Following strong performance at Battle for the 509 event, Coeur d’Alene ready to challenge three-time boys winner Jesuit of Oregon; Impressive girls lineup highlighted by Callahan, Hofstee, O’Keefe and Rodriguez sisters

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

In the 40 years that the Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational has been contested, no boys team from Idaho has ever claimed the overall team title. This year, could be a first.

Coeur d’Alene, ranked No. 10 in the DyeStat boys national team rankings, looks to continue its historic season Saturday at Lakewood High in Arlington, Wash., in hopes of becoming the first school from Idaho to take home a team title in the elite field that’s been heavily dominated by Washington and Oregon schools for decades.

Coeur d’Alene carries an undefeated record this season, having won four invitational titles, including a recent 24-point effort Sept. 30 at the Battle for the 509 in Spokane, where the Vikings had all seven of their runners finish in the top 20, along with sweeping the top three spots.

Seniors Lachlan May and Jacob King lead a Vikings’ lineup averaging 15 minutes, 18.9 seconds for its 5-kilometer times among its top five runners and a seven-man spread of 62 seconds. Alongside May and King are Maximus Cervi-Skinner, Wyatt Carr, Mitchell Rietze, Zackery Cervi-Skinner and Kyle Rohlinger.

Although Coeur d’Alene poses as an early favorite for this year’s Hole in the Wall title, three-time defending Hole in the Wall champion Jesuit of Portland, Ore., ranked No. 14 nationally, looks to claim a fourth consecutive team title. The Crusaders scored 84 points to beat fellow Oregon program West Salem for the title last year. 

Caden Swanson is the top Jesuit finisher from last year’s Hole in the Wall, placing 23rd in 15:42.3. Swanson led the Crusaders at The Mook Invitational on Sept. 23 at Alderbrook Golf Course in Tillamook, finishing fifth overall in 15:00.2.

The team race also includes No. 22 Bozeman from Montana, featuring a highly regarded talent in Nathan Neil, who recently announced his commitment to Washington, along with California’s Torrey Pines and Northwest perennials Issaquah and Bishop Blanchet from Washington. 

Torrey Pines’ Bryce Conover, Issaquah’s Connor Rickey and Bishop Blanchet’s Vincent Recupero highlight their respective teams.

Mercer Island’s Owen Powell and Anacortes’ Parker Mong are among the top Washington athletes set to race in the elite competition, with Powell bringing in a personal-best 14:46.7 and Mong running a personal-best 14:57.7. 

West Salem’s Jack Meier, fifth in last year’s elite race and a recent Wake Forest commit, and Franklin’s Zafer Courcelle are Oregon’s top athletes. Meier was second Sept. 30 at Nike Portland XC at Clackamas Community College, with Courcelle finishing 10th in the same race.

The girls elite field features a pair of Washington state champions and a rematch of last year’s race with Skyline’s Anna Callahan and East Valley of Spokane’s Logan Hofstee going head-to-head for the first time since racing one another at Nike Cross Nationals last December in Portland.

Callahan, who was ninth at NXN, won the girls elite race in a time of 17:32.6, with Hofstee finishing in fourth in 17:40. 

Both girls have dipped well below those times this season heading into the weekend’s race, with Hofstee running 17:03.5 at the Battle for the 509 and Callahan running 17:22.4 at the Nike Twilight on Sept. 30 in Marysville, Wash.

Joining Callahan and Hofstee as top individual returners from Washington in last year’s race will be Callahan’s teammate Rebecca O’Keefe, who recently finished second at the Nike Twilight in 17:10.8, Bishop Blanchet’s Lily LaPorte and Port Townsend’s Aaliyah Yearian.

First-year Hole in the Wall competitors Sophia Rodriguez and Victoria Rodriguez of Mercer Island will look to make a splash in their debuts, with Sophia coming in with the top overall time of 16:49.8 and Victoria right behind her at 17:03.6, both from The Mook Invitational.

In the team race, Jesuit is in search of a four-peat after winning last year’s meet with 97 points, defeating Torrey Pines with 144. Top returner Maura O’Scannlain led the Crusaders to victory with her sixth-place effort, with Lilana Hudnut, also back, finishing 16th to help in scoring. 

Jesuit’s lineup will also feature freshman Maeve O’Scannlain and Oregon 6A state 800 and 1,500 champion Emma Bennett.

Jesuit’s crosstown rival Lincoln hopes to mix it up for the team title following a come-from-behind win Sept. 23 at the Bob Firman Invitational in Boise. The Cardinals, led by Ellery Lincoln and Keira Saavedra, overcame a 12-point deficit in the final kilometer to overtake Boise for the title by a 74-100 margin. 

Lincoln’s last trip to Hole in the Wall was in 2019, where the Cardinals were edged 86-87 by Jesuit for the team title. Kate Peters, then a ninth-grader for Lincoln and now in her first year at Oregon, won the individual title for the Cardinals in a meet-record 16:58.7.

Mount Si and Issaquah pose as other potential contenders from Washington.

Mount Si brings in a trio of sub-18 performers in Addison Craig, Hailey Cossey and Aleeya Cossey. Issaquah features freshman Sally Davis and senior Jane Harig.

Bonney Lake’s Latham West and Lake Washington’s Alex Matora round out the other top individuals expected to race.