Boys team-qualify for State and make Spartan history | Sumner Cross Country

Sumner's cross country teams made school history  Saturday after sweeping districts and sending both the boys and girls teams to State.

The race marked the first time Sumner High School has qualified the male runners as a team. Additionally, the boys team won the entire West Central District III meet.

"So out of 11 tough teams, one (having) defeated us twice before, our boys came out on top," coach Kristin Chapman said.

Arturo Perez led the Spartan pack and ran his fastest time at 16 minutes, 59 seconds to come in ninth overall. Nate Weber took 12th with 17:03, making him the fastest freshman in the race.

Josh Goodsell took 19th with 17:22, Jordan Landes took 21st with 17:23, and Thomas Oliver took took 35th with 17:55.

"This is such a huge accomplishment for the guys," Chapman said. "They have had some pretty big obstacles to overcome this season, but never stopped working hard or focusing on their ultimate goal. They are extremely talented and so deserving."

The girls team came in fourth place overall, one spot higher than in 2011. The team tied 100 points for third with Kingston, with the lead determined by the teams' sixth runner times.

Abi Hensler finished third with 20:04.

Robi Long followed into the 13th place spot with 20:58.

Anna Hurd took 16th with 21:03, and Natasha Wilson took 23rd with 21:22.

All four runners would have qualified for state individually.

The 2A State Championships will take place Saturday at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.

Contact Bonney Lake-Sumner Courier-Herald Reporter Daniel Nash at dnash@courierherald.com or 360-825-2555 ext. 5060.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.