Pirate cross country captain Natalie VanDevanter set another excellent example for her team this past Friday as she set a season best for the 5k distance at Kelsey Creek Park in Bellevue. Vashon High School ran against nine other Nisqually and Emerald City League teams.

At the end of last season, Pirate Coach Laura Johnson commented on some of the reasons VanDevanter was a good choice to lead the women’s cross country squad.

“Nobody has worked harder than Natalie has this season. She hasn’t missed one practice, one activity or left one stone unturned to make the entire team’s experience the best it can be.”

As captain, VanDevanter makes sure that not only is everyone ready to race when the gun goes off, but creates a supportive team community by hosting off-campus team activities.

At Kelsey Creek, freshman Lucy Boyle led the Pirates’ women’s team to a third-place team finish; in the men’s varsity race, sophomore Gianno Waller made good use of his new pair or racing spikes to set a new personal best over 5k in 18:40.

The men’s junior varsity team was led by sophomore Theo Hu. The beautiful fall day over a hilly course was capped by a quick return to Vashon Island so that the Pirates could join in the homecoming celebrations.

On Thursday, the Pirates return to Fort Steilacoom Park for the third time this season to race in the League Championship before they prepare for the District Championship. At Fort Steilacoom, the women race at 3:30 p.m., and the men race at 4:15 p.m.

— Bruce Cyra supports the VHS cross country team.