Colony’s Hopkins, Grace Christian’s Annett repeat at McKenney Invite

Colony senior Ella Hopkins and Grace Christian senior Robbie Annett repeated as champions of the Ted McKenney XC Invitational on Saturday at Tsalteshi Trails just outside of Soldotna.

Annett, the defending state champion at Division II, ran the 5 kilometers in 16 minutes, 4 seconds, to improve on his winning time from a year ago by two seconds. He has only not finished first at one cross-country race in the last two seasons.

Hopkins finished at 19:15, a new personal record for a 5K cross-country race and an improvement of 19 seconds on last year’s McKenney time. East’s Rosie Conway was runner-up at 19:29.

The Chugiak girls won the team title at the meet for the third straight season as they chase a fourth-straight Division I state crown. The boys team title went to defending Division I champ South.

The event is named for Ted McKenney, the longtime area cross-country coach who died in 2020 at 64 from brain cancer.

The McKenney Invite, which had 844 finishers in the open and varsity races, is the traditional grand kickoff to the cross-country season in Alaska, drawing runners from big schools around the state, except those in the Fairbanks area.

Hopkins said she likes the course because it is just one lap, which allows her to settle in and race her race. The McKenney was one of the three races Hopkins won in seven tries at 5K last season. She was seventh at Division I state.

She said the pace was solid to the midpoint of the race, then she said she fell back on her faith and went for it.

“I think I’m strong on the hills, but when I’m running, I just try to stay strong and say, ‘God, give me the strength to get up the next hill,’” Hopkins said. “That just pulls me through the course.”

She said her family commercial fishes for the summer in Egegik on Bristol Bay. That leaves beaches frequented by bears as the only training option.

Hopkins gave credit to her sister, Emma, for riding along on an ATV on training runs to keep her safe.

“I think it’s cool what I was able to do, even with obstacles like that around in the summer,” Hopkins said.

Defending Division I champ Hannah Shaha of Chugiak was fourth at 19:43.

“I’m just hoping to stay in the front pack and see what I can do this season,” Hopkins said.

The Soldotna girls finished third, just 12 points behind runner-up Colony.

Junior Tania Boonstra led the way by taking sixth at 20:07. She said the race is always a highlight.

“It’s always fun to be able to come here and race at the home course,” she said. “You know the course so well.

“It’s fun to have people watching you that can’t when you’re far away.”

SoHi sophomore Kathryn DeBardelaben was 10th in 20:26, a big improvement on the 29th in 21:39 last season.

DeBardelaben said she was just hoping to get in the top 15 or 20.

“I probably started out like top 30 or 20, then just kind of worked my way up in the last half of the race,” she said.

DeBardelaben said the Stars are fired up as a team.

“It’s a great group of kids,” she said. “We’re super excited. We have a lot of potential for state.”

Also scoring for SoHi were Kathryn Cox in 21st, Annie Burns in 27th and Anna Bailey in 42nd.

Also from the peninsula, Kenai Central was 14th, led by Teresa Fallon in 60th. Two-time defending Division II champ Seward didn’t have enough runners for a varsity score, but the Seahawks packed talent into the open race, with Olive Jordan winning and Sadie Haas taking second.

Annett said the goal from him and fellow Grace senior Colton Merriner was to dominate the first 2 kilometers.

“I really wanted to make a move early and just make sure that no one was in the race that didn’t have to be,” he said.

While Merriner finished fifth, nobody came close to catching Annett. South junior Vebjorn Flagstad was the runner-up at 16:39.

“It means a lot,” Annett said of beating all the Division I runners. “Last year, I was fifth place through 2K and I was kind of nervous.

“This time, I just took it to them, and that’s really encouraging.”

Annett said he wanted to break 16 minutes, but lost a few seconds in the rolling hills at about 4K.

“It’s my favorite course by far,” Annett said, lauding the wide start and rolling hills in the middle. “It’s always super nice weather, which is a blessing.”

The senior also is excited about his team as they chase a sixth-straight Division II boys crown.

“I’d like to thank my coaches,” he said. “They prepare me so well for the beginning of my season.

“And just give God all the glory. I can’t do this without him.”

Homer junior Johannes Bynagle broke through by taking eighth in 17:04. Bynagle’s 5K cross-country PR is 17:01, coming last year at the Kenai Peninsula Borough meet on a much easier course at Tsalteshi.

“I went all out as hard as I could for a lot of it, especially at the beginning,” he said.

Bynagle had missed the McKenney Invite for the first two years of his career.

“It was pretty awesome,” he said. “There were people all throughout the trails cheering, and that was pretty motivating.”

Homer led peninsula teams by finishing 12th, while Soldotna was 14th and Kenai was 20th. Freshman Ollie Dahl led the Stars in 34th, while Gage Ivy led the Kardinals in 123rd. Seward had all of its finishers in the open race.

Ted McKenney XC Invitational

Saturday at Tsalteshi Trails

GIRLS

Team scores — 1. Chugiak, 65; 2. Colony, 86; 3. Soldotna, 98; 4. Dimond, 100; 5. East, 146; 6. South, 164; 7. Wasilla, 173; 8. Service, 192; 9. Eagle River, 270; 10. West, 279; 11. Palmer, 292; 12. Grace Christian, 309; 13. Bethel, 344; 14. Kenai Central, 398; 15. Kodiak, 435; 16. Juneau-Douglas: Yadaa.at Kale, 488; 17. Redington, 521.

Individual 5-kilometer results

1. Ella Hopkins, Col, 19 minutes, 15 seconds; 2. Rosie Conway, Eas, 19:29; 3. Hailee Giacobbe, Was, 19:29; 4. Hannah Shaha, Chu, 19:43; 5. Hannah Bodkin, Chu, 20:06; 6. Tania Boonstra, Sol, 20:07; 7. Talia Smith, Ser, 20:11; 8. Fiona Selvik, Ser, 20:17; 9. Aubrey Virgin, Col, 20:19; 10. Kathryn DeBardelaben, Sol, 20:26; 11. Ourea Busk, Una, 20:27; 12. Avrey Campbell, Dim, 20:29; 13. Ellie Stull, Dim, 20:43; 14. Petra Knox, Chu, 20:56; 15. Molly McBride, Dim, 21:03; 16. Karley Tichenor, Pal, 21:05; 17. Rachel Danz, Col, 21:06; 18. Madeleine Lojewski, Eas, 21:08; 19. Alise Elliott, Sou, 21:08; 20. Finn Rigby, Eas, 21:09.

Other peninsula finishers — 21. Kathryn Cox, Sol, 21:24; 26. Claira Booz, Hom, 21:35; 27. Annie Burns, Sol, 21:39; 38. Katie Van Buskirk, Sew, 21:58; 42. Anna Bailey, Sol, 22:07; 48. Selah Brueckner, Sew, 22:22; 53. Juniper Ingalls, Sew, 22:33; 60. Teresa Fallon, Ken, 22:40; 68. Maddie Haas, Sew, 22:57; 78. Shiloh Zichko, Sol, 23:22; 79. Myra Kalafut, Hom, 23:24; 80. Ruby Davis, Ken, 23:24; 81. Kiriakia Basargin, Hom, 23:26; 85. Sasha Brott, Sol, 23:50; 86. Campbell Kincaid, Sol, 23:54; 91. Delanie Wagers, Sol, 24:11; 106. Mya Taylor, Ken, 24:55; 108. Kylie Dickson, Sol, 25:04; 110. Abby Ostrom, Hom, 25:11; 112. Dianna Wright, Ken, 25:14; 151. Lucia Carson, Ken, 29:00.

BOYS

Team scores — 1. South, 50; 2. Colony, 115; 3. Chugiak, 135; 4. Service, 141; 5. Kodiak, 158; 6. Grace Christian, 173; 7. West, 210; 8. Dimond, 231; 9. Eagle River, 243; 10. Bethel, 258; 11. Wasilla, 261; 12. Homer, 262; 13. East, 318; 14. Soldotna, 338; 15. Palmer, 397; 16. Nome-Beltz, 447; 17. Juneau-Douglas: Yadaa.at Kale, 498; 18. Bartlett, 575; 19. Unalaska, 591; 20. Kenai Central, 604.

Individual 5-kilometer results

1. Robbie Annett, Gra, 16:04; 2. Vebjorn Flagstad, Sou, 16:39; 3. Katahdin Staples, Eas, 16:43; 4. David Penfield, Chu, 16:53; 5. Colton Merriner, Gra, 17:00; 6. Jaxon Henrie, Sou, 17:01; 7. Elias Oswald, Ser, 17:01; 8. Johannes Bynagle, Hom, 17:04; 9. Ned Peters, Bet, 17:06; 10. Coby Marvin, Col, 17:10; 11. Springer Moore, Ser, 17:13; 12. Owen Harth, Sou, 17:13; 13. Kohen Galloway, Chu, 17:18; 14. Braxton Thornley, Sou, 17:18; 15. Miles Grimes, Kod, 17:21; 16. Bradley Otis-Goodman, Sou, 17:22; 17. Thomas Ringsmuth, Chu, 17:26; 18. Trygve Vang-Thompson, Col, 17:26; 19. Maksim Millwood, Dim, 17:29; 20. Stephen Hafen, Was, 17:30.

Other peninsula finishers —34. Ollie Dahl, Sol, 17:53; 48. Tait Ostrom, Hom, 18:15; 54. Caleb Bunker, Hom, 18:23; 64. James Innes, Sol, 18:34; 73. Paul Wertanen, Sol, 18:44; 80. Lukas Renner, Hom, 18:50; 88. Jody Goodrich, Hom, 19:03; 97. Tom Schwartz, Sol, 19:15; 100. Parker Richards, Sol, 19:19; 104. Landon Tinsley, Hom, 19:23; 111. John Holt, Sol, 19:32; 112. Jacob Ries, Sol, 19:32; 123. Gage Ivy, Ken, 19:51; 127. Jude Rozeboom, Hom, 19:52; 135. Isaiah Dickson, Sol, 20:09; 140. Paxton Roach, Sol, 20:24; 150. Corbin Crisp, Ken, 21:06; 151. Charlie Rustand, Hom, 21:07; 152. Levi Strong, Ken, 21:08; 153. Logan Cartwright, Ken, 21:08; 156. Brennan Steen, Hom, 21:17; 160. Daniel Christ, Hom, 21:43; 172. Benjamin Roberts, Ken, 23:12; 175. Elijah Kahle, Ken, 23:52.