Two of Mount Si’s girls’ cross country runners took on the best in the state last Saturday at the state 3A girls’ cross country meet in Pasco. Both of them fared well running against the state’s top high school athletes.

Senior Megan Past finished the run in a time of 21:25, while sophomore teammate Kendall Maddux was right behind in a time of 21:31. Past’s efforts earned her 101st place, while Maddux finished 104th overall. A total of 138 runners competed in the event, with Glacier Peak (Snohomish) freshman Amy Eloise-Neale winning the race by just one second over North Central (Spokane) freshman Katie Knight.

Maddux struggled to keep pace in her first state meet.

“Everybody started out really quickly and I couldn’t keep up with them,” she said.

Another Spokane school, Shadle Park, took the 3A girls title.

Weather conditions for the race, held at the Sun Willows Golf Course, were clear and cold, with a little wind. The conditions affected the Wildcat runners to some degree. “I don’t think the coldness affects us. I think the wind affected us,” Maddux said.

Notably missing from the state meet for Mount Si was senior star Alex Rudd, who failed to qualify for this year’s event. She finished well behind the top 20 at the SeaKing district tournament.

Asked whether this was the toughest competition she has ever faced in cross country, Maddux replied, “I’d have to say so, yes it was.”

No Wildcat boys qualified for the state meet this year.