Boys run in the Palmer Invitational cross country meet outside Palmer High School on Saturday. (Courtesy Photo | Joseph Roth)

Boys run in the Palmer Invitational cross country meet outside Palmer High School on Saturday. (Courtesy Photo | Joseph Roth)

JDHS girls win Palmer Invite

In an effort to provide their standout junior with some competition that was absent in the first two meets of the season, the Juneau-Douglas High School cross country coaching staff inserted Sadie Tuckwood in a field of 75 boys runners at last weekend’s Skagway Invitational.

Running with the opposite sex, Tuckwood was forced to run in a pack for once, and she chased seven runners to the finish line on a grueling course that was likely several hundred meters long.

There would be no need to pull off a similar switcheroo at the Palmer Invitational on Saturday afternoon at the Mike Janacek Trails.

The girls field — which featured last year’s top team — contained runners that could keep up with Tuckwood, like the reigning state cross country champion, West Valley junior Kendall Kramer. While Kramer would take home the individual title with a winning time of 18 minutes, 3 seconds, Tuckwood and her teammates would secure the team title.

“She leads Southeast, she leads the state and today she led our team to this low score,” JDHS co-coach Merry Ellefson said of Tuckwood.

JDHS scored just 38 points — the same amount as West Valley — setting up a tiebreaker, which factors in the placing of the teams’ sixth runner, in this case, JDHS’ Jasmin Holst, and West Valley’s Gloria Bailey. Holst finished five spots in front of Bailey, giving the Crimson Bears the team title.

Holst said hearing the announcement of Tuckwood’s finish helped her finish out the race strong and pick off several runners.

Between Tuckwood (2nd, 18:14) and Holst (18th, 21:24), were junior Anna Iverson (4th, 19:53), junior Katie McKenna (7th 20:19) and freshmen Trinity Jackson (11th, 20:51) and Annika Schwartz (14th, 21:11).

Ellefson said she was particularly proud of how Jackson performed in the big meet. Jackson said she got a side cramp early on in the race, but the encouragement of her coaches and commitment to her teammates helped her along.

“If I didn’t push myself I felt like it would’ve been a lot harder on the team,” Jackson said.

The JDHS boys were led by senior Arne Ellefson-Carnes, who won first overall with a time of 16:28. The Crimson Bears came in second place behind West Valley, last year’s state runner-up. It was JDHS’ first meet of the season outside of Southeast, giving them a feel for the strengths of schools in outlying regions.

“It was really good to see that we’re a competitive team,” Ellefson-Carnes said.

Ellefson-Carnes gave kudos to senior Clem Taylor-Roth (12th, 17:27), sophomore Finn Morley (17th, 17:49) and junior Ambrose Bucy (18th, 17:49) for helping bring down the boys score to 68 points. At the same meet last season, JDHS scored 178 points and came in fifth place.

Also running for JDHS were Koby Goldstein (25th, 18:09) and Owen Squires (43rd, 18:55).


• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nainsworth@juneauempire.com. Follow Empire Sports on Twitter at @akempiresports.


More in Sports

Public lands are a unique privilege that Americans should relish and protect. (Photo courtesy Jeff Lund)
I Went to the Woods: The comment section: Where discourse goes to die

Someone always takes it upon themselves to filter a post, headline, story or ideas through their political view and come up with a divisive hot take.

The juniors start at the Mount Marathon Race on July 4, 2025, in Seward, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Anchorage’s Zuber, Flagstad capture junior Mount Marathon races

Kenai’s Boonstra takes 2nd in junior girls race

Anchorage's Klaire Rhodes, 27, wins the women's race at the Mount Marathon Race on July 4, 2025, in Seward, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Anchorage’s Rhodes defends women’s Mount Marathon crown

With Seward stuffed with people for 97th running of the Mount Marathon… Continue reading

David Norris, 34, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, wins the men's race at the Mount Marathon Race on July 4, 2025, in Seward, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Norris goes 6 for 6 in Mount Marathon men’s race; Moore’s streak ends at 54 races

One streak lived while another streak ended during a brilliantly sunny men’s… Continue reading

2024 Olympic wrestling gold medalist Amit Elor, 21, right, demonstrates a counter tie on Wasilla High School junior Taryn Wright, 16, during the Juneau Girls Wrestling Clinic on Tuesday at the Juneau Wrestling Center. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Alaska wrestlers take on Olympic and world champion at Juneau camp

Gold medalist Amit Elor shows girls path to success

The dainty little flowers of sheep sorrel are either male or female, but not both. (Photo courtesy Mary F. Willson)
On the Trails: Butterworts, leaf rollers, and invasive flowers

On a bright, sunny day in mid-June, a friend and I strolled… Continue reading

Juneau’s Auke Bay Post 25 third baseman Madden Mendoza tags out Palmer Post 15 base runner Reed Craner (2) during Juneau’s 7-6 win over Palmer in American Legion Baseball action Sunday at Adair Kennedy Memorial Park. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Juneau’s Legion baseball team sweeps Palmer

Ludeman hits walk-off, Auke Bay Post 25 defeats Palmer Post 15

Swimmers race in Saturday’s Open Water Swim Series on Auke Lake. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Open Water Swim gives swimmers strokes

Theme of no lines, no lanes, no limits inspires

Photo by Jeff Helminiak / Peninsula Clarion
Jacob Katasse of Auke Bay Post 25 ducks under a pitch in front of catcher Conner Mitchuson of Madisonville (Kentucky) Post 6 on Friday, June 20 in the Lance Coz Wood Bat Tournament at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai .
Juneau’s Alaska Legion baseball team hits the road

Auke Bay Post 25 travels to Kenai tournament, Anchorage next

Young female spruce cones grow upright and bend down to open when the seeds are ripe and ready to disperse. (Photo by Mary Willson/courtesy)
On the Trails: Fledgling birds and spruce tips

The stroll was peaceful and the birds were singing.

Juneau’s John Bursell and Brandon Ivanowicz — team J & B — placed third and Whitehorse’s Nicolas Giangrande and Heron Land-Gillis — The Bonk Bros — first in the two-person male team race of last Saturday’s Kluane to Chilkat International Bike Relay. They also placed sixth and first overall, respectively. out of 284 teams. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Pure Sole: ‘Come and do the KCIBR’

It’s like the Klondike run, except with bikes

Juneau’s Auke Bay Post 25 batter Noah Lewis is hit by a pitch during American Legion action against South Post 4 earlier this season. Juneau will play a home series against Palmer Post 15 Saturday through Monday at Adair Kennedy Memorial Park. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Auke Bay Post 25 splits games in Anchorage

Juneau’s American Legion team will host Palmer this weekend