The Chelan Cross Country team made the trip to Naches on Saturday for the District 5 Championships, hosted at the always-challenging Apple Ridge course. With heavy competition across both races and State spots on the line, the Goats came ready to battle.

GIRLS — Fielding Qualifies for State

Chelan was led by Indy Fielding, who ran a terrific race and placed 5th overall in the District field in a time of 19:20.12, officially punching her ticket to the WIAA State Championships next weekend.

Chelan also had strong efforts across the board in this deep girls field, including:

• Lydia Ware – 24:26.17 (59th)
• Adriana Franco – 25:49.02 (69th)

Both athletes battled well on a course that historically runs slow, and continued to show major improvement from the start of the season. The girls placed outside of team qualification spots this year, but the progress across the roster was noticeable — especially with a young lineup that continues to close gaps and gain confidence.

BOYS — Zimmer Earns State Bid, Chelan Finishes Just 1 Point Behind Royal

On the boys side, sophomore Austin Zimmer set a new PR — running a 17:37.24 to finish 26th overall, securing his State qualifying position.

Chelan placed 7th in the team standings — and were just 1 point behind Royal and 1 point ahead of Cashmere in one of the tightest 7-8-9 finishes in the bracket.

Other strong Chelan boys finishers included:

• Sebastian Cisneros – 17:55.47 (34th)
• Conner Scaman – 17:59.49 (35th)
• Holden Alteio – 18:35.73 (54th)
• Fernando Saucedo – 18:52.90 (64th)
• Edison Garton – 19:07.45 (72nd)
• Andrew Alcala – 19:33.15 (76th)

Next Up — STATE

Chelan will now send two athletes to the WIAA State Championships in Pasco:

• Indy Fielding
• Austin Zimmer

The Goats will be back on the big stage next weekend with a chance to race against the best in Washington.

Huge congratulations to both State qualifiers — and to the entire team for a gritty and competitive Districts day at Apple Ridge!