But King's senior Olivia Thomas, who won the Class 1A girls cross-country title last year by 36 seconds, suddenly finds herself chasing someone else.
The favorite? Maddie Meyers, a freshman from Northwest School, on Seattle's First Hill.
Meyers has been posting unbeatable times in her rookie season, including a 1A girls state-best 18 minutes, 58.6 seconds for 3.1 miles while winning the "Hole in the Wall" Invitational in Lakewood against 4A and 3A competition.
Last week at the district championships, Meyers won in 18:59.4, almost 40 seconds faster than Thomas, who had missed her league meet the week before while taking entrance exams for Yale University.
"Technically, you say [Thomas] is ranked second," said King's coach Rod Wilcox. "Some might have thought she'd be able to coast through season, but having a challenger has really shaken things up and motivated her."
The matchup between the decorated senior and talented freshman sets up one of the most anticipated races of the state meet Saturday at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.
Thomas admitted that this season has been challenging.
"It's been really nerve-wracking dealing with the pressue of being the defending state champion and the pressure of having to live up to what I did last year," she said. "It's been a mental battle overcoming the fear of losing."
Still, Northwest assistant coach Joe Besignano, who has coached Meyers since she was in sixth grade, thinks the state-meet race will be much closer than Meyers' 40-second victory over Thomas at districts.
"Thomas is a senior and a well-seasoned defending state champ. She'll be ready," Besignano said.
Meyers has been training with the Northwest boys team and her coaches. Besignano says her competitiveness separates the freshman from her peers.
