Contributed Reports
The Washington cross country entered Tuesday’s six-team Eastern Plains Conference meet not having won a conference title since 1998.  The Pam Pack finished the meet with one team title, one team runner-up, one individual runner-up, seven all-conference awards and one coach of the year award.
The Pam Pack girls won their first conference title since 1998 beating three-time defending champions North Pitt 30-35. The Pack was lead by All-Eastern Plains Conference runners Callie Landen (3rd place individually), Anna McLawhorn (4th place), Alana Jefferson (5th place) and Sarah Jennings (8th place).
Landen finished the 3.1 mile course in a personal-best time of 23:22, with both Jefferson and Jennings breaking the two minute mark.  The boys were trying to break a conference drought that started in 1995, but fell to four time conference champions Beddingfield 29-46.
Victor Santos placed second with a time 18:10 and joined Raquan Davis (7th overall) and Devon Van Cura (10th) as all-conference winners.
“It was close for both the boys and the girls,” said Washington coach Toby McMahon. “As the girls were finishing the race I was telling them that to win they needed to pass whoever was just in front of them and not let anyone pass them.”
McMahon was voted the Eastern Plains Girls Coach of the Year by the other coaches in the conference.
Up next, the Pack will try to break another long draught: qualifying as a team for state. The last time the girls qualified for state was 1998, for the boys it was 1997.  To qualify for state the team needs to place in the top four at the regional meet on October 26th in Greenville.
“At the last rankings the girls were ranked fourth and the boys sixth, so they have good chance” said McMahon “The Beddingfield boys were third and the North Pitt girls were 5th, so we got a pretty good feel to what we can do at regionals.”
Joining the all-conference winners at regionals will be Marisa Gerrard, Alyssa Krajewski, and Quanitra Boomer for the girls and Win Martin, Willie Smith, Messiah Barnes, Leland Hill and Eric Crozier for the boys.  There are also five individual state qualifiers, those spots go to the top five individuals who are not on a qualifying team.