Dennler, Ornelas lead Medical Lake cross country contingents
Medical Lake's fourth-place team from district competition includes, from left, Scarlett Lalicker, Feodora Lalicker, Hannah Luzier, Makalia McKenney, Kaylee Dennler, Katelyn Hoffer, Autumn Trout and Daisy Neece.
Medical Lake will return its girls cross country team and several athletes on the boys side to the state championships Nov. 9 in Pasco.
The Cardinal girls finished fourth as a team at the Nov. 2 1A District 5 Championships at the 3-mile Apple Ridge XC Course near Yakima.
Medical Lake's Northeast A League rival Lakeside won the team title with 54 points while the Cardinals collected 109.
Kaylee Dennler's time of 18 minutes, 38:40 seconds landed her another individual win. Times were slightly faster on this course as it is just shy of the usual 5,000 meters.
Medical Lake finished fourth in 2023, third in 2022 and second in 2021 in a virtual meet run during COVID.
Medical Lake's girls finish came with running just six athletes as Mya Gardner missed the event but hopes to return for state. Despite not running Saturday, Gardner in "On our team roster," Blankenship ensured.
In Gardner's absence, the Cardinals got a clutch effort from Feodora Lalicker. "
She really stepped it up and PR'd by long ways," Blankenship said.
Computer modeling suggests the Cardinals will land in sixth place, however, Blankenship, who the past has made bold predictions differs.
"We could do a lot better and I think we will" he said. "I'm hoping we can get into fourth and push for third."
In what has been a reoccurring theme, Colville's Malik Ortiz turning in a 15:48.90 to top Medical Lake's Nakai Ornelas and a 16:03.80.
"Nakai just can't get Malik, and nobody can beat Kaylee," Cardinals head coach Gene Blankenship said.
Garrett Montney's 16:19.70 landed him fourth place and was the only other top-10 finisher for the Cardinals.
Colville and Lakeside tied again like they did in districts for the team title with the tiebreaker going to the Crimson Hawks based on the sixth-man finish.
With four athletes making it to state, Medical Lake will not likely have a podium finish. The Cardinals won titles in 2013, 2014 and 2017 with runner ups in 2015, 2016 and virtually in 2021.
It was still a very overall successful trip. "Everybody that we took to regionals qualified for state," Blankenship said.
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