bears-leave-large-paw-prints-at-state-cross-country-running-championships\/"},"modified":"2024-10-06T11:18:27","modified_gmt":"2024-10-06T19:18:27","slug":"crimson-bears-leave-large-paw-prints-at-state-cross-country-running-championships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/sports\/crimson-bears-leave-large-paw-prints-at-state-cross-country-running-championships\/","title":{"rendered":"Crimson Bears leave large paw prints at state cross-country running championships"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t
In a sport of distance and endurance, the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears cross-country teams were just seconds and sprints away from capturing titles at the 2024 ASAA running state championships Saturday on the Bartlett High School Trails in Anchorage.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
JDHS senior Ida Meyer placed second in the Division I girls championship race in 19 minutes and nine seconds, just five seconds behind sophomore race winner Hailee Giacobbe of Wasilla, and JDHS sophomore Erik Thompson was second in the DI boys race with a 16:33, just three seconds behind East Anchorage sophomore Katahdin Staples.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Meyer summed up her race by explaining what pure energy expenditure can do.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“I’ve just been sick for a couple weeks so I’ve got a lot of snot running down,” she said. “It was just a little bit uncomfortable out there.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Meyer was in a small pack through 3k that included Giacobbe, Colony senior Ella Hopkins, South junior Mia Stiassny, Chugiak senior Alliyah Fields, junior Hannah Bodkin and defending state champ junior Hannah Shaha. Each was capable of winning the title.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“Strategy was just to try and stay at the front pack of girls and just hang on as much as I can,” Meyer said. “Just so I can position myself and then, yeah, just try. I’m pretty proud of my finish. I’m glad I could come out here and run. I was pretty nervous. I am so thankful that I can represent my team and get second. It’s just the best. It feels so good right now. And…this is my last year of high school cross-country, and it has just been great to work up the ranks and run with all the girls every year and see them again.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Chugiak junior Hannah Shaha (151), Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior Ida Meyer (282, South junior Mia Stiassny, Colony senior Ella Hopkins, Chugiak senior Alliyah Fields (140) and Wasilla sophomore Hailee Giacobbe (531) race during the Division I 2024 ASAA cross-country running state championships Saturday on the Bartlett High School Trails in Anchorage. (Klas Stolpe \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
The race at the front did not come easy for the title winner from Wasilla.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“It was incredible,” Giacobbe said. “I really worked for that win, and I know my team worked for their spot, too, and it is so incredible to see everyone out here. It is so incredible to have our team support, they are amazing people and I love my team, my coaches. I love everyone being out here and I appreciate you being out here, too.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
The JDHS girls placed fourth with 107 points. Chugiak repeated as team champions with 52 points, Colony 103 and Dimond 106. South placed fifth with 112 points followed by Wasilla 147, East 161, Soldotna 169, West Valley 231, Lathrop 236 and Ketchikan 319.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Crimson Bears sophomore Kaia Mangaccat (21:03) placed 22nd, freshman Nevah Lupro (21:04) 23rd, junior Della Mearig (21:36) 35th, junior Siena Farr (21:56) 46th, junior Lua Mangaccat (22:10) 50th and freshman Sunna Schane (22:35) 55th.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“The course was fun but big and intimidating,” said Lupro, who ran for Floyd Dryden Middle School last year. “My mom suggested I run in seventh grade and I liked it. Now I have learned so much from Ida and Della and the upperclassmen. Ida is fun and gives us lots of information. I bested my time from the state preview on this course.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
The Crimson Bears boys were poised to win the team title as Thompson and senior Nick Iverson (16:42) followed East’s Staples across the line.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“I’m sorry if I say anything that doesn’t make sense, I’m a little light-headed still,” Thompson said after finishing with a new personal best time. “When I was going through it, I was leading the pack and was like, ‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold this but I need to try.’ Basically going through my head was, ‘This is going to be the last time for a while that we can actually win state this year, so I really don’t want to be the reason why we don’t achieve that.’ So going through my head was that no one can pass me except my teammate.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“Sadly one guy did end up passing me, but I think I did pretty good holding off the rest of them. It was hard. If he wasn’t there I wouldn’t have run that well at all. He came out of nowhere, I wasn’t expecting him this year. He ran 19:20s last year, so he has been putting the work in apparently. Oh my god, I have a feeling the next few years of racing him we are going to have some fun competitions.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Division I boys begin the 2024 ASAA cross-country running state championships Saturday on the Bartlett High School Trails in Anchorage. (Klas Stolpe \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Thompson noted his journey has been strengthened by both the Crimson Bears teams.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“It feels amazing,” he said. “They are all super supportive, and we are always pumping each other up no matter what happens in the race or anything like that. It is just so great having all these teammates around. Since our schools have recently combined it is really great having all our friends together. Just talking to everybody is really fun.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
For East’s lone state qualifying runner Staples the enormity of his win still hadn’t set in as he was mobbed by schoolmates and fans, as the Thunderbirds have not had a XC boys champion since Alaska’s first Olympic runner Don Clary wore the school singlet in state titles in 1973 and 1974. East’s Betsy Haines won three consecutive girls titles from 1975-77. Olympic ski champion Kikkan Randall won consecutive XC state titles for East from 1998-2000 and the girls won team titles in 2002-03.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“I don’t know what to say right now,” Staples said. “I’m really happy, really relieved. I felt a lot of pressure this week and was happy just to get out in the race.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Staples took the lead on the hill in the first 150 meters and had an 100 yard advantage over Thompson and Iverson at the same mark of the second lap but the two JDHS harriers closed the distance in the final 1k to see his singlet as the course finished.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t