It was the moment that athletes from Wilsonville High School had worked for since the beginning of the school year: the NWOC districts. All the long runs, quick workouts on the track, and loops at Memorial Park prepared them for this moment. The varsity athletes felt an immense amount of pressure, as this would be the race to determine if they would make it to the state competition. For others, the pressure of doing well on their last race of the season was felt by the athletes.

The varsity girls were up first to race. As the gun sounded, a sea of blue surged to the front. Athletes from Wilsonville led the pack for the entire race. Samantha Prusse (junior) came in first place with a time of 18:42.35. Her younger sister, Gabriella Prusse (freshman), was not far behind, taking fourth place with a time of 19:38.10. Other outstanding races included Sydney Burns (freshman) with a time of 20:03.28, Angel Bohn (senior) with a time of 20:05.74, and Kate Stewart (senior) with a time 20:08.83. Overall, the varsity girls raced extremely well, with all athletes placing within the top 20. The Wildcats won with a score of twenty-nine points against the other competitors, qualifying them for the state competition.

The varsity boys also raced extremely well, with outstanding races from all athletes. Jack Burns (senior) placed second with the impressive time of 16:20.20, a new personal best. There were many other personal bests that were achieved as well. Trevor Johnston (senior) raced for a time of 16:58.51. Ben Sheirbon (sophomore) also reached a new personal best of 17:03.36. The Wilsonville boys varsity team dominated with a score of forty-four points, qualifying them for the state meet.

Both the boys and girls junior varsity divisions also raced extremely well. In the girls junior varsity race, the top ten runners consisted of only Wilsonville athletes. Likewise, in the boys race, nine out of the top ten were athletes from Wilsonville. Each athlete competed very well, with strong finishes from both the boys and girls’ sides.

We congratulate the cross country team on a fabulous season thus far and look forward to their performance at state competition!