Triumphant day for MIHS cross country

October 23, 2023 9:45 am
The Mercer Island High School boys and girls cross country teams with their coaches. Photo courtesy of Aaron Koopman
The Mercer Island High School boys and girls cross country teams with their coaches. Photo courtesy of Aaron Koopman

Led by first-placers Owen Powell and Sophia Rodriguez, the Mercer Island High School (MIHS) boys and girls cross country squads notched team victories at the 3A KingCo championships on Oct. 20 at Marymoor Park in Redmond.

The boys successfully defended their KingCo title, and for the first time since 2011, the girls also won the team crown. It’s the first time since 2008 that both teams attained KingCo championships in the same year.

Junior Powell led the 5K pack in 15:21.1 and freshman Rodriguez won in 17:32.7. Rounding out the top three for MIHS’s boys were sophomores Bodie Thomas (second overall, 15:42.2) and Matthew Lawrence (third overall, 15:59.4). For the girls, other MIHS top runners were junior Victoria Rodriguez (second overall, 17:58.9) and senior Sophia Fan (fifth overall in 19:52.7).

Next up on the agenda is the District 2 – 3A SeaKing championships on Oct. 26 at Marymoor.