ALASKA STATE CROSS COUNTRY MEET

South Anchorage Boys Win Tight Division 1 Team Battle; Chugiak Girls Retain Top Honors For Third Straight Year

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

South Anchorage fifth man Gus Olson finished right in front of two West Anchorage runners Oct. 7 to help the Wolverines win the Division 1 team title at the Alaska State Championships at Mike Janecek Running Trails in Palmer. 

Six points separated the top three teams as South Anchorage scored 83 points and West Anchorage and Chugiak both scored 89, as the Wolverines captured their first state title since securing a 4A championship in 2005. 

A week prior at the regional meet, West Anchorage beat South Anchorage by 10 points. 

Palmer's own, Fischer Adams, ran away from the field on a cold and wet day in 16:00.7. The senior won by 43 seconds. He had been 13th at the state meet the year before for the Moose. Tobias Buchanan of Colony was second. 

Chugiak sophomore Hannah Shaha won the girls Division 1 race in 19:19.9 and teammate Alliyah Shields was second in 19:26.8. Chugiak put all five scorers in the top 15 as the Mustangs won for the third straight year. 

Seward won the girls Division 2 title despite a 1-2 finish for Sitka, with Clare Mullin (19:50.3) moving up one spot from 2022 and teammate Marina Dill taking second in 20:13.9.

Seward put six in the top 13 to win for the second straight year. 

The Grace Christian boys scored the exact same number of points as last year, 47, and won for the third year in a row. The team went 1-2-4 up front with Robbie Annett taking the win in 16:39.1. 

Annett beat the Division 1 champion, Fischer, twice early in the season. 

In Division 3, sophomore Boomchain Loucks led a 1-2 finish for the Wrangell boys, who repeated as the team champions and scored 28 points. He won by 44 seconds in 17:28.1.

The Dillingham girls topped the five schools in contention on the girls side, winning with 46 points. Sophomore Ourea Busk from Unalakleet ran 19:38.3 for the win. 

Team Champions - 

Division 1 - South Anchorage 83 points, Chugiak girls 40 points - RESULTS

Division 2 - Grace Christian boys 47 points, Seward girls 34 points - RESULTS

Division 3 - Wrangell boys 28 points, Dillingham girls 46 points - RESULTS