Allie Buchalski of the Brooks Beasts & Olympic steeple silver medalist Kenneth Rooks win USATF Club Cross titles...
UNIVERSITY PLACE--If you were a fan of Washington athletes, Saturday's USATF National Club Cross Country Championships at Chambers Creek Regional Park was for you.
That is, if you were willing to tolerate cold, rainy and windy conditions that preceded the women's open 6k and the men's open 10k, the final two races of the morning and early afternoon.
WOMEN'S 6K
After three masters races, the sun finally broke out for the final two races of the day, the women's open 6k, and the men's open 10k.
In the first of two 3k laps around Chambers Creek, University of Minnesota alums Megan and Bethany Hasz of the Boston Athletic Association led the field in 10:10, with Washington alum Kayley DeLay and Brooks Beasts teammate Allie Buchalski, Boise State alum and 2022 world championships marathoner Emma Bates, and Iowa State alum Cailie Logue close behind.
DeLay and Buchalski (Paul Merca photo) worked together to break away from the pack, with Buchalski pulling away from DeLay for the win, clocking 20:28, with DeLay two seconds back.
Megan Hasz and sister Bethany finished 3-4 in 20:35, and Bates took fifth in 20:38.
Among those with Washington ties in the top thirty were Rebecca Mehra of the Brooks Beasts in 20th in 21:31, Teagan Schein-Becker of the Beasts in 25th in 21:36, Mercer Island High School's Sophia Rodriguez in 28th in 21:42, and Anna Kenig-Ziesler of Club Northwest in 30th in 21:47.
Minnesota Distance Elite won the women's team title with 42 points, while the Brooks Beasts were third with 80 points.
Host Club Northwest finished seventh with 266 points.
MEN'S 10K
College Place High School graduate, Walla Walla native, and Olympic steeplechase silver medalist Kenneth Rooks (Paul Merca photo) put the hammer down early on the field, opening a six second lead through the first 3k, crossing the timing mat in 8:54, with Tom Anderson of Club Northwest and Waleed Suliman of the Brooks Beasts in a group of eight behind Rooks.
At the 6k mark, Rooks extended his lead to 16 seconds, as Suliman worked his way to third, while Anderson dropped four spots to eighth.
With 2k to go, the Paris Olympian's lead increased to 24 seconds, while Suliman and Southern Utah alum Aidan Reed were battling neck and neck for positions two and three.
In the end, Rooks triumphed over the wind, the cold and the field, taking the national title in 31:09, with Reed second in 31:37, and Suliman third in 31:44.
Henry Wynne of the Brooks Beasts made a late charge to put himself inside the top ten, placing eighth in 32:05.
Anderson finished 12th in 32:18, while Seattle Pacific alum Turner Wiley of Club Northwest was 13th in 32:20.
Parker Stokes of the Brooks Beasts finished 16th in 32:25, while Claremont-Mudd-Scripps alum Henry Pick of Club Northwest was 27th in 32:39.
Roots Running Project took the men's 10k team title with 66 points, while Club Northwest finished fourth with 153 points.
The Brooks Beasts finished eighth with 225 points, despite missing 10k specialist Dillon Maggard, who competed in the Valencia Marathon two weeks ago.
NOTE: USA Track & Field and Club Northwest contributed to this report.
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