JDHS harriers face stiff winds at Region V championships
- Klas Stolpe
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
Crimson Bears look to qualify in Sitka for state race in Palmer
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
With a weather report of high winds and rough seas, the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears cross-country team reached Sitka on Friday ready to earn a strong showing at Saturday’s Region V Championships on the Totem Park course.
“There's some uncertainty going in this weekend with the weather,” co-head coach Abby Jahn said. “We hope all the teams are able to make it and we can safely race tomorrow.”
The JDHS girls are represented by seniors Lua Mangaccat, Siena Farr and Della Mearig, junior Kaia Mangaccat, sophomores Sigrid Eller and Nevah Lupro, and freshman Maya Mothershead.
“We'll have a chat this evening and talk about how to mentally prepare for the region championships and encourage them to go out there and run their best and run a team race,” Jahn said. “The region championships are a path for qualifying for state so our goal is to win regions so that we can take both our teams to state.”
The JDHS boys are represented by senior Elias Schane, juniors Logan Fellman, Erik Thompson, Angus Andrews, Zach Bos and Austin Huang, and sophomore Carson Kautz.
“Tomorrow we’re encouraging our team to believe in themselves and execute,” co-head coach Zack Bursell said. “Making sure to put together all the lessons they’ve learned from racing this season and focus on the fundamentals. We have Erik Thompson back now, he’s recovered from his foot injury so that’s helpful. Leadership from our seniors Della, Elias, Lua and Siena is going to be key in keeping the team even keeled in these championship races.”
For both the DI (JDHS, Ketchikan) and DII (Sitka, Mt. Edgecumbe) boys’ and girls’ races, the top team and top 10 individuals earn passage onto the ASAA/First National Bank Alaska Cross-Country Running State Championships on Oct. 4 at the Palmer High School Trails in Palmer.
For DIII (the rest of Southeast) all members of the top three teams and the top 15 individual finishers qualify for state.
The girls’ record on the Sitka course is 17:50.4 set by Sadie Tuckwood, a 2020 JDHS graduate, in her senior year. Tuckwood completed her senior season at Gonzaga University last year. The second-best time of 18:35.8 belongs to Clare Mullin, a 2025 Sitka graduate, also in her senior year. She is currently running at Gonzaga.
JDHS’ L. Mangaccat has a 21:47 season best set in Palmer. She did not race last weekend’s Capital City Invitational. She placed 50th at state last year (22:10). Farr ran a season best 22:17 in Hoonah and went 26:33 last weekend. She placed 46th at state last year (21:56). Mearig ran a season best 21:55 last weekend. She placed 35th at state last year (21:36). K. Mangaccat hit a personal record of 20:36 last weekend. She placed 22nd at state last year (21:03). Eller ran a PR 21:21 last weekend. Lupro ran a season best 21:41 last weekend. She placed 23rd at state last year (21:04).
Sitka’s Dominic Baciocco, a 2020 graduate, set the Sitka course boys record of 16:12.5 in 2019 and Wolves 2025 graduate Connor Hitchcock set the second-fastest time of 16:19.2 last season. Hitchcock is a freshman running at St. Olaf College. Grace Christian’s Robbie Annett hit 16:26.6 as a junior on the course in the 2023-24 season. JDHS’ fastest time on the course — sixth in the rankings — belongs to Kona Atkins, a 2023 graduate, who hit 16:39 in his senior season.
JDHS’ Schane has a season best 18:14 set at the Palmer Invite and went 18:15 at last week’s Capital City Invite. He placed 46th (18:04) at state last year. Fellman hit a personal best 17:25 in Hoonah and went 17:35 last week. He placed 54th (18:17) at state last year. Thompson has a 17:30 season best from Palmer and last season placed second in regions (16:34) and second in state (16:33). Last weekend, Andrews set a PR of 18:12, Bos a PR 17:44, Huang a PR 18:57 and Kautz a PR 18:27.
JDHS is the DI favorite for boys and girls to qualify as a team for state, while Sitka is in DII. Petersburg, Wrangell and Craig are strong contenders to qualify as teams on the boys and girls sides in DIII.
Across Southeast in combined division races this season, Craig junior Aulis Nelson is the DIII favorite, winning two of four races, with Wrangell’s Boomchain Loucks winning the other two. Nelson hit a PR 16:21 at Wrangell (Loucks won in 16:08) and won the Metlakatla Invite (17:25) and Cap City (17:00) and ran 16:59 in Ketchikan (Loucks won in 16:16). Sitka junior Derek Wilson was second at Cap City (17:18) and third at Kayhi (17:02).
Kayhi senior Carter Phillips has the fastest DI boys’ time in Southeast, with a 17:03, with Fellman at 17:25 and Thompson 17:30. Kayhi has five runners in the top 10, as does JDHS. JDHS’ K. Mangaccat has the fastest DI girls time in Southeast with 20:36, and the Crimson Bears have eight of the top 10 runners.
Sitka’s Wilson has the fastest DII boys time in Southeast at 17:02 and Wolves’ runners own the top 10 times. Sitka freshman Lola Hitchcock has the girls’ fastest time of 21:37, and the Lady Wolves have the top six times and seven of the top 10.
Wrangell freshman Jenna Meissner leads the girls’ field with three first-place finishes this season, including a 20:18 PR last weekend at the Cap City. Meissner is the small school favorite, but Petersburg sophomore Arielle Tucker has a 20:53 PR and ran to third last weekend. Tucker placed fourth at state last year (21:46) and led the Vikings to the state title. They return that title team, including sophomores Cadence Flint (22:47 at state), Zia Hulebak (224:20), junior Maria Toth (22:20) and senior Gabrielle Whitacre (25:19). Wrangell has stayed competitive with juniors Bella Ritchie (26:18 at state) and Alana Harrison providing individual strong finishes.
The top 15 DIII Southeast girls times this season are WRG’s Meissner 20:18, PSG’s Tucker 20:53, WRG’s Ritchie 20:55, WRG’s Harrison 21:22, PSG’s Toth 21:50, PSG’s Flint 22:28, PSG’s /Whitacre 22:39, Hoonah junior Easton Ross 23:26, PSG’s Hulebak 23:41, CRG freshman Jayla Edenshaw 23:53, CRG senior Chelsea Thompson 24:15, Kake sophomore Aurora Davis 24:35, Haines freshman Sophia Hedden 24:51, WRG senior Kalee Herman 25:07 and WRG freshman Kaia Roher 25:29.
The PSG boys won the DIII state title last season and return senior Gaje Ventress (17:22 PR) who ran third at state (17:58), senior Alex Holmgrain who was fourth at state (18:00), junior Ben Kandoll (19:26 at state), and junior Waylon Jones (20:50 at state). They feature senior newcomer Nathan Kerr (18:12 PR) and freshman Camden Johnson (18:59 PR). Wrangell placed third as a team with Loucks hurt last season and return junior Jackson Carney (19:11 at state), senior Jackson Powers (20:00 at state), sophomore Ian Nelson (19:06 at state), and sophomore Lucas Stearns (20:47 at state) and feature sophomore newcomer Carter Howell (18:48 PR) and freshman Ryder Ritchie (19:10 PR).
The top 15 DIII Southeast boys times this season are WRG’s Loucks 16:08, CRG’s A. Nelson 16:21, PSG’s Ventress 17:22, WRG’s Powers 17:57, WRG’s Carney 17:58, PSG’s Holmgrain 18:03, PSG’s Kerr 18:12, Skagway sophomore Logan Rupprecht 18:18, WRG’s Howell 18:48, PSG’s Johnson 18:59, PSG freshman Joseph Hofstetter 19:09, WRG’s Ritchie 19:10, WRG’s I. Nelson 19:14, WRG’s Stearns 19:39 and Skagway sophomore Zane Coughran 19:39.
The Region V Championship race times are DIII boys 11 a.m., DIII girls 11:40 a.m., DI/DII boys 12:15 p.m. and DI/DII girls 12:45 p.m.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.
