Ten schools from Thurston County toed the line at the HOKA John Payne XC Invitational on Saturday, October 4, 2025. Over 120 schools competed on the cloud-covered course at Chambers Bay as thousands of fans jostled along flag-lined barriers to cheer on athletes. Race after race, hundreds of runners fought for position until the Varsity Gold races, where the fastest runners in the state duke it out.
While individual performances build excitement, a quieter battle went on within the competition – the team scores. Cross country scoring is like golf, the lower the score, the better. When Olympia High School’s Sydney Kosa crossed the finish line in fourth place, she scored four points for the Bears. As runners from schools up and down the West Coast stormed across the finish line, the battle continued. Leah Hennen finished in 17th, adding 17 points to the team total.
By the end of the day, the Bears’ score of 152 secured a third-place finish, making them the first team from Washington, and putting every 4A team in the state on notice. Reflecting on the race, Kosa credited her teammates and coach. “Something I’ll take away from this race is realizing how grateful I am to have such an amazing team and coach who always support me,” she said.
In the Boys Varsity Bronze race, River Ridge High School’s Connor Leland secured a 15th-place finish with a personal best time of 18:19.9. “I’ve been training for this for four years now,” the senior stated. “This is when I get to prove what I’m capable of doing.” Later in the day, in the Girls Gold race, Yelm High School standout Kaily Slevin finished 30th, just ahead of Pope John Paul II’s speedy Ruby Henry, who finished 45th.
The Olympia boys are led by their freshman speedster, Quenton Lanese, who earned an eighth-place finish. The second runner for the Bears is Caden Durocher, who crossed the line in 15:52.8. “That was a massive PR, probably my biggest PR in my career,” Durocher said, referring to his new Personal Record. “It hurt a lot, but it felt like a good race.” For Yelm High School, Marcos Andujar led his team with a strong 18th-place performance, while Kevin Hu of Pope John Paul II secured 57th place with a time of 16:25.7.
The Mountaineers of Rainier did not just hold their ground, they dominated the JV Gold Race in the early hours of the day. Komaire Robles took first place overall and Alexis Myers finished third, leading their team to a fifth-place finish and proving that the 1B/2B school should not be taken lightly down the stretch.
