Eatonville's Bieker, Lowe cap standout senior seasons at state
Eatonville seniors Hannah Bieker and Titus Lowe closed out their high school cross country seasons Saturday, Nov. 7, by representing the Cruisers at the WIAA 2A State Cross Country Championships at Sun Willows Golf Course.
For Bieker, the trip to Pasco was familiar territory. For Lowe, it was a first.
Bieker made her third consecutive appearance at the state championships and finished 68th out of 151 runners in the girls race with a time of 21 minutes, 20.30 seconds. The finish marked a significant improvement from a year ago, when she placed 94th at state.
Her return to state capped another strong season in which she consistently led the Eatonville girls near the front of the field.
Bieker won multiple league races during the regular season, including victories at Eatonville and Orting, and helped the Cruiser girls establish themselves as one of the stronger teams in the 2A South Puget Sound League.
At the SPSL Championships at Fort Steilacoom Park, Bieker placed third overall and helped Eatonville finish second in the team standings. The Cruisers scored 66 points, finishing just three points behind league champion Washington.
That performance helped send Eatonville to the Westside Classic District 3 Championships at Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, where Bieker again delivered when the stakes were higher.
With only the top four teams and top 28 individual finishers advancing to state, Bieker placed 11th at districts with a time of 20:59.0, comfortably earning another trip to Pasco.
Saturday's 68th-place finish gave her another strong showing on the state's biggest stage and continued her year-to-year improvement.
Lowe's path to Pasco came with a different milestone.
Saturday marked his first appearance at the state championships, where he finished 126th out of 158 runners in the boys race with a time of 18:10.10.
Like Bieker, Lowe had been a steady presence at the front of Eatonville's lineup throughout the season.
He won the boys race at Eatonville's Sept. 29 league meet in 18:26 and continued lowering his times as the postseason approached.
At the SPSL Championships, Lowe placed sixth overall in 17:34.1, helping the Cruiser boys earn a spot at the district meet.
He then saved one of his best performances for the Westside Classic.
Running at Chambers Bay, Lowe recorded a personal-best time of 17:26.2 and finished 18th overall. With only the top 28 individuals advancing, that finish secured his first state berth and extended his senior season one more week.
While Saturday's results brought an end to the season for both runners, Eatonville coach Geoff Olson said their impact went well beyond their finishes and times.
"Very proud of what these two have accomplished these past 4 years," Olson said. "Very determined and hard workers, they're even better teammates and a couple of the most coachable kids I have had the pleasure of working with."
The state appearances provided a fitting conclusion to two strong senior seasons.
Bieker finished her Eatonville career with three consecutive trips to the state championships and improved 26 places from her junior-year state finish.
Lowe, meanwhile, turned a strong postseason run into his first opportunity to compete at state, earning his spot with a personal-best performance when it mattered most.
Together, the two seniors represented Eatonville one final time at Sun Willows, bringing to a close seasons that included league success, district qualification and, ultimately, a chance to race among the best Class 2A runners in Washington.
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