JOYCE — An injury to defending champion Gracie Long of Port Angeles opened the door for other runners in the girls race at the 39th annual Salt Creek Invitational.
Long tweaked her knee in practice in a run-up to the event Friday and did not compete.
Last year’s runner-up Camila David-Smith of Interlake stepped up and finished the 3-mile run with a time of 17 minutes, 44 seconds at Salt Creek Recreation Area on Saturday.
She helped the Saints win the girls team title at the race. Five Interlake runners ended up in the top 10.
Nathan Hale of Seattle was second and Klahowya finished third.
Sophomore Enid Ensastegui finished 10th, the best finish by a North Olympic Peninsula runner, to lead a six-girl Forks contingent. Ensastegui finished the race in 20:14.
Port Angeles freshman Ella Holland led the Roughriders with a 12th-place finish in 20:36.
Teammate Lael Butler came in 14th for Port Angeles with a time of 20:49.
Laura Nutter placed 38th (22:58) and Ellie Hiigel 39th (22:58) for the Riders.
The Port Angeles girls finished sixth overall in the 11-team event.
Forks finished seventh overall.
Madison Carlson was 21st for the Spartans after clocking a time of 21:20.
Marissa Bailey claimed 27th for Forks with a time of 21:52.
Interlake wins boys race
A different year, and a different individual champion, but the same result — a team title for Interlake in the boys competition in the Salt Creek Invite.
The Saints’ Matthew Roberts (15:31) edged Nathan Hale’s Surafel Muche (15:34) by three seconds to win the boys races.
Interlake claimed the boys team title with 25 points, topping Nathan Hale (62) and Cedar Park Christian (120).
Port Angeles finished fourth as a team with 121 points.
Port Angeles’ highest finisher, Cameron Butler, came in 11th after posting a time of 16:13.
Tristin Butler was next up for the Riders in 22nd place after finishing in 16:51.
Tom Lismonde came in 26th (17:13).
Gabriel Long recorded a time of 17:41 to place 3oth for Port Angeles.
A.J. Fischer ended up 36th for the Riders (17:48).
Forks didn’t compete for team points at the event, but Spartans sophomore Josue Lucas was 13th with a time of 16:23.
Samuel Gomez placed 37th for Forks after finishing in 17:49.
Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News Port Angeles’ Cameron Butler crosses the finish line in 11th place at the Salt Creek Invitational cross country meet at Salt Creek Recreation Area. Butler was the highest-placing area runner at the meet. held on a wet and rainy course around Salt Creek. Gracie Long of PA who was hoped to be PA top runner was held out of the competition because she “tweaked” her knee during practice the day before. Nearly 600 runners braved the elements to race in six different categories with the varsity boys and girls races dominated by the team from Interlake High School of Bellevue WA. The races where held up briefly when the North Kitsap bus driver got confused with the detour signs for highway 112 and drove many miles out of the way. (detour information was lacking and confusing) dlogan
