Camas WA Senior Lowers Owen Powell's Course and Meet Records From 14:40 to 14:36.9 While Battling Rainy, Muddy Conditions; No. 8 CDA Boys Three-Peats, Beats No. 5 Jesuit OR; No. 15 Sehome WA Girls, Canadian Adrianna Buitelaar Too Much To Keep Up With

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

John Decker photos

Owen Powell made the most of perfect racing conditions last fall when he broke the course record at the Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational in 14 minutes, 40 seconds

Given Saturday's forecast calling for rain at Lakewood High School at this year's meet, Powell's record time appeared to be safe for more than a year.

Cohen Butler said otherwise.

Racing through rainy and muddy conditions, Butler of Camas WA toughened his way to a new course record time of 14:36.9 en route to win the boys elite 5-kilometer race at this year's Hole in the Wall.

Trailing Anacortes WA's Dylan Rowell for the first two miles, Butler turned up the heat on the last mile, putting together nearly a seven-second victory over the defending Washington 2A state champion. Rowell ran 14:43.3 for second.

Butler is the first Camas athlete to win a Hole in the Wall individual title since 2017 when Daniel Maton won in 15:11.8, beating future two-time NCAA 1,500 meters champion Joe Waskom by two seconds.

Central Kitsap WA's Mana Voss claimed third in 14:50.5, hanging with both Butler and Rowell through two miles before falling off pace. Hermiston OR's Leroy Lozano Mejia finished fourth in 14:55.8 and Jesuit OR's Kellen Williams finished fifth in 14:57.8. Eight boys broke 15 minutes, one more than last year's field.

No. 8 Coeur d'Alene reigned over No. 5 Jesuit OR for a third consecutive year in the team race, winning by a score of 43-67. The Vikings, who averaged 15:05 between its top five runners, put all of its scorers in the top 25, led by a seventh-place finish from Wyatt Morgenstern in 14:59.3. Wyatt Carr, who's ran on all three of Coeur d'Alene's winning teams at Hole in the Wall the past three seasons, finished 13th in 15:01.8.

The No. 15 Sehome WA girls proved their depth was too much for the rest of the elite field, scoring 55 points behind four runners finishing in the top 15, including three in the top 10. Kjirsten Ludeman finished third for the Mariners in 17:19.3.

Jesuit, second with 133, were led by Maeve O'Scannlain in 15th in 17:58.6.

Adrianna Buitelaar, a senior from Mennonite Educational Institute in Abbotsford, Bristish Columbia, Canada, ran away with the individual title in 16:48, under five seconds shy of Anna Callahan's course record of 16:43.3 and Cassidy Armstrong's meet record of 16:43.4.

Lynden WA's Sloan Dickson finished second to Buitelaar in 17:11.8. Eastlake WA's Aubrey Wilems finished fourth in 17:20 and Sasha Dehal Ecole Panorama Ridge of Surrey, British Columbia finished fifth in 17:25.9.