Plateau area runners qualify for Junior Olympics cross country championships

A handful of area high school runners have qualified for the upcoming USA Track and Field Junior Olympics cross country championships.

Advancing through an associate meet Nov. 15 and regional competition Nov. 22 at Seattle’s Woodland Park were Sterling Frye and Ashley Llapitan from White River High School; Veronica Stinnett from Bonney Lake High; and Ashley Sincraugh from Sumner High. The regional meet brought together runners from Washington, Oregon and Idaho and the top 20 finishers in each division moved on.

Frye competes in the Intermediate Boys division. Sincraugh and Stinnett run in the Intermediate Girls division and Llapitan is in the Young Women category.

The Junior Olympics are slated for Dec. 13 in Mechanicsville, Va. The meet will be staged at the 232-acre Pole Green Park, which features rolling terrain and a challenging hill.