Whitefish runners dominate opener
Whitefish Pilot
The Whitefish Bulldog boys and girls cross-country teams are “rolling right along,” according to head coach Bill Brist.
The Whitefish girls placed three top-10 runners on their way to a 43-point score at the Libby Invitational cross-country meet on Friday to capture first place.
The Ronan girls placed second with 75, followed by Flathead at 79.
The Lady Bulldogs were without their top runner, Beth Donovan, who was sidelined with the stomach flu.
“I felt that our young ladies had a pretty good chance to do well,” Brist said. “They’re a strong group with a good mix of talent. Their performance didn’t surprise me. I figured that would run as fast as they did, but I don’t think I was prepared to see so many gold jerseys near the front at the end of the race.”
“We were anxious for an opportunity to see where we stack up against the rest of the division,” said Brist. “Although we lost 10 senior boys and 10 senior girls from last year’s squads, we felt that we may actually be a bit stronger this season.”
That may be saying a lot considering that last year’s squads swept the Northwest A conference meet, and placed third at the state A championship race.
The Whitefish boys finished third overall with 90 points. Flathead High School captured first place with a 37 point total, followed by Glacier High School with 78.
“It was a great day to be a Bulldog XC fan as they gave us a lot to cheer about.” Brist said.
The Bulldog runners travel to Kalispell on Saturday.
Girls Team Totals
Whitefish 43, Ronan 75, Flathead 79, Bonners Ferry 80, Glacier 85, Polson 202, Timberlake, Idaho 229, Libby 258.
Girls top 25
Meadow Braden, Bonners Ferry, Idaho (19:10:49)
T. McCready, Ronan (19:33:66)
S. McMillian, Ronan (19:40:56)
Loni Hanson, Whitefish (19:52:52)
Heather Fraley, Glacier
Lauren Kuennen, Whitefish
Tera Klein, Flathead
Clare miller, Whitefish
A. Turbin, Thompson Falls
Hilary Heskett, Glacier
Kathleen Barth, Flathead
Kelly beiser, Whitefish
Stella Holt, Whitefish
Angela Kleist, Flathead
S Hiatt, Bonners Ferry
Bri Ori, Flathead
M. Sandaker, Bonners Ferry
Kayla Byle, Glacier
Bailey Eaton, Whitefish
H. Valerio, Mullan, Idaho
K. Benson, Ronan
A. Anderson, Ronan
E. Hiatt. Bonners Ferry
M. McClintock, Bonners Ferry
Stacey Pitt, Glacier
Boys Team Totals
Flathead 37, Glacier 78, Whitefish 90, Thompson Falls 150, Polson 164, Kellogg, Idaho 207, Ronan 213, Libby 227, Plains 233, Bonners Ferry, Idaho, 268.
Boys top 25
Seth Svennungsen, Flathead (16:01:32)
S. Donaldson, Thompson Falls (16:10:07)
Drew Coco, Whitefish (16:12:81)
L. Torgison, Polson
Justin Barth, Flathead
Alec Surynt, Glacier
Matt madieros, Flathead
Dan Burfeind, Glacier
R. Sacksteder, Timberlake
Erik Anderson, Whitefish
J. Mitchell, Timberlake, Idaho
K. Stuart, Kellogg, Idaho
Casey Bardwell, Flathead
Shawn Whitman, Columbia Falls
Tripp Gimbell, Columbia Falls
Patric Jessat, Columbia Falls
Garrett Foot, Glacier
S. Wright, Libby
Pat McGunagle, Whitefish
R. Sol, Thompson Falls
B. Puckett, Libby
Matt harrison, Whitefish
Zach Heskett, Flathead