Kaleb Korta
Sophie Wright
Western Washington University senior Kaleb Korta of Galena earned a runner-up finish after winning a sprint finish at the Central Washington University Cross Country Invitational in Lacey, Washington.
Korta clocked a 6-K time of 19:40.0 to beat Eastern Oregon’s Travis Running (19:40.9) by less than a second.
Logan Hunt from the College of Idaho posted a winning time of 19:27.5 to win the men’s race that featured 60 finishers.
Only three runners broke the 20-minute mark, including the Korta.
The former Galena High star and University of Alaska Anchorage transfer posted a 5:16 average mile time over the 3.7-mile course.
This was Korta’s first cross country race for Western Washington, although he did complete in track last spring for the NCAA D2 Vikings and earned a silver medal in the steeplechase at the GNAC Championships.
Western freshman Sophie Wright of Palmer also made a dynamic debut, placing second on her team and finishing fifth out of 44 finishers in the women’s 4-K race at the CWU Invitational.
Wright held off her teammate to claim her first top-5 finish of her college career.