AOTW: Alaska’s best smaller school athletes outrun expectations at 2024 XC state meet

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Hundreds of the Alaska’s top prep runners competed at the 2024 cross-country state championship meet with athletes outrunning expectations Saturday on the Bartlett Trails.

Ourea Busk, hailing from Unalakleet, came into the 2024 Division III race as the defending champion, but shrugged off the pressure on her way to victory.

“Back in Unalakleet, we have a lot of hills so we do a lot of hill training,” Busk said. “We have a course, it is a pretty hard course, I train on that sometimes.”

The junior ran the 5-kilometer course in 20 minutes, 5 seconds, outpacing her nearest competition by 17 seconds to claim her second consecutive state title.

“It means a lot, we don’t have a lot of state champions from Unalakleet,” she added.

Aulis Nelson was the only athlete representing Craig High School among hundreds of athletes competing at the state meet, and boy, did he represent.

Nelson, a sophomore, clocked in at 17:22.7 to become the first athlete in Craig history to win an individual state cross-country title.

“It means everything, I feel like I kind of carried them with me,” Nelson said of the Craig community. ”I am really happy to bring a state championship home for Craig, it is such an honor and I just love my town and I just feel so happy that I did it for Craig.”

In the Division II race, boys winner Robbie Annett completed the elusive perfect season on Saturday. The Grace Christian senior got first place in all 11 races he competed in this year, capped off by his second Div. II state title.

“It has been a really, really good season, I am really pleased with how the team did, I am pleased with how I performed, I am just pleased with it all,” Annett said. “It has been a good four years so it’s a great way to cap it off.”

The Grizzlies also won the team title for the sixth consecutive season as he now passes the torch in his final year with the program.

”It’s great to carry it on," Annett said. “I know they are going to keep carrying it on after we leave but I am really happy with keeping it going.”

Sitka senior Clare Mullin is no stranger to winning state titles, earning several between cross country and track and field.

With high expectations, Mullin delivered, winning her second consecutive DII state cross-country championship.

”This is exactly what we wanted for this race and I am so happy we were able to go out and execute it, so it is kind of a relief,” Mullin said after the race.

Mullin was running stride-for-stride with teammate Marina Dill before pulling away down the stretch.

”I think it is so much better to run with a teammate,“ Mullin said. ”Like, I just feel so much more comfortable being with her and I know I can hear her working hard, she can hear me working hard, she can hear me working hard, we know we are in it together.”

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