With the Mid-Columbia sending one of its smallest contingents to the state cross country meet in its own backyard Saturday, it was difficult to find the local runners among the massive field of 1,613 competitors.

Rachel Nelson was an exception.

The Walla Walla freshman, who came into her first state experience with hopes of a top-10 finish, just missed on that account, placing 11th in the 4A girls race at Sun Willows Golf Course.

However, she did succeed in being the first freshman to cross the finish line in the 4A field, clocking in at 18 minutes, 56 seconds.

"It felt pretty good," Nelson said. "I wish I had done better, but it was my first state meet, and it's practice for next year."

Richland, ranked fourth in the state and coming off its first regional championship, had hopes of capturing a team trophy. But the Bombers' pack got stuck in the middle of the massive field and finished eighth, three points behind Eisenhower.

Katie Mahoney finished 35th to lead Richland, with Lauren Dernbach 47th and Maggie Jones 52nd. Pasco's Marisa Vander Malle capped her senior season with a 41st-place showing.

In the 4A boys race, Kamiakin placed eighth in the team race, with sophomore Anthony Armstrong finishing 19th to pace the Braves, followed by seniors Evan Fiske (35th) and Justin Yoke (41st).

"I felt a lot better this year," Armstrong said of his second state meet, enjoying the warmer weather and another year under his belt. It also helped, he added, having a full team there with him at the starting line.

"It's always better running with your team."

Hanford's Erin Hegarty came up short of repeating her top-10 finishes the previous two years in the 3A girls race. Hegarty placed 15th in a stacked field-- two-time state champ Andrea Nelson of Shadle Park finished fourth.

"They ran great," Hegarty said of the leaders. "They took it out at a great pace."

Royal's Ethan Tonnemaker finished seventh in the 1A boys race, pushing the pace as the early race leader.

"I just wanted to go out hard," he said. "I was trying to place in the top eight."

Teammate Roy Angel finished 18th.

The Tri-Cities Prep boys finished fifth in the Bs, led by Nick Lumetta in 17th and Nick Tudor in 27th. Liberty Christian's John Talbot finished 13th individually, and Seth Deal finished 21st to pace Waitsburg-Prescott to ninth in the team standings.

On the girls side, Liberty Christian's Natalie April placed 23rd, while Kristin Potter finished 24th for Waitsburg-Prescott.