NCS FALL CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW
By ANNIE FOWLER, CUJ Special Contributor
Nixyaawii’s girls program is starting to take flight
MISSION — Weyekin Wildbill is building the Nixyaawii Community School cross country with a little deception, but he will do whatever it takes to get the kids out on the road.
“A majority of the cross country team does play basketball,” Wildbill said. “That’s where I have the persuasion to get them out. They want to be in shape for basketball.”
Leading the way for the Golden Eagles is sophomore Sun Schimmel, who had an outstanding track season as a freshman, and is parlaying that success into cross country.
“After having a successful track season, that built a lot of confidence for him,” Wildbill said. “He has had a pretty good summer of training. He has put in a lot of miles. He has a couple of goals in mind. He is going to be one of the leaders on the team even though he is a sophomore.”
Joining Schimmel will be seniors Sacas Wildbill and Weptas Brockie, and sophomore Wyatt Withers.
“Sacas has run every year, and Weptas is working really hard this season.” Wildbill said. “Wyatt shows a lot of promise. I think he could have a breakthrough season.”
The Golden Eagles also have a few new faces on the team, and Bill is hoping to see more runners once school starts.
“There are a lot of opportunities for the kids out here,” he said. “There are some that are young and don’t have a lot of experience. I think they will surprise themselves. They just need to focus on the right things. I have a lot of newcomers who haven’t run cross country before. I think that is amazing.”
The girls team is up to five runners, which Wildbill said is the most the program has had since he took over in 2021.
“I’m looking forward to expanding the girls team this year,” he said. “We have five girls, which I’m excited for. They are all young too. I have 22 runners signed up (boys and girls). That would be the biggest turnout we have had. I’m looking for the upper class boys to set an example. There are a lot of sophomores.”
Sophomores Emma Star-Nez and Rosaella Salt are coming off a successful freshman season.
“They had a great year last year,” Wildbill said. “It’s going to be a breath of fresh air to have more girls out. I think that’s what we need. Emma cracked into the top five times in Nixyaawii history last year. She has a lot of untapped potential.”
Liana Stewart, who played volleyball last year, has laced up her running shoes for the Golden Eagles.
“She is built like a runner,” Wildbill said. “She’s just a good athlete.”
The Golden Eagles will open their season Sept. 14, at the Runners Soul Fest in Hermiston.
Nixyaawii cross country schedule
- Sept. 14 Nixyaawii at Runners Soul Fest, Hermiston 11 a.m.
- Sept. 20 Nixyaawii at Wallowa County Invitational 1:30 p.m.
- Sept. 27 Nixyaawii at Champs Invite, Lebanon 4 p.m.
- Oct. 3 Nixyaawii at Mustang Invite, Heppner 4 p.m.
- Oct. 17 Nixyaawii at Kyle Burnside Memorial Invite, Pendleton 3 p.m.
- Oct. 18 Nixyaawii at Footrace to Valhalla, Umatilla 10:40 a.m.
- Oct. 24 Nixyaawii at Gold Rush Run, John Day TBD
- Nov 1. Nixyaawii at District 3 Championships, Pendleton 1 p.m.
