Anchorage Daily News

PALMER -- It's time to blow the dust off the cross-country running record books and log in a few new names.

Kodiak's Trevor Dunbar and Juneau's Leah Francis each claimed a third straight individual title Saturday in the Class 4A state meet at Palmer High.

Dunbar capped off his senior year by breaking the course record he set last year with a blazing run of 15 minutes, 7.8 seconds over the 5-kilometer course.

And Francis, a junior, led from the start to finish in the girls race to win easily in 18:41.3.

Both were gunning for course-record times. Both runners pulled far ahead of their respective packs early on.

Both runners said it could be lonely at the top. With no one to chase and no one on their heels, Dunbar and Francis ran against themselves -- and the clock.

"That's definitely more difficult for me personally because I'm a really competitive person, and I'm mostly motivated during a race by just beating people," said Francis, whose closest competitor, Bree Mucha of Soldotna, finished 22 seconds behind. "When there's no one there, it starts to feel a little less like a race and more like a time trial."

That's what made Dunbar's performance so impressive. He took the lead soon after the pack funneled onto the narrow trails after a mass start on a practice field. From there, he pulled farther and farther ahead. Second-place runner Aaron Fletcher of South was 48 seconds behind.

Dunbar is used to running alone ahead of the pack. But he tries to simulate running against someone in practice.

"I've gotten stronger through my training and I've developed more speed since I've gotten older," he said. "It's made it easier to close at the end of races, like I was racing against someone."

Dunbar was just as happy with his team's performance. Teammates Dylan Anthony and Sam Salus placed third and fourth to carry the Kodiak boys to their third straight team championship.

"That's something I can share with all the guys," Dunbar said. "It's really special to get that."

The West girls repeated as team champs too, and it took some gutsy maneuvering.

West coach Joe Alward said his runners didn't start out quite as fast as he'd hoped. As a consequence, his runners found themselves mired in mid-pack in the first kilometer.

But led by Letitia Luch's seventh-place finish, West runners picked their way forward as the course looped through a forest of almost-bare birch trees. The Eagles placed four runners in the top 15 to beat out Colony.

"It worked out well for them, but it was dangerous," Alward said, noting there was little room to pass on the sometimes-narrow trails.

Dunbar and Francis put themselves among the best cross-country runners ever in Alaska. Only three other runners, boys or girls, have finished their high school careers with three individual titles: East's Kikkan Randall (1998-2000), Wasilla's Chris Gilbert (1986-1988) and East's Betsy Haines (1975-1977).

And only two have finished with four championships: Kodiak's Kristy Klinnert (1983-1986) and Seward's Emily Ransom (1990-1993).

Francis has a shot to join that elite group.

"That would be really cool, but mostly I just want to keep growing as a runner, not getting slower, because I know there are lots of girls out there who have their fastest times their freshman and sophomore year, and then just kind of get slower," she said. "That's gotta be my greatest fear."

Francis speculated that as some female runners mature during high school, they slow down.

"That's not gonna happen to me," she said. "I won't be becoming very voluptuous. Hopefully I'll just get faster."

Find Ron Wilmot online at adn.com/contact/rwilmot.

ASAA/First National Bank State Cross Country Championships

4A Girls Team

1) West 56; 2) Colony 93; 3) Service 103; 4) Juneau-Douglas 140; 5) West Valley 150; 6) South 154; 7) Soldotna 155; 8) Lathrop 176; 9) Kodiak 181; 10) Wasilla 185; 11) Dimond 245.

4A Girls Individual

1) Francis, Leah, Juneau, 18:41.3; 2) Mucha, Bree, Soldotna, 19:03.2; 3) Kennedy, Esther, Service, 19:06.6; 4) O'Guinn, Ivy, Skyview, 19:10.7; 5) Ivanoff, Chloe, Kodiak, 19:14.9; 6) Edic, Heather, Lathrop, 19:17.0; 7) Luch, Letitia, West, 19:31.2; 8) Kroloff, Emma, Service, 19:36.5; 9) McPhetres, Kryston, Chugiak, 19:39.1; 10) Luch, Marcelyn, West, 19:42.9; 11) Liotta, Annie, West, 19:44.1; 12) Nees, Rosika, Service, 19:46.8; 13) Hutchins, Alyssa, Colony, 19:50.9; 14) Smith, Melanie, Soldotna, 19:51.2; 15) Stewart, Sydney, Colony, 19:52.5; 16) Gerik, Danielle, West, 19:55.5; 17) King, Kristen, Eagle River, 20:00.5; 18) Schmitz, Christi, North Pole, 20:01.8; 19) Culver, Katie, South, 20:05.1; 20) Bethea, Jaymi, Kodiak, 20:07.7;

21) Bick, Susan, Bartlett, 20:07.9; 22) Rorabaugh, Marisa, West Valley, 20:10.2; 23) Jahn, Abby, Colony, 20:11.4; 24) Ostrander, Taylor, Kenai, 20:14.9; 25) Luch, Delia, West, 20:15.2; 26) Kelley, Alison, Wasilla, 20:15.7; 27) Jackson, Karissa, Juneau, 20:16.2; 28) Stone, Sydney, Lathrop, 20:19.1; 29) Boyer, Hannah, West Valley, 20:23.6; 30) Gale, Bonnie, South, 20:24.4; 31) Skvorc, Caitlin, Colony, 20:25.0; 32) Wick, Maria, Colony, 20:25.9; 33) Nelson, Brooke, Wasilla, 20:28.5; 34) Browning, Sid, Juneau, 20:31.4; 35) Edic, Megan, Lathrop, 20:33.9; 36) Wilson, Lauren, Dimond, 20:35.5; 37) Simpson, Malia, West Valley, 20:36.5; 38) Vania, Merielle, South, 20:36.8; 39_ Teslow, Kayla, West Valley, 20:38.8; 40) Watkins, Molly, Kenai, 20:41.2;

41) Ord, Annika, Juneau, 20:41.6; 42. Merkes, Maranda, Soldotna, 20:42.1; 43) Doner, Heidi, Colony, 20:43.7; 44) Castle, Samantha, Dimond, 20:47.4; 45. Smith, Allie, Kodiak, 20:50.4; 46) Ortiz, Molly, Ketchikan, 20:52.8; 47) Muller-Stubblefield, Krystal, Service, 20:53.5; 48) Kennedy, Rachel, Wasilla, 20:57.2; 49) Yanoshek, Kelly, South, 20:58.6; 50) Lee, Heather, South, 20:59.8; 51) Stewart, Taylor, Colony, 21:01.8; 52) Miner, Robin, Service, 21:02.4; 53) Stramp, Robin, Dimond, 21:03.1; 54) Rorabaugh, Eliza, West Valley, 21:04.9; 55) Miner, Kendra, Wasilla, 21:10.5; 56) Backstrum, Kate, South, 21:11.1; 57) Mucha, Kailey, Soldotna, 21:11.8; 58) Callahan, Molly, West Valley, 21:12.7; 59) Bialka, Katie, Wasilla, 21:14.4; 60) Boger, Wendy, West Valley, 21:16.7;

61) Greaves, Shelayne, Ketchikan, 21:18.6; 62) Dineen, Jordan, South, 21:19.9; 63) Fitzgerald, Kimberly, Lathrop, 21:32.4; 64) Jarvis, Sarah, Service, 21:37.4; 65) Thibodeau, Elisha, Juneau, 21:38.2; 66) Walton, Sarah, Soldotna, 21:40.2; 67) Ripley, Emily, Wasilla, 21:41.3; 68) Larson, Molly, West, 21:41.6; 69) Hoffman, Rachel, Wasilla, 21:42.9; 70) Roe, Christy, Kodiak, 21:44.2; 71) Egle, Amelia, Kodiak, 21:44.6; 72) Hippe, Brittany, Dimond, 21:44.9; 73) Ottoson-McKeen, Alice, Juneau, 21:48.7; 74) Briscoe, Aubrey, Juneau, 21:50.0; 75) Ruckhaus, Thea, Lathrop, 21:51.2; 76. Hamlin, Mikayla, Lathrop, 21:52.3; 77) Haight, Samantha, Kodiak, 22:01.4; 78) Wiepking-Brown, Sophie, West, 22:02.1; 79) Freistone, Sarah, Dimond, 22:05.0; 80) Maile, Kalyssa, Dimond, 22:06.3;

81) Fried, Jenni, Kodiak, 22:07.2; 82) Wyatt, Shannon, Soldotna, 22:12.4; 83) Jensen, Jenna, Soldotna, 22:19.1; 84) Thomas, Chairel, Ketchikan, 22:38.5; 85) Spencer, Nikki, Lathrop, 22:53.7; 86) Halloran, Madison, Service, 23:13.4; 87) Todd, Jessica, Dimond, 23:15.3.

4A Boys Team

1) Kodiak 45; 2) Service 56; 3) West Valley 107; 4) West 142; 5) Colony 157; 6) Juneau-Douglas 157; 7) South 166; 8) Lathrop 172; 9) East 201; 10) Soldotna 244; 11) Skyview 244.

4A Boys Individual

1) Dunbar, Trevor, Kodiak, 15:07.8; 2) Fletcher, Aaron, South, 15:55.8; 3) Anthony, Dylan, Kodiak, 16:08.9; 4) Salus, Sam, Kodiak, 16:09.5; 5) Hoefler, Werner, West Valley, 16:26.3; 6) Lane, Jani, Service, 16:34.8; 7) Mangelsdorf, Wylie, Palmer, 16:35.0; 8) Talbot, Silas, Service, 16:35.4; 9) Norris, David, Lathrop, 16:48.4; 10) Bursell, Zach, Juneau, 16:49.1; 11) Updike, Issac, Ketchikan, 16:49.5; 12) Walgren, Robert, Service, 16:53.9; 13) Treinen, Nick, West, 16:55.1; 14) Harpel, Christian, South, 16:59.8; 15) Hanley, Ryan, Dimond, 17:02.8; 16) Moerlein, Mike, Skyview, 17:06.7; 17) Thibodeau, Sage, Juneau, 17:08.7; 18) Bearden, Taylor, West Valley, 17:10.0; 19) Phelps, Cody, Service, 17:10.5; 20) Goodman, Dane, Service, 17:15.2;

21) Osowski, James, Kodiak, 17:17.0; 22) Davidson, Chaven, Kodiak, 17:19.6; 23) Susook, Dion, East, 17:20.9; 24) Odegaard, Alex, West, 17:21.2; 25) Enloe, Tanner, Colony, 17:23.8; 26. Cook, Johnny, Skyview, 17:26.3; 27) Nugent, Pat, Lathrop, 17:29.9; 28) Ford, Jeff, Colony, 17:33.1; 29) Solie, Sean, West Valley, 17:33.7; 30) Stone, Alex, Soldotna, 17:34.1; 31) Sinnett, Steven, Colony, 17:34.4; 32) Remington, Jacob, West Valley, 17:34.7; 33) Klutz, Zachary, East, 17:34.9; 34) Lammers, Issac, Chugiak, 17:35.3; 35) Ray, Josh, North Pole, 17:39.0; 36. Knapp, Nathaniel, East, 17:39.3; 37) Kisken, Sawyer, West Valley, 17:39.8; 38) Zinck, Ethan, West, 17:40.8; 39) Ainsworth, Nolin, Juneau, 17:41.2; 40) Blott, Justin, Kodiak, 17:43.0;

41) Schneider, Patrick, Kodiak, 17:43.3; 42) Knopp, Schyler, Colony, 17:44.1; 43) Stage, Martin, West, 17:44.5; 44) Wheeler, Scott, West, 17:45.5; 45) Branham, Josh, Lathrop, 17:49.7; 46. Semmens, Travis, Soldotna, 17:50.1; 47) Wheatall, Aaron, Service, 17:50.6; 48) Burrell, Nathaniel, Lathrop, 17:53.0; 49) Mullen, Jeff, Soldotna, 17:53.4; 50) Reimer, Alex, Colony, 17:53.7; 51) Jonas, Spencer, South, 17:54.0; 52) Crawford, Dylan, Colony, 17:58.6; 53) Howe, Ealum, West Valley, 17:59.4; 54) Woodby, Robin, Juneau, 17:59.6; 55) Culver, Robinson, South, 18:01.9; 56. Stoops, Daniel, Juneau, 18:02.6; 57) DeWilde, Gavin, North Pole, 18:03.0; 58) Wangberg, Blake, Colony, 18:03.3; 59) Derman-Harris, Jon, West, 18:03.8; 60) Bailey, Mackenzie, Service, 18:04.2;

61) Bunton, Andre, Juneau, 18:04.6; 62) Updike, Lucas, Ketchikan, 18:11.2; 63) Mahlen, Forrest, South, 18:13.8; 64) Castellini, Luke, Lathrop, 18:15.9; 65) Rulien, Taylor, West, 18:18.4; 66. Pohl, John, East, 18:22.3; 67) Novak, Jack, South, 18:22.6; 68) Hall, Justin, East, 18:23.4; 69) Holt, Brayden, Skyview, 18:23.9; 70) Hovda, Robert, Lathrop, 18:33.8; 71) Stolzberg, Robert, West Valley, 18:38.9; 72) Moldenhauer, Josiah, Soldotna, 18:40.2; 73) Waldo, Nick, Juneau, 18:41.1; 74) Merkes, Jordan, Soldotna, 18:41.4; 75) Sanders, Ryan, Soldotna, 18:42.5; 76. Ginn, Zachariah, Lathrop, 18:44.5; 77) Ajayi, Moyo, East, 18:46.9; 78) Pihl, Erik, Ketchikan, 18:49.1; 79) Brewster, Brandon, South, 18:59.4; 80) Gulley, Corey, Skyview, 19:04.9; 81) Clay, Evan, Soldotna, 19:34.3; 82) Deatherage, Elijah, Skyview, 19:42.5; 83) Helminski, Ryan, Skyview, 19:55.2.

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