Yelm High School cross country teams celebrate senior night with home course victory

Yelm High School’s cross country team celebrated its seven seniors in the program on Wednesday, Oct. 15, as the team hosted a senior night in its final home race of the season against Spanaway Lake and Bonney Lake.

The seven seniors who ran in their final home race at Yelm last Wednesday were Kailey Slevin, Patrick Walsh, Ethan Stewart, Nick Cox, Orion Klimek, Ezekiel Ehrlick and Isaiah Summers.

“This is a really special group of seniors,” boys cross country head coach Alex McIntire said. “As freshmen, they were not the most talented, but they immediately bought into the program. The amount of growth we have seen out of each senior over the last four years is incredible. Each year I ask our freshmen to commit to leaving the program better than they started. I think they really took this to heart, and Yelm cross country is stronger than it’s ever been thanks to their work.”

“Kailey Slevin, our only senior, has definitely left an impression on our team,” girls cross country head coach Jolynne Hopkins said. “She came in as a freshman just wanting to run and by example, became a leader on the team. She never complained. She rarely missed a practice. She always showed up for the morning runs. Everyone soon realized that this is what you need to do to be good. She made it clear that Yelm XC was not just for the boys. She also wanted the other girls to believe they are a valuable part of the team.”

According to McIntire, each senior within the program has their own way of leading. He noted some are more vocal than others, while some of the team’s senior leadership leads through actions.

“They all share consistency and demand it from the team,” McIntire said. “They are great leaders because the younger crew wants to follow them. Underclassmen recognize how their work has led to great success, and the seniors have created the high standard.”

Both coaches agreed that Yelm’s senior night festivities and race was a big highlight of the season, and that it’s always a reminder of hard work when the team gets to run on its home course — which was constructed by Yelm cross country and local community members last year.

“Senior night was so much fun,” Hopkins said. “Everyone ran so well. It was the first race all season we had a full varsity girls team. It was a great race on our home course. I think they also enjoyed running together in the same race as a team.”

“The race was a blast! Yelm boys took on two teams from our league and had a great showing,” McIntire added. “With two varsity athletes being rested, Yelm put seven runners in front of Spanaway Lake’s fastest — achieving a perfect score of 15 points. Yelm neared a perfect score with 17 points against Bonney Lake. The team really takes pride in racing on the course that they built and maintain. Regardless of the score, it is just so fun to watch them race on our home course.”

Hopkins added, the girls team is on the smaller and younger side — with just one junior set to return to the team next season.

“However, these girls have Kailey’s mentality and will carry on her legacy and have a great season next year,” she said. “They are already talking about who they can recruit to run next season.”

McIntire and Hopkins were both vocal about how much this group of seniors means to their team. McIntire noted that this class “will leave our program in better shape than it’s ever been.”

“They have proven that ordinary young people are capable of extraordinary accomplishments with the right attitude, work ethic and belief,” he added. “The program will continue to grow because it’s who these boys are, constantly seeking ways to be stronger athletes and better people. Talent comes and goes in a team, but the identity and values of this team will outlast the four-year experience of any individual. That’s the power of team over individuals.”

Following senior night, the Tornados are gearing up for the South Puget Sound League championship race on Thursday, Oct. 23, and McIntire stated the team is in a great position to see success going into the postseason.

“I can’t tell you that Yelm will win the league championship, but I can say that they will run with more heart and determination than any other team,” McIntire said. “From there, Yelm will seek a spot at the state meet by qualifying at Chambers Bay on Nov. 1st.”