Lady Bulldogs win first state trophy, boys place third

By DAVID ERICKSON/Whitefish Pilot

Watch out Montana, she still has two years left.

Cross-country standout Loni Hanson, a Whitefish sophomore, solidified her place as the best Class A runner in the state on Saturday. She claimed the individual overall title and helped the Lady Bulldogs to their first-ever team championship at the 44th annual MHSA Cross Country Championships in Helena.

The Whitefish girls won the title with a low score of 50 points, a dominating 96 points below their nearest competitor, Hamilton.

Hanson (19:28) held off Mesa Starkey of Polson (19:33) to become the first Whitefish girl in 36 years to win a state title.

"She's done some great things this season, but to win the state title is simply unbelievable," head coach Bill Brist said of his young star. "There were so many great runners in our division, and they all wanted to win. I don't think that many had Loni on their list as a potential winner, but she went in with a race plan and was able to see it through."

"I went out there to do my best," Hanson said. "I'm just so excited for our team, winning state for the first time ever."

Brist said Hanson took the lead for good about half a mile into the three-mile race. Hanson's five-second victory over Starkey represents about 25 to 30 meters, Brist said, which "is not really a super close finish."

"At first I heard some girls behind me," Hanson said. "I saw them and I thought, 'I'm not gonna let them catch me,' and I never looked back."

"She was not afraid to get out there early and hold her lead all the way to the finish," Brist said.

Senior co-captain Lauren Kuennen (19:46) had a fantastic race as well, finishing fifth overall.

"Kuennen is the ultimate success story for our team," Brist said. "She was unfortunate enough to follow a runner off the course early, but was able to come back through the pack to finish in the top-five. She's come a long way since when she first came out for the sport as a sophomore."

Hanson and Kuennen were followed by teammates Bailey Eaton (19:57, 11th overall), Carley Schwickert (20:13, 16th), Stella Holt (20:15, 17th), Clare Miller (20:31, 23rd) and Kelly Beiser (20:44, 27th).

"As the score indicates, we pretty much ran away from the competition," Brist said. "The conditions were less than ideal. It was really windy and a bit colder than typical. Our runners seemed to be focused on what they wanted to achieve and went out and got it done. They went out hard and were able to maintain their positions throughout the race."

The Whitefish boys, led by All-State runner Drew Coco (16:26, fifth overall) took home the third-place trophy.

Erik Anderson (17th) and Nick Donovan (21st) had great races as well. Their placing along with that of Michael Samdahl (41st) and Michael Harrison (49th) propelled the team into a tie for third place overall with Havre.

Browning won the team title with 76 points, and Hamilton finished in second with 84 points.

"We won the third-place trophy on a tie-breaker," Brist said. "Our sixth-place runner, Patrick McGunagle, placed higher than Havre's sixth-place runner. Basically, our team depth paid off. Both teams ran well, but we were able to come home with third place and the trophy, while they ended up in fourth. I felt bad for the Havre team since they ran well, but our kids did what they had to in order to place in the top-three."

Brist said he is extremely proud of his squad this year.

"With the conclusion of the cross-country season, there is reason to believe that the future of the Bulldog cross-country programs is one of brightness," he said. "The girls team will lose only two runners from the team to graduation. Although we lose great team leaders, there are young talented runners looking for the opportunity to be on that top seven team."

The boys will lose eight seniors. Five of the top-eight will graduate, so next year will be a huge opportunity for young runners to step into contributing roles.

"We've been senior-loaded for the past two seasons," Brist said. "It will be interesting to see if our young runners will be able to step up into these important positions to allow us to continue to be competitive at the state level."

The Whitefish girls cross-country team will ride in a Whitefish firetruck through downtown Whitefish Oct. 25 (tonight) at 4 p.m.

Class A girls team scores:

1. Whitefish 50

2. Hamilton 146

3. Dawson County 166

4. Ronan 178

5. Fergus 181

6. Beglrade 203

7. Beaverhead 233

8. Frenchtown 244

9. Hardin and Laurel 245

11. Polson 255

12. Columbia Falls 314

13. Havre 350

14. Billings Central 357

15. Custer County 358

16. Park 438

17. Sidney 441

18. Anaconda 455

19. Browning 503

20. Libby 573

Individual girls results:

1. Loni Hanson Whitefish 19:28 All State

5. Lauren Kuennen Whitefish 19:46 All State

11. Bailey Eaton Whitefish 19:57 All State

16. Carley Schwickert Whitefish 20:13

17. Stella Holt Whitefish 20:15

23. Clare Miller Whitefish 20:31

27. Kelly Beiser Whitefish 20:44

Class A boys team scores:

1. Browning 76

2. Hamilton 84

3. Whitefish 133 tie-breaker

4. Havre 133

5. Hardin 153

6. Columbia Falls 163

7. Beaverhead County 174

8. Frenchtown 218

9. Polson 219

10. Belgrade 222

11. Laurel 245

12. Corvallis 352

13. Ronan 354

14. Dawson County 419

15. Libby 441

16. Billings Central 470

17. Park 537

18. Anaconda 555

Individual boys results:

5. Drew Coco Whitefish 16:26 All State

17. Erik Anderson Whitefish 17:22

21. Nick Donovan Whitefish 17:34

41. Michael Samdahl Whitefish 18:14

49. Michael Harrison Whitefish 18:24

50. Pat McGunagle Whitefish 18:24

53. Byron Bard Whitefish 18:27