BorderClash 11

Each year the top finishers from WA and OR state meets are invited to participate in the annual BorderClash event on the Nike campus in Beaverton, OR. And each year Redmond XC is represented. For 2009, Devin McMahon and Mack Young qualified via their 3rd and 6th place (respective) State Meet places.

BorderClash is a dual between the best Oregon and Washington runners, a meet where your foes become your teammates as you race to defend state bragging rights. Nike always steps up as a great host to this fun event, providing entertainment, a pasta feed and motivation through meeting some of their elite sponsored athletes.

The dual begins with a cannonball start, fireworks and separate starting lines where runners converge onto the course. It is as exciting as it sounds! View the Live Feed Replay here.

On a drenched course with incessant rain, Mack was able to finalize his season with a strong 5th place finish in 14:26 for the 4400 m course. For the girls race, the sun decided to make a debut, yet conditions were still less than ideal. Devin topped off her incredible season, also with a 5th place finish in 16:52.

Congratulations to both for outstanding places in a highly competitive race and congratulations to Washington runners who swept the top 10 spots in the boys race and 15 of the top 16 places in the girls race. Washington retains distance running bragging rights until BorderClash 12.

2009 XC Video by Mark Jorgensen

I Gotta Feeling

2009 State Recap

By Dan Contreras (asst. coach)
Well, another cross country season is in the books! The 2009 XC season wrapped up on Saturday over in Pasco where the boys competed as a team for their 4th consecutive year and the girls in their 9th.

Both teams ran very well in great conditions at Sun Willows Golf Course (dry, 55-degress, slight breeze).

BOYS RACE:
After an 18 minute delay at the start of the race, (4-5 kids from other schools got tangled up around the 150m mark and the whole field had to be called back), Redmond regrouped for the 2nd 'start' with Mack and Will leading the charge. They surged to the front, maintaining position (top 15 or so) thru the 1st mile at around 4:50. Central Kitsap's Shane Moskowitz was the front runner extending an already fast pace (4:40) thru the first mile and 9:45ish thru 2-miles. Junior Miles Hille, freshman Jonathan Stevens and sophmore Max Dunn ran further behind in the pack, but were still running rather strong and smart. In the end, Moskowitz continued to push and at one point had about a 150m lead on the field. He set out to run a sub-15:00 on the course, which had never been done at the 5K distance on that course. He was fighting hard down the long downhill finish and just missed the mark, winning in a new CR, 15:05. Gig Harbor senior Conor Peloquin was 2nd, Ferris senior Adam Thorne was 3rd and our own Mack finished 6th in 15:37.

Going into the state meet, Redmond was ranked 9th in the Coaches poll.

Redmond results:
06-(Sr) Mack Young, 15:37 (+19 from 2008)
31-(Sr) Will Young, 16:06 (-45 from 2008)
56-(Jr) Miles Hille, 16:28 (+4 from 2008)
76-(Fr) Jonathan Stevens, 16:46
91-(So) Max Dunn, 16:56
128-(Sr) Cotter Boyle, 17:33
133-(So) Connor Chapman, 17:42

Team:
1. Ferris, 68
2. Jackson, 100
3. Issaquah, 150
4. Eisenhower, 156
5. Lewis & Clark, 170
6. Auburn Riverside, 171
7. Redmond, 182

GIRLS RACE:
Focus.... determination.... and drive. That about summed up our girls race. So thrilled to see Devin McMahon back in the thick of things at the state meet after missing the 08 season. Devin went out hard with fellow KingCo rival, Anna Dailey from Garfiled (this year's KingCo and District champ). They covered nearly the first 2-miles of the race shoulder to shoulder with Stanwood's Minna Fields... but around the 800m mark or so, Anna surged ahead like she had the previous two races, running away from the pack and cruising to a 17:58 win, :19 seconds ahead of 2nd place, Fields (18:17) and Devin in tow in 3rd at 18:23. What followed was 6 Redmond teammates kicking hard in the last 100m to finish strong and earn a 6th place team spot, 3 places better than in 2008! Congrats Mustangs! Going into the state meet, Redmond was ranked 7th in the Coaches poll.

Redmond results:
03-(Sr) Devin McMahon, 18:23 (-32 from 2007 race)
36-(So) Holly Young, 19:26
66-(So) Jenna Sanders, 19:54 (-55 from 2008)
78-(Sr) Hailey Jorgensen, 20:03 (-34 from 2008)
91-(Sr) Melissa Villeneuve, 20:18 (-30 from 2008
107-(Jr) Amy Pumputis, 20:36
109-(So) Allie Nichols, 20:37

Team:
1. Eastlake, 100
2. Tahoma, 124
3. Stanwood, 126
4. Gig Harbor, 136
5. Bellarmine Prep, 149
6. Redmond, 167

Lastly, congratulations to Head Coach Denis Villeneuve!! He was selected by the WA State XC Coaches Association as this year's 4A Boys Coach of the year!

Success and Exhilaration

Redmond XC carved out a memorable day on Halloween at the 4A District Meet in Kelso. 16 qualifying teams (and qualifying individuals) toed the line on the track for the start of the girls race. Though the 3 mile course was slick and muddy from passing rain squalls, the pace was fast right from the start. Devin McMahon stayed in perfect position challenging Anna Dailey throughout the race with her teammates running strongly mid pack. With several spills on turns and downhills, Redmond girls kept their minds and bodies on "fight mode". Devin powered through the entire race with Anna Dailey surging past her in the final 300m of the track finish. Devin's incredible effort earned her 2nd place with the 2nd fastest course time of 17:10.58. She was followed by season best performances from every teammate, earning Redmond Girls a trip to State and a 2nd place finish:
12 Holly Young - 18:21.15
17 Hailey Jorgensen - 18:36
23 Jenna Sanders - 18:49.72
24 Melissa Villeneuve - 18:53.1
31 Amy Pumputis - 19:04.75
32 Allie Nichols - 19:07.01



Redmond boys also faced qualifying for state amongst some of the top ranking teams. The race was blazing from the start with Mack, Miles and Will settled comfortably within the top pack. Course conditions had worsened after 86 girls tore up the grass and mud. Miles took the brunt of the conditions with a couple of spills yet retained his front pack position. The Redmond trio surged on a slight uphill (before 2mi), creating a sizable gap. Mack and Will continued to break away going 1, 2 with Mack setting a new course record in 14:50.7. Will finished with the 3rd fastest time on the course in 14:55.9. As first time District Meet participants, Max, Jonathan, Cotter and Connor defied their inexperience and placed well above expectation. Falling twice, collapsing with 100m to go and a week of a cold took a toll on Miles, he finished 42nd. Full results:

1 Mack Young - 14:50.75
2 Will Young - 14:55.9
29 Max Dunn - 15:56.65
30 Johnathan Stevens - 15:57.46
42 Miles Hille - 16:11.61
53 Cotter Boyle - 16:29.9
66 Connor Chapman - 16:55.65

It seemed that odds weren't good for Redmond boys earning a state berth. We all nervously paced throughout the announcements shocked and elated that despite some race setbacks, the team performances did indeed equate to 2nd place, joining the girls at State, November 7th in Pasco. Congratulations Redmond!

Redmond Reporter KingCo Article

As it has been tough to find articles or results in the Times or Redmond Reporter, I thought I would provide a link/copy to the recent online Redmond Reporter article.



Young guns: Mack and Will Young finish 1-2 at 4A Kingco cross country meet

Oct 26 2009, 10:30 AM · UPDATED


For one of the two unrelated Youngs running for the Redmond High boys' cross country team, winning Thursday's 4A Kingco League Championship meet was no surprise to many, but for the other, finishing a close second made a big statement towards his name being added to the list of the area's elite runners.

Class 4A defending state champion Mack Young used his trademark killer kick down the home stretch of the 3.1-mile course at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah to win in 15 minutes, 53.75 seconds for his sixth victory of the year.

Mack was being pushed by fellow senior Will Young, who finished less than three seconds behind Mack at 15:56.69.

Rounding out the strong top three Mustang runners was junior Miles Hille, who finished sixth with a season-best of 16:06.03.

For cross country meets, however, team placing is based on the top six runners, and Redmond coach Denis Villeneuve was pleased to see improvements from Cotter Boyle (42nd, 17:07.35), Max Dunn (45th, 17:08.23) and Johnathan Stevens (46th, 17:09.04), who each shattered their personal best times, a sure sign that Redmond will be competitive next weekend in Kelso for the Bi-District Championships, which will take place on Halloween, Oct. 31.

"Our four, five, six guys all improved their times today, and we're happy with how they ran," Villeneuve said. "We're hopeful that they'll continue to improve at (Bi-Districts)."

The Mustangs were not ranked prior to Thursday's 4A Kingco meet, and was able to beat Skyline, ranked sixth, and finished a close second to No. 9 Issaquah.

On the girls' side, senior Devin McMahon, who missed the entire 2008 season due to a heart condition, continued her impressive comeback year with a strong second-place finish in 18:29.52, behind Garfield standout Anna Dailey, who won the meet in 18:06.04.

The Lady 'Stangs had a bunch of runners placing high, including Holly Young (11th, 19:46.28), Jenna Sanders (15th, 19:56.60) and Hailey Jorgensen (17th, 20:01.86), enabling the team to also take second place behind Eastlake, which had four runners in the top ten.

Regardless, the meet went about as well as possible for the Mustangs, and Villeneuve is thrilled with the possibility of sending both of his teams to the 4A State Championships, held at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco on Nov. 7.

"To get to state you have to finish in the top three as a team, so getting second in both is a great confidence booster," he explained. "I feel we're one of the teams that will earn one of those three spots, if we can repeat (our performance) or do better."

Even if the Mustangs do not finish in the top three, runners placing in the top 15 at Bi-Districts will get an automatic state berth and compete as individuals.