Boys cross country finishes 14th, Benster takes 8th

The Mercer Island boys cross country team brought home 14th place from the state meet last Saturday in Eastern Washington. Individually, sophomore Lindsay Benster earned eighth place overall with a time of 18 minutes and 47 seconds.

“I thought the team just made outstanding efforts,” said co-head coach Erica Hill. “It was a windy day, and they ran with such incredible heart.”

Hill said that, while the boys team is still fairly young, she is excited about its future and the fact that they made it to state as a team.

“I am very hopefully for the future of both the boys and girls teams,” she said. “I feel like they have a lot ahead for both of them.”

In the boys race, Aaron Elefson finished in 28th place with a time of 16:29. The race winner ran the course in 15:15. Nick Ford finished in 69th place with a time of 17 minutes. James Kashima took 98th place with 17:23, Andy Wingerson was 108th with a time of 17:29, David Yount finished in 128th with a time of 18:01 and Wil Clausen was 131st with a time of 18:19.

In the girls race, Benster and Molly O’Callahan traveled with the boys team as individuals. O’Callahan finished 46th with a time of 20:10. Since Benster finished in the top 10, she is invited to participate in the Border Clash in Beaverton, Ore., a race of the best Washington and Oregon cross country runners sponsored by Nike.

“It’s pretty impressive that she did that,” said Hill. “They really give a nice showing to the runner, and it’s a huge honor.”