School developing strong XC program
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
WASHBURN — The Beaver cross country program is continuing to make its mark as one of the top Class C teams in the state.
TOP-20 PERFORMANCE — Noah Caron, a freshman for the Washburn Beavers, placed 17th in Saturday’s Class C regional meet in Belfast. 
The sport is still relatively new at Washburn District High School, yet participation levels have been steadily increasing since the program was reestablished in 2010.
Coach Mike Waugh said numbers have “almost doubled” from last year, and admits that may be a by-product of the girls team’s 2011 Eastern Maine Class C title.
“I think their success brought a lot of excitement and enthusiasm,” Waugh said. “A lot of kids wanted to be part of something special.”
That success has continued, as the Washburn girls have established themselves as one of the top teams in the region, regardless of class.
The Beavers placed 16th out of 60 teams in the ultra-competitive Festival of Champions in Belfast last month, beating a number of Class A schools in the process. Washburn had beaten Caribou, a top-four team in EM Class B, during a regular season meet.
The squad is led by two-time Class C individual state champion Carsyn Koch, who took first in Saturday’s regional championship meet in Belfast and led her team to another team title. She had also played on the school’s very successful soccer team the past two seasons, but decided to devote all her time to cross country.
“The choice was tough for Carsyn. She loves soccer, but she knew that to achieve her personal goals she needed to focus on cross country and the investment has paid off,” Waugh said. “She’s running personal best times for the 5K distance and not splitting her time between soccer and cross country has given her more energy.”
Waugh thinks the junior standout has a nice career in store, even beyond high school.
“Carsyn has all the makings of an elite distance runner. She has tremendous speed, turn-over, quickness, and drive. But she also has that sixth gear that you need when the competition kicks in. I’m convinced that as she progresses to even faster times there will be few, if any, girls in Maine that can beat her,” he said.
Often overshadowed by Koch are two other solid Beaver runners in junior Carmen Bragg and sophomore MacKenzie Worcester. Both have been running very fast times, placing third and fifth respectively Saturday, and Waugh said they are “big threats in their own right and they have the potential to finish in the top 10 at the state championships.”
Freshman Emmy Churchill has filled the critical fourth spot this year with much success, placing 10th in Saturday’s Class C regional. Sophomore Hannah Heald is the team’s other usual scoring runner, while freshman Laina Mette and sophomore Marianne Helton are also in the top seven.
Other girls’ team members are freshman Jessica Aube, sophomore Mikayla Churchill, senior Maegan Fitzpatrick, sophomore Brittany Hernandez, junior Nicole Olson, junior Caitlyn Roix, sophomore Tyra Shaw and junior Taylor Thompson.
The boys team has also developed into a competitive unit. Freshman Noah Caron has led the charge by placing first in the Aroostook League Championships held Oct. 12 in Limestone. He also placed 17th in the regional meet Saturday.
“The thing about Noah is that he’s just starting to realize how talented he really is. At the Aroostook County Championships, he ran an 18:01 — which for a freshman is remarkable,” Waugh said. “He is tough and quick, plus he is able to sustain a hard pace in the middle of a race. I think these qualities will serve him well at the state meet.”
Sophomore Michael Ericson has been running second for the Beavers behind Caron throughout much of the season. Other team members are freshman Brandon Cropley, freshman Justin Davis, junior Chandler Dobson, freshman Brandon Farley, junior Keagan Page, sophomore Cameron Preston and freshman Parker Thompson.
