WP Meets Tough Competition In Richland

WAITSBURG - It was a learning experience that wielded success for the WP Cardinals at the Richland Invitational on Oct. 8.

The Cardinals had been gearing up for this pivotal meet because it brought tons of competition from all over, WP cross country coach Joanna Lanning said.

WP runners Seth Deal and E.J. Meserve were part of the 800 male runners who competed on Saturday.

"It's bigger than state," Lanning said of the competition.

Meserve competed in a freshman-sophomore race and placed 26th with a time of 18:24. Deal competed in the 5K varsity race and crossed the line 23rd with a time of 15:58.

In the middle school race, Emily Adams was the first seventh grader across the finish line of the 5,000 meter race and placed sixth overall.

The tough competition on Saturday showed the Cardinals that they're improving, but they need to keep working hard, Lanning said.

"We still had a really good time," she said. "It was fun to watch."

The courses were fast as promised, yielding quick finish times overall.

Lanning said Deal got boxed in for about one mile in his 5K race because it was a larger race with more runners than he is used to.

Now, the Cardinals have a bit of a break before its next meet Oct. 19 at Pendleton. The team will step up the hard workouts in the meantime.

"It will give us the advantage of getting more quality work in," she said.

The Dayton Bulldogs did not participate in the Richland meet, but one runner competed Oct. 5 at the Whitman Mission Adventure. Micah Yeater placed second in the six-person race with a time of 21:26.