Townsend Cross County - Week 5 Update
Author: MT43 News Sports Reporter
Townsend Cross County - Week 5 Update
Cross Country Correspondent
This past Saturday in Missoula at the Mountain West Classic was one of those days in Montana where you feel as though you experienced all the seasons in one day. It was pretty darn cold first thing in the morning but by the afternoon, the sun felt quite warm. With all the precipitation the day before, the course was wet but thankfully, was not too terribly sloppy. This meet is quite huge with over 80 schools representing three states on a course that is moderate in difficulty with gradual inclines/declines and one hill.
The cooler morning temperatures equated to fast times for both Junior Varsity squads, whereby five of the Townsend Bulldogs again clocked their personal best times. This means they are getting faster as the season progresses, which is great news for racing fans. Up first were the women with Junior Scarlett McDaniel (26:35) finishing first for the Bulldogs in 198th. Not far behind her were Junior Grace Kroeger (27:27 PR) and Senior Melania Lambott (27:38 PR) in 226th and 239th, respectively. Grace and Melania are both in their first year running XC for Broadwater High School and both recorded their personal bests in a field of 366 runners.
Up next for the Bulldogs were the Junior Varsity Men in the largest field of the day of 512 hoofers. Freshman Rylan Hoveland (20:54 PR) in 201st and Sophomore Gavin Green (21:27 PR) in 236th both also clocked their personal best times at 5K. Next up was Junior Ross MacDonald (22:34) in 328th followed by Freshman Luke Tullos (23:08 PR) who shortened his personal best by almost two minutes! Wyatt Coker (26:44) rounded out the team in 478th.
The Varsity Men were next with 456 runners on the course. Nolan Flynn (18:56) started it off for the Bulldogs in 241st with Aidan Easter (19:55) next in 326th and Connor Lamb (20:05) in 333rd. It was close to noon when the 371 Varsity Ladies’ gun blew their start. Kaelyn Sangray (21:54) led the Bulldogs coming in 149th taking 1:43 off her time from last year’s Classic. Abby Wickens (23:10) followed in 222nd.
447 Middle School Boys were next on the course which was shortened from 3.1 miles to 1.3 miles. Trey Coker (9:54) led the way in 182nd with Sawyer Pitman (10:06) in 201st, Kaleb Allen (10:50) in 268th, Dylan Pitman (11:22) in 310th, Everett Kirksey (11:41) in 332nd, and Jayden Flynn (16:12) in 428th. The Middle School Girls' field of 419 runners was the last race of the day. Elaine MacDonald (9:08) was 24th, with Kathryn Six (10:23) in 110th, Tana Santi (10:45) in 142nd, Kensley Sangray (10:45) in 143rd, Addi Mosher (11:02) in 176th, Madison Vogl (12:10) in 253rd, Lydia Brakefield (12:21) in 264th, Courtney Webber (12:34) in 280th, Ella Tullos (15:52) in 388th, Kaedyn Budde (18:14) in 411th, and Aspen Bantz (18:16) in 412th.
If you are unfamiliar with Cross Country, it might be a new concept to understand that many meets have runners from all classes; this is also true in the spring of track and field. Other sports, like volleyball and basketball, rely on an overall season record whereby each team plays mostly within their district. Meets like the Mountain Classic bring huge fields and most competitors rely on their times to determine their success. The upcoming Headwaters Invitational in Three Forks will be the first opportunity this season for the Bulldogs to compete strictly against class B and C runners. Hope to see you there Friday morning, September 29th.
