Olivia and Andrea Markezich Sign National Letters of Intent

On October 14, 2018, Bear Creek celebrated seniors Olivia Markezich and Andrea Markezich. This week the identical twins will each be signing a National Letter of Intent to run for University of Notre Dame and University of Washington, respectively. We commemorated the moment with our own ceremonial signing event in the Andrea Lairson Library.

Andrea and Olivia have attended The Bear Creek School since the eighth grade. Olivia turned out for cross country her freshman year and was instantly hooked. Andrea, who opted for rowing her freshman year, noticed how much fun Olivia was having and traded in her oar for some spikes the following year. We knew early on that these girls were special runners. In fact, it was Olivia’s freshman year that I challenged her to a race around the Upper School building, barely beating her out on the home stretch (smiley face emoji). We have been blessed to watch these girls for four years now, and it has been wonderful to see everything they have accomplished.

Being the best in any endeavor or field takes dedication, hard work, and perseverance. It is no surprise that both girls fit the bill with each of those qualities. We know how hard they have worked, putting in endless hours training. We also know how much they have both overcome, each battling through injuries during their high school careers.

And of course, it has all paid off. Their lists of individual accomplishments are too long for me to share, so here’s a summary:

Olivia:

• 1A 1600M State Champion in the spring of 2018, also placing second in the 800 and third in the 3200
• Finished in third place this fall at the State Cross Country Meet
• Earned 9 State podium finishes in cross country and track, including school records in the 800 (2:18), 1600 (4:59), mile (4:55), 2K Steeplechase (7:08), and 5K cross country (17:56)
• Additionally, Olivia has qualified to run Borderclash this year which pits the best from Oregon against the best from Washington.

Andrea:

• Runner up at the 1A State Track & Field Meet last spring in the 1600M and 3200M
• Earned 6 State podium finishes in cross country and track
• Andrea is the school record holder in the 3200 (10:57) and holds the second fastest time in the 1600 (5:03) and 800 (2:21).
• Andrea also qualified to run Borderclash in 2017 and 2018.

Both Andrea and Olivia were named third team All Region for Nike Cross Country Regionals this year with a 16^th place and 19^th place finish, respectively, for girls across seven states in the Northwest.

Even more than their physical talents and achievements, we are proud of both girls for being great students and great teammates. Olivia and Andrea are great examples to their peers of how to succeed as a student-athlete. Balancing the challenges of academically rigorous classes and holding leadership positions, all while running your way to Division 1 track & field programs is no small feat. It is not every day that athletes the caliber of Andrea and Olivia don the green and gold, and we are extremely proud of their accomplishments.

We wish Olivia and Andrea all the best in this next stage. We will be rooting on the Fighting Irish and Huskies and looking for their names on the podium, but even as the Markeziches take up new mascots, they will always be Grizzlies!