Anchorage Daily News

Overwhelming favorite is seldom the most rewarding position.

Win as everyone expects and the reaction is likely to be a shoulder shrug, a brief handshake, some polite applause.

Aaron Fletcher of South experienced some of that on a gorgeous sunny Saturday afternoon at Bartlett High -- as well as a deeper satisfaction.

The senior led by two strides after 100 yards, and stretched his gap to 26 seconds at the finish to polish off his third-consecutive Cook Inlet Conference Cross Country Championship in 15:59, launching him into the pantheon of Anchorage's greatest high school runners.

East's Don Clary (1972-74), the former Olympian; Bartlett's Doug Herron (1982-84), an Olympic Trials half-miler; West's record-setting Miguel Gomez (1991-93) and Chugiak's Jesse Cherry are the only boys who've three-peated as regional champions.

Dimond's Darcy Dugan, who ruled the girls race from 1996-99, is Anchorage's only four-time winner.

So as Fletcher crossed the finish line beneath bluebird skies framed by the golden birch leaves, there were cheers from the crowd but no throaty roar.

Fletcher sprinted hard down the final straightaway, even with a cushion so large he could have lollygagged a little and exhaulted a lot. Did he raise his arms in triumph, pound his chest or otherwise lead the cheers for Aaron Fletcher? Hardly.

Instead, before leaving the area near the finish where exhausted racers caught their breath and removed timing chips from their shoes, Fletcher shook hands and congratulated all 55 finishers, right down to last-place Albert Berry, the Bartlett junior.

"David Bondi taught me that," Fletcher said of the 2004 CIC champion from South now running for the University of Oregon. "It's really a big deal to even finish this race on a tough course and to finish strong. I think of it like everybody's on my team."

Bondi was glad the lesson stuck.

"It's not just the race that matters," Bondi said by phone from Eugene, Ore.

"You have to respect all your competitors no matter who they are and how they finished. I'm glad I passed that on."

Saturday's girls race also unfolded true to form, with Service's Esther Kennedy, winner of the regular season Cook Inlet Cup, dethroning defending region champion Letitia Luch of West in 19:09 to win by 14 seconds.

Nonetheless, West won the girls team title comfortably with 41 points, putting all five of its scoring runners in the top 13. Luch was second, Annie Liotta ran fifth and Marcelyn Luch took 10th.

The Service (69 points), South (76) and Dimond (113) teams also advanced to state.

In the boys team race, Service put on a pack running exhibition with five runners in the top 10 to handily win with 29 points. Cougar Silas Talbot was second, Robert Walgren was fourth and Jani Lane finished fifth in 16:45.

The West (55 points), South (74) and East (100) teams also advanced to state.

Kennedy's victory in 19:09 doubled as a personal record over 5 kilometers -- even if it didn't unfold as she thought it might.

Last year, Kennedy battled former East runner Jamie Bronga and West's Shoshana Keegan over the final quarter mile to wind up third, 21 seconds behind Luch.

This year, when a pack of Dimond runners bolted to the early lead, Kennedy found herself emerging in front of Luch.

"It was a little surprising," said Kennedy, a senior. "It's a lot easier mentally to follow -- but it's also a little exhilarating (to lead)."

Consider exhilaration the victor.

Kennedy more than doubled a 15-yard advantage she owned at 4-K by the time she crossed the finish line.

"I just really wanted to finish strong," she said, accepting hugs from her cross-country skiing coach Jan Buron at the finish line.

"I'm looking forward to winter," said a smiling Buron.

Service's cross-country running coach was thrilled, too.

"She doesn't have to deal with the mental battle that other runners do," Charissa Chmielewski said. "She can stay focused and not psych here herself out.

"I think she chronically understimates herself."

Fletcher's focus has been strongest at the conference meet, where his margin of victory has been at least 24 seconds the last three years.

But the state championships have been his bugaboo. That's where the regional favorite turns underdog to Kodiak's Trevor Dunbar, who has been as dominant at state as Fletcher has been in Anchorage. Dunbar won state in 2006 at Skyview (in 16:18.8, with Fletcher second, eight seconds back) and 2007 at Palmer (in 15:36.4, with Fletcher again second but 27 seconds back this time).

"I just gotta stick with him," Fletcher said, looking forward to next week. "I can ususally stay with him for 3-K, but then he just has another gear."

But if Saturday's championship comes down to guts instead of gears, don't count Fletcher out. As a freshman, when he finished ninth at the CIC championships, Fletcher lost his shoe after colliding with other runners midway through the race at Kincaid Park.

"He kept running," recalled Bondi, who ended up winning that race, just 23 seconds ahead of his partially barefoot teammate. "He didn't let anything stop him. He knows how to push himself, even when it hurts."

2008 Cook Inlet Conference Championships

Saturday at Bartlett High

Boys Team Results

Top Four Teams to State

1) Service 29; 2) West 55; 3) South 74; 4) East 100; 5) Chugiak 108; 6) Dimond 141; 7) Eagle River 179; 8) Bartlett 252

Boys Individual Results (5-K)

Top 15 to State

1) Aaron Fletcher, South, 15:59; 2) Silas Talbot, Service, 16:25; 3) Ryan Hanley, Dimond, 16:39; 4) Robert Walgren, Service, 16:43; 5) Jani Lane, Service,16:45; 6) James Crimp, West, 16:49; 7) Christian Harpel, South, 16:56; 8) Cody Phelps, Service, 17:00; 9) Nick Treinen, West, 17:07; 10) Dane Goodman, Service, 17:07; 11) Scott Wheeler, West, 17:08; 12) Dion Susook, East, 17:10; 13) Isaac Lammers, Chugiak, 17:11; 14) Alex Odegaard, West, 17:12; 15) Ethan Zinck, West, 17:13;

16) Nathaniel Knapp, East, 17:15; 17) Pat Mullet, Chugiak, 17:15; 18) Zachary Klutz, East, 17:37; 19) Spencer Jonas, South, 17:45; 20) Mark Schmidt, Chugiak, 17:52; 21) Robinson Culver, South, 17:54; 22) John Pohl, East, 17:57; 23) Mackanzie Bailey, Service, 17:57; 24) Jake Alward, Dimond, 17:58; 25) Cody Hahn, Eagle River, 17:58; 26) Forrest Mahlen, South, 18:00; 27) Alex Babos, Chugiak, 18:00; 28) Jacob Arthen, Eagle River, 18:01; 29) Martin Stage, West, 18:05; 30) Jack Novak, South, 18:07; 31) Eric Zelenkov, Chugiak, 18:08; 32) Moyo Ajayi, East, 18:09; 33) Casey Volk, Chugiak, 18:09; 34) Corey Hester, East, 18:11; 35) Taylor Rulien, West, 18:11; 36) Aaron Wheatall, Service, 18:15; 37) Noah Hagen, Dimond, 18:16; 38) Cameron Ginochio, Dimond, 18:16; 39) Kyle Carpenter, Dimond, 18:16; 40) Thor Watsjold, Chugiak, 18:16; 41) Jacob Richey, Eagle River, 18:18; 42) Travis Kindred, Eagle River, 18:20; 43) Eric Norgaard, Eagle River, 18:20; 44) Justin Hall, East, 18:20; 45) Brandon Brewster, South, 18:27; 46) Kyle Janssen, Bartlett, 18:30; 47) Mitchell Brown, Dimond, 18:35; 48) Kevin Campbell, Dimond, 18:54; 49) Clarence Summers, Eagle River, 19:09; 50) Michael Bramer, Bartlett, 19:12; 51) Jeremy Sacks, Bartlett, 19:46; 52) Dawson Hash, Bartlett, 19:47; 53) Steve Braudis, Bartlett, 19:51; 54) Phillip Sebastiani, Bartlett, 19:52; 55) Albert Berry, Bartlett, 19:54.

Girls Team Results

Top Four Teams to State

1) West 41; 2) Service 69; 3) South 76; 4) Dimond 113; 5) Chugiak 124; 6) Eagle River 149; 7) East 152; 8) Bartlett 191.

Girls Individual Results (5-K)

Top 15 to State

1) Esther Kennedy, Service, 19:09; 2) Letitia Luch, West, 19:23; 3) Kryston McPhetres, Chugiak, 19:32; 4) Susan Bick, Bartlett, 19:42; 5) Annie Liotta, West, 19:43; 6) Kristen King, Eagle River, 19:49; 7) Kelly Yanoshek, South, 19:55; 8) Rosika Nees, Service, 19:57; 9) Lauren Wilson, Dimond, 19:58; 10) Marcelyn Luch, West, 20:01; 11) Danielle Gerik, West, 20:02; 12) Emma Kroloff, Service, 20:05; 13) Delia Luch, West, 20:14; 14) Samantha Castle, Dimond, 20:19; 15) Katie Culver, South, 20:20.

16) Anna Grant, East, 20:22; 17) Merielle Vania, South, 20:32; 18) Bonnie Gale, South, 20:37; 19) Jordan Dineen, South, 20:41; 20) Mariah Graham, East, 20:41; 21) Krystal Muller-Stubb, Service, 20:42; 22) Robin Stramp, Dimond, 20:46; 23) Evdokyia Hail, Eagle River, 20:46; 24) Kate Backstrum, South, 20:51; 25) Kinsey Loan, Chugiak, 21:08; 26) Heather Lee, South, 21:09; 27) Sarah Jarvis, Service, 21:11; 28) Rebecca Farr, East, 21:17; 29) Molly Larson, West, 21:19; 30) Kayla Cunningham, Chugiak, 21:19; 31) Robin Miner, Service, 21:21; 32) Krista Lundberg, Chugiak, 21:21; 33) Brittany Hippe, Dimond, 21:24; 34) Katherine Lange, Chugiak, 21:28; 35) Jessica Todd, Dimond, 21:41; 36) Madison Halloran, Service, 21:42; 37) Katherine Borgert, Bartlett, 21:47; 38) Sarah Frankl, Eagle River, 21:57; 39) Joycelyn Murchie, Eagle River, 22:01; 40) Marti Maley, Chugiak, 22:01; 41) Katherine Clark, East, 22:13; 42) Sophie Wiepking-Bro, West, 22:21; 43) Rebecca Boggs, Eagle River, 22:24; 44) Susan Fleurant, Chugiak, 22:29; 45) Shannon Lamb, Bartlett, 22:30; 46) Sarah Freistone, Dimond, 22:38; 47) Josephine Reagle, East, 22:40; 48) Kalyssa Maile, Dimond, 22:55; 49) Laura Vaught, Eagle River, 23:06; 50) Courtney Gerken, East, 23:12; 51) Jackie Klecka, Eagle River, 23:54; 52) Noelani Kamahele, Bartlett, 23:57; 53) Rachel Echols, Bartlett, 24:13; 54) Melissa Matthews, East, 24:34.

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