MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — Niki Kauzlarich awoke at 4:30 a.m. Monday with what she called a case of nerves and couldn’t go back to sleep. Some six hours later, those jangles gave way to the Kadena junior’s biggest high school cross country triumph.

The two-time Okinawa Activities Council island champion capped her unbeaten 2004 season by winning the 3.1-mile girls individual race in the 2004 Far East High School Cross Country Meet at Misawa’s Gosser Memorial Golf Course.

Senior Jon Turner made it a clean sweep for the Panthers. He eked out a one-second victory in the boys 3.1-mile race, putting Kadena in excellent position to garner its second consecutive overall Far East team title, following on its 2002 championship win on Guam.

“It’s completely, totally unbelievable,” Kadena coach Tom McKinney said of the Panthers performance, achieved under sunny skies and 64-degree temperatures. “The conditions were wonderful. What a beautiful day for Kadena.”

Kauzlarich’s six hours of worry were erased in 20 minutes, 45 seconds, the time it took her to traverse the Gosser course.

“I had the jitters. I was feeling nervous until about 15 minutes before the race,” she said. “Then, it was, ‘Let’s get it over with and see what I can do.’”

Setting a fast pace from the start, Kauzlarich led until Seoul American’s Cathryn Furner passed her about halfway through the race.

“We stayed together until about 400 meters from the end,” Kauzlarich said.

Then she pulled away to a 16-second victory.

On their heels was Kauzlarich’s junior teammate Dianne Abel (21:13) in third. Victoria Lyle (2002 champion Kim Lyle’s younger sister) placed sixth in 21:35; Katelin Kennedy, eighth in 21:46. That gave Kadena’s girls an 18-27 edge over second-place Seoul American.

“It was exciting to see them come across, with all the work we put them through,” McKinney said.

The weather, about 15 degrees cooler than on Okinawa, was not a factor, Kauzlarich and Turner said.

“When we got here, we ran the course and it felt great,” Kauzlarich said. “It was a bit cold but the temperature didn’t really affect us.”

“It actually felt good,” said Turner, who reached the finishing chute in a footrace with a pair of Japan-based runners, Justin Biskup of Matthew C. Perry and Chris Cerrillo of Zama American.

Turner hung in third place until a downhill portion of the race, about 1.5 miles from the finish, where he passed Biskup and Cerrillo. On an ensuing straightaway, “I just pushed as hard as I could.”

He checked in with a time of 17:31, one second ahead of Biskup and seven faster than Cerrillo.

“It feels awesome,” Turner said. “It made my senior year great.”

Far East Cross Country championships

At Misawa Air Base, Japan

Boys team scores

1, Kadena, Okinawa, 17; 2, Zama American, Japan, 58; 3, Nile C. Kinnick, Japan, 69; 4, Robert D. Edgren, Japan, 70; 5, Seoul American, 74; 6, Taegu American, South Korea, 115; 7, E.J. King, Japan, 126; 8, Yokota, Japan, 130; 9, Kubasaki, Okinawa, 166; 10, Guam High, 181; 11, Pusan American, South Korea, 185; 12, Osan American, South Korea, 192; Matthew C. Perry, Japan, incomplete team.

Boys individual results

1, Jon Turner, Kadena, 17 minutes, 31 seconds

2, Justin Biskup, Matthew C. Perry, 17:32

3, Chris Cerrillo, Zama American, 17:38

4, Tim Nabonne, Kadena, 17:46

5, Aaron Zendejas, Kadena, 18:05

6, Matthew Duncan, Nile C. Kinnick, 18:08

7, Devon Copeland, Kadena, 18:15

8, Matthew Evans, Guam High, 18:17

9, Peter Kamau, Robert D. Edgren, 18:19

10, Daniel Sanchez, Robert D. Edgren, 18:24

Girls team scores

1, Kadena, Okinawa, 18; 2, Seoul American, 27; 3, Kubasaki, Okinawa, 60; 4, Nile C. Kinnick, Japan, 68; 5, Pusan American, South Korea, 95; 6, Yokota, Japan, 105; 7, Taegu American, South Korea, 117; 8, Osan American, South Korea, 157; 9, Guam High, 161; Robert D. Edgren, E.J. King, Matthew C. Perry and Zama American, Japan, incomplete teams.

Girls individual results

1, Niki Kauzlarich, Kadena, 20 minutes, 45 seconds

2, Cathryn Furner, Seoul Amer., 21:01

3, Dianne Abel, Kadena, 21:13

4, Sarah Yance, Seoul Amer., 21:14

5, Beth Nielsen, Kubasaki, 21:29

6, Victoria Lyle, Kadena, 21:35

7, Oksana Petrichenko, Seoul Amer., 21:39

8, Katelin Kennedy, Kadena, 21:46

9, Carl-Meisha Wourman, Kinnick, 22:09

10, Candace Sandness, Kubasaki, 22:07

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