The list of accomplishments by Whatcom County girls’ track athletes is long and impressive.

That list figures to get longer and more thorough in 2008, and if it does, much of the credit will go to those runners who log the most miles.

The roster of Northwest Conference distance runners can likely be ranked among the state’s elite. It’s difficult to know where to start, and even more difficult to know where to finish.

Among those in the upper echelon are Squalicum’s Bronwyn Crossman, Bellingham’s Becca Friday, Squalicum’s Sophie Curl, Sehome’s Annie Moore and Bellingham’s Hannah Jensen.

Many more could be considered for inclusion, and Crossman sounds like she would include them all.

“I think it’s really great that we have this whole community of amazing runners,” Crossman said. “We compete really hard on the track, but we’re all friends. We help each other a lot, and I’m really thankful for that.”

Crossman is the two-time defending Class 3A cross-country state champion. At the 2007 state track meet, she took second in the 3,200-meter run and third in the 1,600.

She often shares courses and tracks with Friday, the talented junior for the Red Raiders who’s been compiling well-deserved accolades for several years.

Friday is the reigning 2A state champion in the 800 meters; she clocked a 2:16.48 to earn the win. She also placed second in the 1,600, and ran the leadoff leg for the Red Raiders’ 4x400 relay team, which took sixth at the state meet.

The list goes on. Curl won the 3A championship in the 800 at 2:16.96 for the Storm, and Moore helped the Mariners to the 2007 2A state team championship by finishing fourth in the 1,600 and 3,200. Topping that off, she ran the anchor leg as Sehome finished second in the 4x400 relay.

Jensen was on the Bellingham 4x400 relay team with Friday, and she’s on pace to run the 1,600 in the 5:06 range this season, according to Red Raiders coach Bill McClement.

The Whatcom County running environment has undergone a surge in terms of talent in the past several seasons, according to several coaches. McClement said he wonders if the trend will pass, but says he hasn’t seen any signs of letdown this year.

“It seems as though this area is going through a phase where the girls’ middle-distance runners are at a very high level,” McClement said. “It will be interesting to see whether this is just a phase, or if it will be something that continue five or 10 years from now.”

McClement is quick to point out the example set by Jensen, who he said has been named as a National Merit Commended student, will have earned her Associates Degree from Whatcom Community College by the time she graduates from Bellingham in June, and has turned down athletic and academic scholarships in order to serve a Christian mission.

“It speaks to the quality of the kids here, that they have their own purposes,” McClement said. “It makes me think more highly of Hannah, that she’s going to take this on.”

That speaks well of the future, but first things first; the area’s runners will get the chance to compete against each other several more times this season, and the competition only serves to make everyone better, they say.

In between the weekly dual-, tri- and quad-meets will be a handful of invitationals, at which Whatcom County athletes get to face runners they wouldn’t normally see. Getting to the point where they can compete on that level will take time and work, Crossman said.

“Things are starting off kind of slowly; I’m not quite where I want to be,” Crossman said. “I’m hoping by the end of the season, everything will work out.”

Craig Parrish can be reached at craig.parrish@bellinghamherald.com or 715-2279.