PASCO — The sophomore versions of Yelm’s Marcos Andujar and Deejay Taylor couldn’t have possibly fathomed where they landed at state in their senior year.
Two years ago, Andujar was running mostly junior varsity races for the Tornados boys cross country team. In the past two years as a varsity runner, he has taken exponential steps in his development, leading to back-to-back state appearances.
Andujar became the first Yelm male runner to earn a spot on the state podium in seven years as he finished in 12th place with a time of 15 minutes and 43.5 seconds at the 4A boys state meet at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco on Saturday, Nov. 7.
“It was pretty tough, honestly. The first two miles were not too hard. A lot of the people who got top 16 talked about how they probably could’ve led the first two miles,” Andujar said. “I feel like I only did so well because I didn’t stay out front in the first two miles. The race isn’t in the first two miles. It’s really in the last part.”
Andujar now owns the second-fastest time at a state meet by a Yelm male runner, second only to Bryce Cerkowniak, who ran 15:30.9 in a fifth-place finish back in 2019. This season has brought the best out of Andujar, as he started the season with three consecutive sub-16-minute times, including 15:30 at the Nike Portland XC meet in September.
In his first season at the varsity level in 2025, he took 14th in the South Puget Sound League meet, 12th at districts, and 45th at state. This year? Third, fifth, and 12th, respectively.
“The training obviously has a big play into it, but I feel like it’s more so the mindset. I also wouldn’t be where I am right now without the previous seniors like Patrick Walsh, Alex Hurd and Damon Rabalais,” Andujar said.
For Taylor, she wasn’t even on the cross country team in 2024 as she focused mostly on soccer. After an injury-plagued junior year that saw her run once before the postseason, she has steadily grown faster as a senior.
Taylor took a huge jump in the past two meets with back-to-back sub-19-minute races, including breaking the school record at districts at 18:42.6 on Oct. 31. She recorded the fastest state time ever by a Yelm female runner on Saturday at 18:51.6, good for 21st place.
Her result was worth the rather painful finish to the race.
“I’m so proud. That last mile, I’ve never hurt like that, not even during the finish of a race,” Taylor said. “I’m so proud to be able to represent Yelm in that way and know that I made it within the top 30. That’s not something I foresaw myself ever being able to do. And here I am.”
In the final mile, she felt lactic acid building up in her legs, and she started losing feeling in her arms in the final 800 meters. Blood rushed to her head but couldn’t push out her will to cross the finish line for the best state placement for a Yelm girl in 15 years.
“I was like, ‘We’re almost there. We can’t stop now.’ Somehow, I was able to finish even though I could not feel anything,” Taylor said. “It’s just go. I always envision that there’s someone right on my heels. No matter what, don’t let them pass because every person you let pass, you’re gonna let that eat you alive a little bit.”
In just two years of cross country, Taylor has separated herself as the fastest Yelm runner the girls team has ever seen. She always kept her goals at the forefront during her journey to the top.
“I still have this big dream of doing something bigger than myself. I’m continuing with that dream,” Taylor said. “It’s just that mindset of remembering my goals, remembering what I want and knowing that giving up and giving in is never going to get you there. My goal is to do something that feels like it’s impossible, even though it clearly isn’t if you achieved it. Believe in the impossible.”
The top 4A boys finisher from Thurston County was Olympia sophomore Quenton Lanese, who collected his second consecutive top-three podium spot with a third-place time of 15:01.5. Only school-record holder Ethan Coleman ran a faster time at state in Olympia history.
For the first mile and a half, there was a mob at the front of the race, with Lanese running right in the thick of it with Gonzaga Prep’s Miro Parr-Coffin and Mead’s Stejer Franklin, among others. It was a chess match between several runners watching one another as they started conservatively before making their moves.
“I feel like nobody wanted to take the lead, so we all just ended up bunching together for a while,” Lanese said. “After about a mile, Miro and Stejer started picking it up a bit. I had to pick it up a gear to stay with them.”
Lanese eventually separated himself in the top three and crossed the finish line 18 seconds before the fourth-place runner. His 15:01.5 time is his fifth around the 15-minute mark or faster this season. In the state meet last year, he ran 15:05.4 in a runner-up performance.
“I hadn’t been able to train like how I wanted to leading into state because I had some setbacks. Considering all of that, I’m pretty happy with being able to run better than I did last year with not as ideal training,” Lanese said.
Lanese led the Olympia boys team to an eighth-place finish. Junior Sebastian Olson, a transfer from North Thurston, erupted for a huge personal record of 16:28.5, 30 seconds faster than any race he had competed in before. He took 62nd place and was the second Olympia Bear across the finish line. Senior Jack McDurmon was close to a new PR at 16:33.5 for 71st place, and sophomore Quin Zola took 87th at 16:45.8 in his state debut.
Sophomore James Levitt earned a top-100 spot at 16:49.2 for 100th place, and junior Liam Doyle’s time of 16:54.0 was enough to place 107th. Senior Bryce Byers rounded out the Bears runners in 148th at 17:55.3.
The Olympia girls, fresh off a district title, placed seventh at state, fueled by a 19th-place finish by senior Carolina Schilter at 18:45.2 to cap off what has been a dominant postseason. She was the Bears’ top finisher in the league meet, at districts and at state.
Prior to districts, Schilter hadn’t run under 18:50 since Oct. 11, 2025, but she finished with back-to-back races in the 18:40s and earned her best placement at state in her fourth visit.
“It was very challenging during the race. I’m pretty happy with it,” Schilter said. “It was great to be able to come and do this with these girls one more time, run with them and for them. That was one of the only things that got me through that race. Spending this last weekend with them has been amazing. The girls are really what made it special.”
In 40th place, sophomore Gemma Stevick improved on last year’s state time and collected her second top-40 state finish at 19:17.5. Sophomore Leah Hennen finished off a season filled with injuries in 54th at 19:37.1. Sophomore Caitlin Lanese took 62nd at 19:45.6, over a minute and a half faster than last year’s state appearance and 75 spots higher.
Sophomore Eliza Johnson turned in a 102nd-place run of 20:20.4, senior Gretchen Hillier ran 20:30.8 to place 111th, and senior Azalea Barksdale took 133rd at 21:07.4.
Yelm senior Amaya Brown placed 113th at 20:34.5 in her third and final trip to state. Her previous two state bids were with Timberline.
In the 3A boys race, Capital finished 15th in the team standings. One year after running 17:39 at state, sophomore Quin Walz sliced a minute off that time at 16:38.8 to place 63rd. His older brother Jae, a senior, was right behind him at 16:40.8 to take 68th, and junior Abram Montermini followed in 69th at 16:41.6.
Senior Oliver Schrader, in his first and lone cross country season, finished in 111th place at 17:08.5. Junior Brad Crossen (133rd at 17:26.0), senior George Southworth (140th at 17:31.6) and junior Isaac Zwiefel (150th at 17:40.1) all crossed the finish line in the top 150.
North Thurston senior Landen Krom ranked 155th at 17:42.3 in his third state appearance and second with the Rams. He started his career at Tenino.
River Ridge senior Rylea Moss was the top area finisher in the 3A girls race in 108th place at 21:10.6. Moss was the first Hawks girl to qualify for state in four years.
North Thurston sophomore Lily Aardahl placed 114th at 21:16.7 in her state debut. She was the first Rams girl to reach state in three years.
