WASHINGTON — Chris Sulc erupted out of the gates during the Oct. 21 2-A Eastern Plains Conference championship race. He finished the first mile in just over five minutes and completed the 3.1-mile race in 17:44.

His performance was enough to win the conference championship and garner Runner-of-the-Year honors. Despite his exceptional performance, Sulc was caught off guard by the title.

“I was a little surprised, honestly,” he said. “I wasn’t really expecting it.”

Indeed, the sophomore Pam Pack cross-country star is competing at a level far beyond his years.

“It’s a sports that’s dominated by seniors,” said head coach Toby McMahon. “It’s just because of their maturity. They’re a little bit older, bigger and stronger.”

Sulc is an exception to that generalization. Out of the 10 boys and girls to make all-conference in 2014, he was the only freshman. It was a strong start to a career that McMahon expects to dominate Washington cross-country lore for years to come.

Runners grow into their frames throughout their four years competing. They also mature. That’s what makes the prospect of Sulc’s latter two years at Washington so exciting.

“You see a lot of freshmen going out too quickly or they start off too slowly,” McMahon said. “They have too much energy. Chris has had his times where he’s gone out too fast, but he’s always had enough to at least challenge the leaders.

Anna McLawhorn — a standout runner who graduated last year — is one of, if not the only, person in school history to win at least one cross-country meet in each of her four years. Sulc is well on his way to accomplishing the same feat.

Cross country runs in the Sulc family. Both his older siblings stood out running in a Pam Pack uniform. Brandon Sulc was Washington’s fastest runner twice in his career. Kayley Sulc’s career lasted just one year, but she earned Newcomer-of-the-Year her freshman year. However, was her priority and it conflicted with cross country.

The middle school team is becoming a strong feeder system for high school and cross country runs in Sulc’s blood. Even so, he never put much consideration into it. He had only run a couple of local 5K’s before joining the Pam Pack squad.

“The first year, I did it a lot just because my buddies talked me into it,” he said. “I started getting good at it and then it kind of carried over into the next year. I PR’ed (personal record) with a 17:58. After that, I thought, ‘This could be something.’ At conference I ran a 17:44 and won conference. I thought I could actually do something with cross country in my life.”

His brother Brandon has become a sort of mentor for him. Sulc looks up to him and the success he had during his time at Washington.

Cross country is Sulc’s fall passion. He shifts his focus to baseball once spring rolls around. The overlap between the two sports has been noticeable, namely when it comes to his speed running around the diamond.

“This semester, it’s primarily focusing on cross country,” Sulc said. “Next semester, it’s primarily focusing on baseball. They both get the same amount of attention. I put my hardest work into both of them.”

Sulc started for Washington’s junior varsity baseball team last year. He helped the Pam Pack go undefeated in conference play. He hopes to pitch for the varsity team in the spring.

Looking down the road, Sulc has high aspirations for both sports, but his classroom endeavors aren’t lost in the shuffle.

“I mainly focus on sports. I definitely have to keep my grades up. That’s another main focus — keeping my grades up so I can play sports,” he said.

Sulc still has the second half of his high school career to look forward to. He knows that, in the future, cross country can still be a major part of his life.

“If I get a scholarship for running, I’m definitely not going to turn it down.”

Washington will host the 2-A Eastern Regional Championship on Saturday at noon. The top-four schools, and then the top-seven runners not on those teams, all qualify to compete for the state championship. If the Pam Pack doesn’t qualify as a team, Sulc is more than capable of representing the school as an individual.