Cross country runs in the family at Eastlake

SAMMAMISH — The first time Haley O'Connor lost to her younger sister, Morgan, she admitted she was disappointed.

But, over time, the junior realized that, in addition to being siblings, they were cross-country teammates and she should be supportive.

"My little sister, who is my teammate, is faster than me. I shouldn't be worried about it," Haley said. "I should be happy for her."

On the Eastlake team, this is a common problem. The Wolves have seven groups of siblings on the roster and 15 runners have older brothers or sisters who were on the team in the past.

"It's an interesting dynamic sometimes," Eastlake coach Troy Anderson said. "It's great because we love the idea that the older sibling loves cross country so much they get their younger sibling out. It's really great to see that."

In cross country, the goal is to produce enough strong individual finishes that it benefits the team. With a roster loaded with family members who are pushing each other every day, the team then starts to help the individual.

"It really pushes you to work a lot harder," said Morgan, a sophomore who placed fifth at the KingCo 4A championships last week at Lake Sammamish Park, helping the Wolves win the girls title.

Eastlake's boys and girls, as well as other KingCo runners, will compete Saturday against runners from the Greater St. Helens League in the bi-district championships at Kelso High School. The state championships are Nov. 7 in Pasco.

With runners like Haley and Morgan, there is a direct sibling rivalry. For Sam and Lisa Sheehan, things are a bit different. Sam competes on the boys team and gets to spend the girls races cheering on his sister, and vice versa. Sam, a senior, also serves as a post-practice chauffeur for Lisa, a freshman.

"It's just fun having him there and knowing he's supporting me," Lisa said.

They all come together to form a team in a sport noted for individual accomplishments.

"They are extremely encouraging to one another," Anderson said. "They cheer on their teammates. They help each other when they're having struggles with school and everything else."

Mason Kelley: 206-464-8277 or mkelley@seattletimes.com