SQUALICUM

STORM

Coach: Katrina Henry

Last year: Placed third at the NWC Championships. Placed third at the 2A Northwest District meet. Finished sixth at the 2A State Championships and had Patrick Gibson win the individual state title.

Runners to watch: Patrick Gibson (sr.), Dylan Dubuque (sr.), Nick Gallaher (jr.), Chris Fredlund (jr.)

Outlook: The defending individual state champion is back for the Storm, and Gibson has worked even harder to attempt to repeat. "He's stepped up even more, especially in terms of leadership," Henry said. "He plays a key role in keeping guys motivated." But Gibson is not all that's back for second-ranked Squalicum this year. In fact, the Storm's top four runners from last year and five from the team it took to state return, though Dubuque is coming back from injury. "We feel we have a very strong team," Henry said. "We have a lot of guys back that have experience running at the state course. Staying healthy, as always, is important."

Reach DAVID RASBACH at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2271.