The song “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi may have been playing at the finish line, but there was nothing slow about East’s Katahdin Staples or West Valley’s Miriam Armstrong, who posted the fastest times of the day at the State Preview.

Staples, a senior, activated his style, speed and stamina on the Bartlett High Ski Trails, covering the 5-kilometer course in 15 minutes, 55 seconds.

Donning oval sunglasses, the two-time defending D1 state champion led by five seconds at the halfway point over Mountain City Christian Academy’s Breyden Nottingham, the defending D2 state champion, before extending his lead in the second half.

“Today I was thinking, ‘I wanna just try and pace and see what everyone else is kind of running today,’ and then go off and do my own thing,” said Staples.

The senior made the most of his pursuit, netting his third win and second sub-16 clocking of the season. Staples also collected his 12th-straight 5K victory against in-state competition, dating back to the 2024 season.

“I’m just so happy I won today. Very thankful that the weather was nice, that everything turned out great,” said Staples after the race. “Fun running with Ethan (Elliott) and Breyden (Nottingham) — we were just having a good time.”

And while the reigning Alaska Gatorade Player of the Year comes in as the heavy favorite again this season, he leans on the support of his coaches and teammates to keep him grounded.

“My teammates and my coaches are the only reason I can deal with the pressure,” said Staples. “They understand what I’m going through and really help me remember that I choose this sport for fun.

“I’m just excited to see what this season can bring.”

Nottingham (16:08) finished runner-up for the second meet in a row, while West’s Arlo Jespersen (16:28) and Atlin Frederick (16:29) and Bethel’s Cole Iverson (16:43) rounded out the top-5.

Led by the trio of Jespersen, Frederick and Will McMahon, the West Eagles soared to the team title with 78 points. South (102) and Chugiak (104) took second and third, respectively.

The top 10 boys finishers were largely the same as the Ted McKenney Invitational a week prior, with eight repeating in the elite dectet.

Boys Top 10

1. Katahdin Staples, East, 15:55
2. Breyden Nottingham, MCCA, 16:08
3. Arlo Jespersen, West, 16:28
4. Atlin Frederick, West, 16:29
5. Cole Iverson, Bethel, 16:43
6. Joe Laudermilch, Chugiak, 16:43
7. Erik Thompson, Juneau-Douglas, 16:50
8. Bennett Hamm, Chugiak, 16:52
9. Peter May, South, 16:52
10. Will McMahon, West, 16:57

Full results here.

On the girls side, West Valley’s Miriam Armstrong won in a personal-best 19:03 — 29 seconds ahead of the runner-up.

Armstrong, a junior, found herself in the lead before the halfway point and continued to push the pace all the way to the finish line.

While she normally tucks into the lead pack at larger races, Armstrong, who won the North Pole Classic a week prior in 20:01, was eager to run a fast time.

“I didn’t really have high expectations, but I was hoping that trailing behind the front leaders would help me get faster,” said Armstrong, who placed fourth at the state meet last season. “But then, I went down a hill and got in front of them.”

She says her training with the Fairbanks Cross Country (FXC) ski program has helped prepare her for this season, in addition to becoming more intentional during the offseason.

“I did a lot of roller skiing, running and strength training,” said Armstrong. “Before that, I hadn’t really done official training over the summers.”

The win marks Armstrong’s second of the season, a personal best by 20 seconds and the first West Valley runner to win the Bartlett State Preview since Kendall Kramer in 2017.

Rounding out the top-5 were Chugiak’s Claire Shaha (19:32) and Olivia Sandoval (19:33), Service’s Fiona Selvik (19:35) and Kodiak’s Charlotte Deemer (19:47). Deemer, who made her prep debut, recorded the fastest time for the Bears in over a decade.

With four Mustangs in the top-10, Chugiak charged to the team title, scoring a mere 37 points to collect their 13th-straight win against in-state competition. East (82) placed runner-up — their highest finish in recent history — followed by West Valley (101) in third.

The girls top 10 finishers were largely the same as the Ted McKenney Invitational, with sixth athletes repeating.

Girls Top 10

1. Miriam Armstrong, West Valley, 19:03
2. Claire Shaha, Chugiak, 19:32
3. Olivia Sandoval, Chugiak, 19:33
4. Fiona Selvik, Service, 19:35
5. Charlotte Deemer, Kodiak, 19:47
6. Kendall Barnett, West, 19:47
7. Maddison Kukuk, Chugiak, 19:51
8. Nina Varnell, East, 19:56
9. Karley Tichenor, Palmer, 20:04
10. Rylee Ruggles, Chugiak, 20:06

Full results here.

Around the state:

• Colony’s Aubrey Virgin won the Colony Invite in a state-leading 18:42, just ahead of freshman teammate Wren Spangler who finished 0.4 seconds back. Josiah Herrick won the boys race in 16:12, as the Knights stormed to team titles with perfect scores (15).
• Monroe Catholic’s Gemma Geyer won the Delta Invitational in 21:29 with a 44-second margin of victory. Teammate Myles Werle took the boys race — his second victory of the season — in 17:59, winning by 20 seconds. West Valley swept the team titles.