Wanner takes eighth at state x-country meet in Great Falls

Sage Wanner led the Columbia Falls cross-country team with an eighth-place finish at the state A cross-country meet Saturday in Great Falls. Wanner’s time of 16:05.89 eclipses the junior school record set by Derrick Williams by three seconds, said coach Richard Menicke.

“What Wanner accomplished was tremendous,” Menicke said. “He earned it.”

Will Nelson was the second-fastest Wildcat and ran the best race of his life, taking 69th with a time of 17:49.24.

“That was a great run,” Menicke said.

The boys were 14th overall.

The girls also had a solid showing, taking 11th overall.

Genevieve DeLorme was the top runner for the Wildkats, taking 23rd with a time of 20:37.87. Raina Crowell took 33rd with a 21:08.27.

Other places and times included, Winfield West, 77th, 18:07.04, Gabe Knudsen, 88th, 18:25.39, Glenn Morden, 92nd, 18:31.43, Raychel Hoerner, 59th, 21:45.54, Lacey Johns, 61st, 21:48.89, Danielle Schwalk, 82nd, 22:39.24.

Schwalk trimmed 45 seconds off her previous best time.

“We had a good year,” Menicke said. “We had a young team and got the young kids some good experience.”