Cross Country - Boys
About our Program
The Bishop Blanchet Boys' Cross Country team has a proud tradition of offering a non-cut sport where young men can set and achieve personal goals, compete, succeed, and build lasting friendships—all while having a great time.
All Bishop Blanchet students are welcome to join our team. Each season, the boys' cross country program fields a team of over 80 athletes, united by a commitment to self-improvement in both running and life. Our weekly and seasonal awards focus on personal growth and achievement.
As an individual, you will compete each week.
As a team, we will compete every week.
The Bishop Blanchet Boys' Cross Country team has a storied legacy within the Metro League and Washington State. With 27 League Championships (24 Metro, 3 Wesco), a state-record 56 appearances at the State Cross Country Championships, and 9 State Championships, our program has a history of excellence.
2024 Season
Program information and Summer Training
Congratulations to all the runners that competed at the Intrasquad Meet Saturday, September 7 on the 2.64 mile Green Lake Course. It was one of the fastest Intrasquad team races in school history with seven runners under 14:00 minutes and ten under 15:00 minutes.
The #5 state ranked team was led by: Vince Recupero, Huston Campbell, Benjamin Matlick, Will Knox, Leo Chester, Nicolas Padilla Bond and RJ Yu. Special shout-out to Vince '25, who placed 1st overall with a new school record of 12:18; he broke the record by 20 seconds!
2024 Recap
At the Metro Championships the team placed four runners in the top 20 (Vince Recupero ‘25 placed 1st, Huston Campbell ‘27 placed 12th, Leo Chester ‘27 placed 13th, and Ben Matlick ‘26 placed 17th) earning the team a 3rd place finish.
Senior Vince Recupero finished the race with a time of 14:48.10 earning him his 3rd consecutive Metro Individual Championships and making him the new course record holder.
At the District Championship, the Bears placed 3rd as a team with five runners placing in the top 20 - Vince Recupero ‘25 placed 1st, Huston Campbell ‘27 placed 14th, William Knox ‘27 placed 16th, Leo Chester ‘27 placed 17th, and Ben Matlick ‘26 placed 20th.
At the 3A State Championship in Pasco the Men’s Cross Country team captures the podium with a 4th place finish after a terrific team race. The Bears had four runners finish in the top 50 - Vince Recupero ‘25 finished 2nd, Huston Campbell ‘27 finished 26th, William Knox ‘27 finished 49th, and Leo Chester ‘27 finished 50th. The team finished 6th overall out of 20 teams.
Meet our Staff
Head Coach:
John O'Leary
joleary@bishopblanchet.org
Assistant Coaches:
Ian Turner
Matt Reisenauer
Stephen Russell
Colin Turner
Anthony Galvan
Wayne Higgins
Spencer Walsh
Historical Results
Metro Titles
Blanchet Boys have won three team Metro titles in the last five years - and have won the individual Metro title SIX YEARS IN A ROW!
Kai Gundlach
BBHS, 2020
Claremont McKenna, 2024
Metro Champ 2019
Will Schneider
BBHS, 2023
University of Washington, 2027
Metro Champ 2020, 2021
Vincent Recupero
BBHS, 2025
Stanford University Commit
Metro Champ 2022, 2023, 2024
Forms and Resources
Run Bears, Run!
All ages welcome to join in a fun morning at the park! Runners, walkers, strollers - or even participate virtually! Join the Blanchet community in this annual tradition! Proceeds benefit our amazing Cross Country programs. Sign up by August 21, 2024.
Intrasquad Race
Thank you to all the students and alums who ran in the fall classic - the intrasquad! Results are in!