COLUMBIA, Mo. — Port Angeles High School graduate Jack Gladfelter finished eighth in the nation at the NAIA Cross-Country nationals held at the Gans Creek Recreation Area in Columbia, Mo., this weekend.
Gladfelter, now a sophomore at Corban College in Salem, Ore., ran the 8K race in 23 minutes, 59.9 seconds. He was just one-tenth of a second off his personal best, set Oct. 5 at the Charles Bowles Willamette Cross Country Invitational in Salem, Ore.
Gladfelter earned cross-country All-America status with his finish. The top 40 finishers at the race are awarded All American status.
Gladfelter’s performance was 36 seconds better than his fourth-place time at the Cascade Collegiate Conference championships held two weeks ago in Portland, Ore. It was also 45 seconds faster than his season-best 8K time in his freshman season.
Five of the seven runners who finished ahead of Gladfelter are seniors, so he has a solid chance of improving on his eighth-place finish in the next two years if he remains at the NAIA level.
In his senior year at Port Angeles High School in 2022, Gladfelter won Olympic League and Westside District 3 championships and finished third in the state at the 2A cross-country meet.
A total of 326 runners from across the country competed at nationals.
Laurel Lanes leagues
PORT ANGELES — Laurel Lanes is kicking off its Winter Youth Bowling Leagues in January.
The leagues are designed for young bowlers of all skill levels and ages. It’s recommended that participants be able to bowl at least two consecutive games and have the ability to roll the ball down the lane. The leagues will run at 10 a.m. Saturdays from Jan. 11 to March 29. The cost for the bantam league is $50 for two games a week and the junior league is $75 with three games a week.
There will be a season-ending pizza party on March 29 sponsored by the Kiwanis Club.
