Eatonville runners turn in strong performances at PLU Invitational

The Eatonville High School cross country teams competed at the PLU Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 20, with several athletes turning in strong performances against a large field of runners.

On the boys side, senior Colton Rush led the Cruisers with a time of 17 minutes, 29 seconds, placing 13th overall in the varsity 5,000-meter race. Sophomore Gabriel Kolsrud was close behind, finishing 19th in 17:44.9. Junior Titus Lowe clocked 18:10.5 to place 25th, while senior Corey Dempsey crossed in 18:45.9 for 31st. Freshman Stephen Patton rounded out the Eatonville scoring with a time of 20:49.5 in 50th place.

The Cruiser girls were led by senior Grace Coonrod, who placed 7th overall with a time of 20:10.3. Freshman Jenny Lowe turned in a personal-record performance, finishing 29th in 22:43.6. Senior Bridget Stumph ran 23:10.0 for 35th, and sophomore Madi Sarpy clocked 35:43.9 to complete the team’s effort.

The invitational drew some of the top teams from around the region, giving Eatonville valuable midseason competition and experience on a challenging course.