Mat-Su runners finish in top 15; senior motors to Juneau-Douglas’ first title in a decade
Colony finished as the runner-up in the Division I girls teams with 83 points.
What you need to know:
- Mat-Su runners earned six top-15 finishes: Palmer’s Karley Tichenor placed seventh in the girls race, while Colony’s Aubrey Virgin took 10th and Wren Spangler finished 14th. Colony’s Josiah Herrick and Benji Aliberti placed ninth and 10th, respectively, in the boys race, and Colony junior Connor Rush finished 14th.
- Colony’s girls finished as the Division I runner-up with 83 points, edging Service by one point, while the Colony boys placed fourth with 96 points.
- Juneau-Douglas senior Kaia Mangaccat and East senior Katahdin Staples claimed the individual titles. Mangaccat won her first state championship in 18:32, while Staples captured his third straight title in 15:34.
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Palmer and Colony runners snagged a collection of six top-15 spots for Mat-Su at the ASAA/First National Bank Alaska State Cross Country Running Championships on the Bartlett High Ski Trails Saturday.
In the girl’s race, Palmer senior Karley Tichenor took seventh, finishing the 5k course in 19:21, finishing two seconds ahead of East runner Madeleine Lojewski. Colony High senior Aubrey Virgin finished 10th in 19:25 and Colony freshman Wren Spangler took 14th place in 19:33.
In the boy’s race, Colony senior Josiah Herrick finished ninth in 16:26, just ahead of teammate junior Benjamin Aliberti, who finished in 16:27. Colony Junior Connor Rush finished 14th at 16:41.
Colony finished as the runner-up in the Division I girls teams with 83 points. Colony boys finished fourth with 96 total points.
Juneau-Douglas senior battles with Chugiak runner to bring home title
Ever since her freshman year, Kaia Mangaccat dreamed of becoming a state champion.
The Juneau-Douglas senior’s dream came to fruition, as she powered to her first state title Saturday, meticulously navigating the 5-kilometer course in 18 minutes, 32 seconds.
Early in the race, Mangaccat and Chugiak’s Claire Shaha separated themselves from the pack, running stride for stride for much of the first three kilometers, as temperatures hovered in the mid-30s.
“I expected her (Shaha) to be near me, but my strategy was just to think about myself and just try to focus on myself,” said Mangaccat.
Shaha, a freshman, entered with an illustrious resume, winning nearly every race she started, including the Region IV Championships held on the same trails one week earlier.
Mangaccat, on the other hand, was a bit of a dark horse, having quietly competed thrice in the Southeast this season and only cracking the top-20 once at state previously. But despite her limited race schedule, her times remained solidly in the mid-18:30s, rightfully earning her a spot in the state title conversation.
Donning a bubble braid and glitter on her cheeks, the senior made her move shortly before the halfway mark, swiftly pulling away from Shaha and the rest of the field, never relinquishing her lead.
Mangaccat became the first Crimson Bear to claim the girls state title since Sadie Tuckwood in 2016. She also joins three-time champion Leah Francis (2006-08) in bringing home Juneau-Douglas’ fifth individual title.
“It feels really good,” said Mangaccat. “I’m really happy that I could do it.”
Behind her, Shaha finished 12 seconds back in 18:44, four ticks faster than her region-winning time. West’s Chloe Hayner (19:03) and Kendall Barnett (19:05) took the next two spots, followed by Kodiak’s Charlotte Deemer (19:06), who rounded out the top-5. Deemer moved up a staggering 13 spots throughout the race and recorded the fastest final kilometer of the field, logging the highest finish for the Bears since Jaymi Bethea won it all in 2010.
D1 Girls Top 15
- Kaia Mangaccat, Juneau-Douglas, 18:32
- Claire Shaha, Chugiak, 18:44
- Chloe Hayner, West, 19:03
- Kendall Barnett, West, 19:05
- Charlotte Deemer, Kodiak, 19:06
- Maddison Kukuk, Chugiak, 19:06
- Karley Tichenor, Palmer, 19:21
- Madeleine Lojewski, East, 19:23
- Fiona Selvik, Service, 19:24
- Aubrey Virgin, Colony, 19:25
- Ashlyn Paynter, Eagle River, 19:32
- Nina Varnell, East Anchorage, 19:33
- Hana Varnell, East Anchorage, 19:33
- Wren Spangler, Colony, 19:33
- Rylee Ruggles, Chugiak, 19:37
In the team race, the Chugiak Mustangs charged to their sixth consecutive title, achieving the longest streak in Division 1 girls state history.
Led by Shaha’s runner-up finish, the Mustangs followed shortly after, complete with glitter, blue star-shaped hair clips and ribbons adorned to their ponytails.
Sophomore Maddison Kukuk (19:06) took sixth, joined by sophomore Rylee Ruggles (19:37) in 15th, freshman Lucia Sandoval (19:53) in 18th and senior Kyra Walter (20:12) in 26th. Juniors Olivia Sandoval (41st) and Charlotte Knox (51st) rounded out the squad.
The victory marks the Mustangs’ tenth girls team title (’90-’92, ’01 & ’21-’26) and extends their current win streak against in-state competition to 17.
Chugiak amassed 59 points to comfortably win the state title, while Colony (83) edged Service (84) for runner-up, moving up five spots throughout the race.
East High senior takes third state boy’s title
Flashing the No. 3 with his right hand, Katahdin Staples was all smiles as he crossed the finish line to win his third consecutive title at the ASAA/First National Bank Alaska State Cross Country Running Championships, conquering the 5-kilometer course in 15 minutes, 34 seconds.
The East High senior became the first three-time state champion in over a decade and just the fourth in Division 1 boys history.
Leading wire-to-wire, Staples was right at home on the Bartlett High Ski Trails, navigating the same undulating course he won his first state title on two years ago. It was also the scene of his third region title, won just seven days prior.
Despite temperatures hovering in the mid-30s, the Thunderbird used his signature start, wasting no time putting distance on the field over the two-loop course.
“I just knew I’d worked for this and that it was my race to lose, so I was just gonna take it and run my race, not worry too much about other people,” said Staples. “That was kind of my strategy going into it, and it played out perfectly.”
His lead ballooned from three to 19 seconds between the first to the third kilometers. And eventually, the clock became his only competition.
As Staples rounded the final turn across the track into the home stretch, he raised his arms while elevating the crowd, crossing the finish line one final time. A champion once again.
“I’m so incredibly happy that — not only this race — but my entire high school career has kind of culminated in such a great way,” said Staples. “I love this sport so much, it’s really so amazing. And to have just left my part, I mean, it really feels like something special.”
Staples high-fived, hugged and fist-bumped competitors, friends and supporters alike, soaking in the moment as he reflected on the full-circle moment of his career.
“I didn’t qualify for state my freshman year,” said Staples. “So to come back and just be supported by all these amazing people, like Don Clary and my amazing coaches and everyone else in the community — it just truly means the world to me.”
Two years ago, Staples became the first T-bird since Clary to win the boys race in 50 years.
Last fall, he matched Clary’s feat, collecting back-to-back titles.
Now, with three state titles in hand, he’s completely rewritten the history books.
Staples becomes the first three-time winner since Kodiak’s Levi Thomet, who completed the three-peat from 2012-14. He also joins Kodiak’s Trevor Dunbar (2006-08) and Wasilla’s Chris Gilbert (1986-1988).
And if that wasn’t enough, he also became the third T-bird — boy or girl — to accomplish the three-peat, joining Kikkan Randall (1998-2000) and Betsy Haines (1975-77) with a second straight undefeated season, to boot.
Behind him were West’s Atlin Frederick and Service’s Jack Leveque, who battled stride-for-stride for the next two spots. Frederick, a senior, overtook Leveque — a junior and US Ski Team member — in the final meters to finish runner-up in 15:56. Teammate Arlo Jespersen finished fourth in 16:18, just ahead of Chugiak freshman Bennett Hamm (16:19).
D1 Boys Top 15
- Katahdin Staples, East, 15:34
- Atlin Frederick, West, 15:56
- Jack Leveque, Service, 15:57
- Arlo Jespersen, West, 16:18
- Bennett Hamm, Chugiak, 16:19
- Ethan Elliott, South, 16:20
- Will McMahan, West, 16:23
- Peter May, South, 16:26
- Josiah Herrick, Colony, 16:26
- Benji Aliberti, Colony, 16:27
- Zachary Vedros, Eagle River, 16:28
- Beck Harth, South Anchorage, 16:29
- Henry Pysher, Kodiak, 16:30
- Connor Rush, Colony, 16:41
- Joe Laudermilch, Chugiak, 16:45
After winning the State Preview, the West Eagles were confident in their ability to repeat that success at the state meet five weeks later. But when senior Arlo Jespersen was sidelined with a leg injury, the Eagles’ hopes of claiming a title were likely dashed, placing fourth and fifth in the following meets and taking third at the Region IV Championships.
Behind the scenes, Jespersen went to work in the pool, logging hours of aqua jogging in hopes of rehabilitating his injury ahead of state. When given the green light, the senior put his best foot forward, providing the keystone to West’s title — their first in nine years and fourth in school history (’15-’17 & ’26).
Runner-up Atlin Frederick was joined by Jespersen in fourth, junior Will McMahan (16:23) in seventh, junior Finn Dudley (16:50) in 16th and senior Elias Williams (17:27) in 32nd. Freshmen Axel Stone (45th) and Kenneth Mullins (53rd) rounded out the squad.
West amassed 54 points to secure the team title, finishing ahead of Chugiak (64) and South (72). The Eagles also collected the academic award.