The Nome-Beltz cross country team is off to a strong start this season, highlighted by a successful home meet and sweep at the Kotzebue Invitational. Cross Country Coach Emmett Foster credits the leadership of the team’s juniors and seniors for the team’s early success.
“They're driven, they're so focused, and they're so in tune with one another. A lot of those upperclassmen are just setting such an example for freshmen and sophomores and our middle school runners, and it's super amazing to work with them,” Coach Foster said.
Standout senior, Orson Hoogendorn, beat out a competitive top four in the varsity boys competition with a time of 18:01. Only 30 seconds separated first place from fourth, with Shaktoolik’s Seth Paniptchuk, Nome’s Benjamin Milton, and Kotzebue’s Benjamin Marcus following closely behind.
Nome Beltz’s AwaLuk "Wookie" Nichols finished second in the varsity girls competition with a time of 21:59. The junior finished less than a minute behind Unalakleet’s star junior Ourea Busk. Nome Beltz’s Kiyler West rounded out the top five with a time of 24:49.
The meet attracted more than 120 participants from Nome, Unalakleet, Kotzebue, Galena, Shishmaref, Teller, Shaktoolik, White Mountain, Wales, and Golovin. Coach Foster described the atmosphere at the home meet as “electric.”
“Cross country is not really a spectator sport but whenever we've got a home Invitational happening here in Nome, it becomes a spectator sport,” Coach Foster said. “Saturday came around really cloudy and gray, but that's what a lot of our endurance runners are used to. And no matter what the weather did, there was an electric crowd, both at the start and at the finish.”
Coach Foster said the course is one of the more difficult 5K routes in the state. A unique feature of the race was a steep climb up the side of Anvil Mountain before cutting across to Glacier Creek road.
Just one week after the home meet, Nome Beltz competed in the Kotzebue Invitational. There, the Nanook teams took home first in the boys and girls middle school and high school varsity races. Orson Hoogendorn, KJ West, and Rowan Moore all finished first in their events.
The strong results at the Nome and Kotzebue meets are bolstering the young athletes’ confidence at the perfect time. This weekend, the varsity teams will head to Chugiak for the last race before regionals in Utqiaġvik at the end of the month. Coach Foster says the flat course at Chugiak lends itself well to personal records.
“That's always a super big confidence booster to be able to snag a PR. And I think that'll be a great time to snag a PR, because it's a mere week away from our trip up north to Utqiagvik, to regionals,” Coach Foster said.
With five meets on the calendar requiring air travel, community-based fundraising has been critical. Coach Foster expressed his appreciation for the community stepping up to give the young athletes a chance to compete.
“I am so unbelievably grateful for the support of the community, the support of our families and everybody who's come together with the goal of our kids, our runners, our students deserving everything that a student can get on the road system,” Coach Foster said.
As they enter the home stretch of their season, Coach Foster remains confident in his team’s potential. But for the first-year coach, their individual fulfillment knowing they gave their best is what matters more than anything else.
“If they're walking away without any regrets, without saying, ‘Man, Foster, I could have ran harder. I could have pushed further. I could have prepped better,’” Coach Foster said. “My goal is that after regions, after state, wherever the line ends, that they say, ‘Man, Foster I left everything I had on that course.”
