POULSBO — Three North Kitsap cross country athletes will be moving on to district competition next week.

Jim Robson, Michael Chuol, and Robyn Embrey all placed well enough in Wednesday’s league meet to move on.

Robson was tops among the Vikings, finishing in fifth place among the 100-plus Narrows League varsity boys. Robson believes he would have finished higher, had his strategy been a little more fine-tuned.

“I wanted to hang with Prince,” Robson said after the meet, referring to Port Angeles’s Frank Prince, one of the league’s top runners and the first-place finisher at the league meet.

“In the second mile Prince went off,” Robson said, “and I waited a little long for my catchup.”

He said, “I ran fairly well, but I let a few things slip.”

Robson and the other Vikings ran at Fort Steilacom Park in Lakewood, a 3.1K course including gravel, grass, and a lake.

Michael Chuol, the other top boys runner, finished 10th overall with a time of 16:18.

The top 40 individual competitors from each category move on to districts.

The lone girl to reach districts for the Vikings was sophomore Robyn Embrey, who finished 31st with a time of 20:41.

First-year head coach Helen Smith was happy with all the athletes’ finishes. She was especially happy that so many runners recorded personal bests on the Fort Steilacom course.

“The majority of them had personal records for the year (at this meet),” Smith said. “That was the goal, based on the strengths of our team. I think about two-thirds of them improved their times and finished the year performing at their best.”

Among varsity girls, personal bests were recorded by Divina Ormsby, Amy Gibbs, Jessica Anderson, Krista Burleson, Megan Lockert, and Natalie Ward. Among varsity boys, personal bests were recorded by Robson, Chuol, Andy Melius, Vanya Fox, Tillman Beck, Tyler Allen, and Kolby Hoover.

Smith said Robson’s race, during which he dueled with the top runners in the Narrows League, was especially exciting.

“We knew he’d be there in the top 10,” she said. “And it was just a race to the finish lines. They’re so close in skill and talent, it’s unpredictable.”

As Robson raced for the finish, Smith said, “He was second, he was sixth, and in the last 100 meters they were all over the field.”

Next stop for Robson, Chuol and Embrey will be the district competition in Tumwater on Oct. 24.

The district competition will be held there Oct. 24.