Weeks after becoming only the second Marshfield runner to win two state cross country championships, Alex Garcia-Silver moved into more elite company last week when he earned all-American status.
Garcia-Silver finished 17th in the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, securing the right to be called an all-America. The top 20 finishers, put of 198 runners, are named all-Americans.
Garcia-Silver earned the status by consistently improving as the race among the best runners in the nation continued. After one mile, Garcia-Silver was 27th, and he improved to 20th after two miles. At three-mile mark, he moved up to 18th, and passed one more running to finish 17th in the 3.1-mile race.
Garcia-Silver was the second finisher from Oregon, finishing only behind Tyrone Gorze of Crater High School, who placed third. One week after finishing fifth in the Northwest, Garcia-Silver was the third runner from the region in nationals.