Photo courtesy of Janice Homekingkeo, KNOM.
Photo courtesy of Ben Townsend, KNOM.
Western Alaska’s high schoolers have spent the fall making tracks, literally and figuratively.
High school cross-country season began in August. Schools from all over the Bering Strait region competed, with Nome’s and Unalakleet’s teams standing out this year.They have competed in meets as far south as Anchorage and as far north as Utqiagvik.
Nome’s Nanooks made a strong showing at the Kotzebue Invitational, with senior Orson Hoogendorn clinching first place in the 5K varsity boys’ race with a time of 18:01.
Not to be outdone, Unalakleet’s Wolfpack delivered a stellar performance at the Nome Classic Invitational, where junior Ourea Busk claimed her third-consecutive first place finish in the girls’ race.
After a series of regional meets, both teams had their sights set on the state championship in Anchorage. Busk took home the title, making her a two-time state champion. She finished with a time of 20:05. Orson Hoogendoorn took 5th place in the boys state meet with a time of 17:07.
More important than trophies, though, is the students’ own hard work and dedication. Perhaps Nome cross country coach Emmett Foster said it best: “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.’”
