TACOMA — For the first time in history, both of North’s cross country squads will be at the line of the state meet which will get the starting gun Nov. 5 in Pasco.

The boys and girls teams finished just above the cutoff, with the girls ending in seventh and the boys in a surprising eighth.

“I thought we had a good day,” coach Lee Hodin said of the boys. “But I thought it was going to take a great day.”

The greatness deceived Hodin as the final times were tallied and the NK boys landed in eighth place. Just good enough to move on to the state race for the first time since the NK boys cross country team qualified in 1974.

“Every day last week I just wanted to leave them believing that they could compete,” Hodin said.

Paul Coulter was motivated as the top finisher for the fellows. He landed 42nd in a performance which Hodin called amazing.

“The girls had one of the more gutsy races I’ve ever seen,” Hodin said. “Every one of them faced some type of adversity.”

From slow starts to side aches, the ladies battled to a tie at seventh place; Bethany Friessen boosted NK into the top seven, she finished as North’s sixth runner and tie breaker, finishing 85th.

The ladies’ top finisher was Jennifer Gregg.

This history-making achievement is a milestone for the Vikes. In years past NK’s teams have faltered at the West Central Districts meet, but not this year. North’s accomplishments have now converted into another challenge awaiting them in Pasco at the state race, Nov. 5.

“There is no course that I love and hate more than the state course,” Hodin said of the 5K course in Pasco. “It is so true.”

The course challenges runners and forces competitors to think, Hodin said. Running with a large pack is what the team is focusing on in practice this week.

NKHS swimmers up their best times

In individual events, sometimes your biggest opponent is yourself and most times it is the clock. Though no Vikes qualified for the state swims this weekend at the West Central Districts, many upped their best times.

“We are in wait-and-see mode,” coach Greg Braun said of Stephanie Longmate, the only NK swimmer with a chance to move on. Times from both district meets must be combined and configured to form a state line-up. Hopefully for North, Longmate will make the cut as a wildcard in the 100 meter backstroke; the wildcard spots will be decided by Sunday night, Braun said.

At districts, Longmate swam two personal bests. In the backstroke, she sliced her time to 1:05.28 good for fifth on the day. In the 100M freestyle she swam to ninth place in 58.77.

Whitney Glebe put up her best time in the 50M freestyle, earning ninth place while helping the 400M and 200M freestyle relays to eighth and ninth place. NK’s 200M medley team also ended in eighth.

Kathryn Parker, also part of the 400M freestyle team, swam to her best time of the year in the long distance 500M freestyle race with a time of 5:55.71.

“(District) gets the kids amped up,” Braun said of his team’s quick times. “District times are what they strive for all year.”

Braun said that the ladies got consecutively faster from their seed times to the prelims and even faster in the finals. And times will get even faster if the aqua Vikes “swim year-round,” Braun said.