There were three things spectators were sure of going into the girls race of Saturday’s 2025 BSSD Regional XC Meet.
It was going to be cold, windy and Unalakleet’s Lady Wolfpack were going to put on a show.
The first two were apparent before the race even began. The 14 girls in the race waited until the last possible moment to take off their warm up jackets and pants. The young competitors jumped up and down or jogged to and from the start line to stay warm.
Meanwhile, the Lady Wolfpack were dancing.
“They are constantly dancing and listening to music,” one of Unalakleet’s three coaches, Mori Jack-Busk, said. “That is something I feel like takes the pressure off for them a lot.”
The team, led by star-senior Ourea Busk, is under plenty of pressure. Ourea Busk and her teammates have gone into nearly every race as the favorites to win. It’s a reputation the team earned after sweeping the top four places in the Kotzebue Invitational two weeks before.
After the start signal, Ourea Busk and her sophomore teammate Isabella Eller strided out ahead of the pack. Both finished in the top ten of the state meet last year.
Runners from Unalakleet, White Mountain, Savoonga, Brevig Mission, Shishmaref and White Mountain set out on the challenging 5 kilometer course. Unalakleet Activities Director Thurman Jack calls the hilly course one of the toughest in Alaska. Saturday’s cold temperatures and whipping northern winds didn’t help.
“We start at the end of July, and to continue now into almost October. It's cold here in Alaska, it’s cold here on the northwest coast, and the endurance, the mental fortitude. This isn't an easy course,” Jack said.
After a short loop that ran under Unalakleet’s wind farm, the runners returned to the road and made a half-mile journey down the hill. The course cut back into the tundra for a gradual route back up the hill.
By the end of the first lap, Ourea Busk and Eller ran side by side as the other runners trickled across the start line to begin their second lap.
After disappearing out and back from the tundra, the duo lumbered up the road for the final stretch of the race. The village of Unalakleet and the calm waters of the Norton Sound dramatically loomed in the background. Clouds began to break and the sun started to shine through as they approached the finish line. A race official called out “runner!” as they came into view. The crowd began yelling out encouragements and rang cowbells.
A few hundred feet from the finish, Ourea Busk finally broke free from her sophomore teammate. A huge crowd of Unalakleet locals roared as their two-time state champion booked a ticket to the state meet next week, where she is a favorite to make it three in a row.
Each embraced their families while catching their breath. Unalakleet’s Turi Busk and Alex Ivanoff came in just a minute and a half later to complete the sweep. Avery Johnson finished fifth, giving Unalakleet the top five spots in the race and sealing the team’s qualification for the state meet.
White Mountain’s Lori Nassau, Unalakleet’s Ayyu Roesch, White Mountain’s Lana Ashenfelter, Savoonga’s Izabella Martin and Brevig Mission’s Mary Lucy Iyapana rounded out the top ten.
A majority of the runners raced the Unalakleet course just a week before for the Qamuuqhin Hill Trails Invitational meet. Jack said returning to tackle the challenging course was no small feat, regardless of where the athletes placed.
“To run it the last week and decide to come back and do it again. Back and do it again, says a lot,” Jack said. “I’m proud of all the runners.”
Only the top three finishers from the BSSD meet qualify for state, meaning Unalakleet will be the sole representative for the district’s 15 schools. The girls will be joined by the boys team, which took the top team spot in their race earlier in the morning. The boys and girls team also earned the academic award for the meet, with a combined 3.97 GPA.
The 2025 ASAA DIII State Championships will take place in Palmer on Oct. 4.
