Unalaska's cross country team in Bethel. / Credit: David Gibson

Raider runners made a strong showing at their regional cross country meet this weekend in Bethel, with one qualifying for the state championships.

Sophomore Ross Enlow clinched his place: He was the top individual finisher in the boys’ race, with a time of 20:17.

There were a total of seven regional cross-country meets this weekend around the state. The top-finishing boys' and girls' teams from each competition are moving on to state, along with the top 15 individual runners for each region.

Several Raiders finished just shy of a state berth. Bryan Earnshaw came in 16th place for boys, and Christian Escalante took in 18th in the girls' race.

Kiana Lopez finished in 23rd and Alanna Kochuten came in 29th, with Taylor Holman in 38th, Citlaly Garcia in 40th, and Amelia Napper in 44th. Michael Remolino finished in 20th, with three other Raiders on his tail -- Andy Nguyen in 23rd, Jerome Torres in 25th, and Liam Andersen in 27th.

Enlow says he's proud of the team's overall performance on the course, which high school runners call "the sand pit."

"You start in a bowl of sand and you make your way up the edge of the sand dunes," Enlow says. "And you work your way up and down hills of sand, which is probably the hardest part."

Race day in Bethel was a cold one, with temperatures dropping into the low twenties. But Enlow says that actually worked to the runners' advantage.

"Luckily, it was cold enough that the sand froze over," says Enlow. "So it wasn't as hard as we had thought it would be, but our preparation helped us a lot."

Unalaska's team got ready for regionals at Summer Bay, traversing hills and running down the sandy beach. Now, Enlow has less than a week to prepare for the championships. They'll be held this Saturday at Bartlett High School in Anchorage.