Cross-country takes silver in State meet

Wrangell High School's representative to the state-level cross-country meet in Anchorage came away with silver.

Running on Saturday, senior Reyn Hutten had finished the challenging Bartlett High School course in second place for the 2A division, and finished in eighth overall for the 1-3A runners.

The two-lap course is a notoriously difficult one, explained Wrangell coach Jenn Davies. Steep, rolling hills force runners to change pace, pushing their abilities to suit the terrain. As a result, the course is short but intense. Runners benefitted from good weather at least, sunny but not overly warm

"It was just a good day for a race," said Davies.

This was the third time Hutten has competed at State, and will be her last for her high school. She came out with a run time of 19 minutes and 57 seconds.

"Going up there her goal was to get under 20 minutes," the coach said of her pupil. "She went there and did it."

Davies said it was encouraging to see a student reach new heights in the sport, setting and meeting a personal goal while coming away with a pair of awards. This was the first year contestants in the 1-3A divisions were recognized for individual division rankings, in addition to the overall category.

"She was recognized for both, so she actually got two medals," Davies explained. "I'm really proud of her."

"This is the first year State has done this, and I think it's going to go well," said WHS activities director Bill Bradley. "It gives everyone a chance to be recognized."

The State performance puts an end to the cross-country season. At Region V the previous weekend, Hutten had finished in first for the 1-3A runners, with the Wrangell girls team coming in fourth overall. The boys came in seventh among the region's teams, and runners finished just shy of the cutoff to make State.

Davies said the season had concluded well. Students will be celebrating later this week over floats and awards.