Unalakleet’s Ourea Busk wins second straight title at ASAA Division III State Cross Country Championships

State champion Ourea Busk of Unalakleet and her mom Mori Busk before the start of the girls 1A/2A Division III XC Race. photo by Greg Lincoln

by Thurman Jack

Unalakleet Junior Ourea Busk captured her second consecutive state title at the ASAA Division III Girls Cross Country State Championships. Busk finished the 5K course in a time of 20:05, leading from start to finish.

Busk faced early pressure from Taylor Eddington of Tri-Valley, the 2022 state champion, staying right behind her the first half of the race. However, after the 3-kilometer mark, Busk broke away as the course entered its second uphill climb and maintained a lead to win by 17 seconds.

Unalakleet Freshman Isabella Eller also had a strong showing, finishing 7th with a time of 21:49. Eller went out fast and was in contention for third place for much of the race before finishing in a tight pack of runners just seconds apart.

Senior Cedar Busk capped her cross-country career with a 36th-place finish, clocking in at 26:11. Cedar is one of a small number of Unalakleet runners to compete at three state championships.

The race also marked a historic moment for Unalakleet and the Bering Strait School District (BSSD), as the Unalakleet Wolfpack became the first team from the district to qualify for the State Championships. The Wolfpack made an impressive debut, finishing third overall in the team standings, behind champions Petersburg and runners-up Nenana.

The success of the program is a reflection of the dedicated coaching staff, led by head coach Matt Roesch and assisted by Mori Jack-Busk and Thurman Jack. The team is proud of all its runners and is optimistic that the program will continue to grow.