Fall Cross Country season is off and running

Vashon kicks off the cross country season with the Pacific Lutheran Invitational.

By Bruce Cyra For The Beachcomber • September 22, 2021 1:30 am
(Bruce Cyra Photo) Cross-country captain Levi Blasingim leads the pack at Pacific Lutheran University, on Sept.18.
(Bruce Cyra Photo) Cross-country captain Levi Blasingim leads the pack at Pacific Lutheran University, on Sept.18.

By Bruce Cyra

For The Beachcomber

Large fields were expected at Vashon’s first home meet on Tuesday, Sept. 21 — before the publication of this week’s Beachcomber.

The high school men’s race had 95 registered runners, and McMurray Middle School has more than 50 runners to contribute to the middle school races.

The Pirates had two warm-up races to start the season, a “relay race” in Bellevue on Sept 14, and the Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 18.

At the PLU invitational, captains Madeline Yarkin and Levi Blasingim led the way with times of 19:28 and 18:45, respectively, to lead the Pirates. Yarkin, a sophomore, was only a second off of setting a new school record which has stood for 23 years in the 5-kilometer race. Blasingim, a senior, set a personal best for 5k. They were joined by Hank McSheehy, Caleb Guradamuz, Atticus Spence, and Lilja Bjarnason.

The Mustangs fielded the biggest team in their history at their first race of the season, the one and only home meet on Vashon’s home course, starting at 3:45 pm on Tuesday, September 21, prior to press time. The next meet for both the Pirates and Mustangs is on Sept. 28 at Fort Steilacoom.