Tomorrow’s Twilight Invitational will be a crucial meet for the Redmond High cross-country runners.
Head coach Denis Villeneuve said his harriers use the word “pain” when they discuss tough races where they really grind it out to earn success. Tomorrow should be one of those days at the Cedarcrest Golf Course in Marysville. With the 4A Kingco championships a few weeks away, Villeneuve said his athletes need to start running fast now to be able to make an impact in the postseason.
So far this season, the Mustang boys are 3-1 in league 5K races and the girls are 1-3. For the boys, senior Joel Keddie has the top time with a 16:43; on the girls’ side, junior Krystal Brodsky is tops with a 20:57.
“We’ve got a lot of good talent on the guys’ side and a lot of freshmen and sophomores coming up that are really good. It should be a good couple years coming up,” said Keddie, adding that he enjoys the “camaraderie and having good friends on the team, and running with the group. It’s really fun.”
Keddie is one of two returners from last year’s boys team that placed ninth at state, second at districts and third at Kingco. His best time last year was 16:33, and Villeneuve said Keddie could hit that mark or lower in the coming weeks.
Two standout freshmen for the boys are Lance Mason and George Cretu. Villeneuve said that Mason is a hard worker with “phenomenal ability,” and Cretu is “tenacious and relentless” on the course.
Another returner for the boys is senior Jacob Montiel-Bravo, who said he’s enjoyed his time on the Mustang squad.
“I’m really proud of how much work I’ve put in,” he said. “I just try to be as positive as I can, even if it’s not the best race. I want it to be a memorable and good experience.”
Villeneuve said both the boys and girls usually run in a pack at races instead of having one or two leaders like on past teams.
“It’s a different mechanism. And it’s sometimes more fun to have a team like that because they’re all together and supporting each other. They’re always pushing each other,” he said.
Along with Brodsky on the girls’ side, junior Sierra Baker is one of the top runners. Sophomore Emma Bury, who was an all-state selection last year, is getting back on track after sustaining a foot injury and will again be an integral part of the team, the coach said.
Villeneuve said that Bury is one of the best natural runners he’s ever coached.
“She’s got the mental ability to just go out there and push herself and enjoy herself and not worry about things, which is really hard to get a high school kid to do that,” Villeneuve said.
Senior Hannah Visse and juniors Risa Shutz and Chloe Fink are the girls’ tri-captains and said that cross country is an important part of their lives.
“Our team is such a family. The underclassmen literally call me Mom,” said Visse, who looked up to the older runners when she was a freshman, and now she’s one of the leaders. “It’s a really good way to finish out high school.”
Shutz likes running in the pack because it takes away the “pain” when there’s a vital support system of teammates nearby on the course. On the mental side of things, “it’s just holding on and pushing through the ‘pain,’” she said.
As for Fink, she finds cross country to be a safe haven from the rigors of schoolwork.
“School for me is kind of stressful, so to come here I know that I’m not gonna be stressed out and I’ll forget everything that happened during the school day,” she said. “Running with your friends is so amazing.”
