Cold weather doesn't slow the Bulldogs' pace
Bulldog runners love running at home. The Whitefish cross-country teams were out to prove that if the weather is cold, all that they need is a quick pace to warm things up. And the results show that it's going to take a lot more than cold temperatures to slow down the boys and girls from Whitefish.
Senior Loni Hanson had the biggest race of the day for the Lady Bulldogs, setting new meet and course records with her first-place time of 18:34. Teammates Bailey Eaton and Jessica Sagen finished close behind Hanson in second and third, respectively.
"Loni was amazing today," coach Bill Brist said. "She's been running well for years and has achieved quite a bit as a runner. Today was her best performance ever, including her state championship run two years ago. Her confidence level was on overdrive today, and she did what she needed to do to cross the finish line in first place."
With runners like Eaton (18:48) Sagen (18:49) and Frenchtown's Emily Schall breathing down her neck, Hanson had some stiff competition.
"I'm very impressed that Loni continues to improve each year," Brist said. "I think it goes a long way to show that the best year for a high school female runner is their senior year, if they're willing to keep at it."
Eaton and Sagen both also ran fantastic races — both finished under the former meet and course record times.
"I think both feel that if someone's going to finish ahead of them, it's going to take an outstanding effort," Brist said.
Carly Schwickert 'sixth, 19:45) and Hannah Weaver (ninth, 19:50) also ran great races, finishing under 20 minutes.
"Those are great times for Carly and Hannah," Brist said. "It was the first time Hannah has run under 20 minutes, which is a pretty big deal in our program. She's been working for that goal since she was a freshman. It's great to see her achieve that goal. I'm very pleased with both of their performances today."
Jackie Cassidy, Anne Miller and Nicole Birk also finished in the top-20 for the Lady Bulldogs.
"It seemed like every runner had a great day, which was amazing considering the weather," Brist said. "It was nice having Jackie back in the line-up again. Senior Anne Miller had the best race of her entire career. Katrina Brown, Justine Dugdale and senior Haley Hill also ran their best times today. It was a great day for the Lady Bulldogs."
The Whitefish boys also ran well, placing third in team standings. Frenchtown came away with the victory with a low score of 45 points. Columbia Falls was second with 52, and the Bulldogs had 64.
"Frenchtown and Columbia Falls are both rated in the top-five teams in Class A for boys cross country teams," Brist said. "We really weren't that far behind them. We had another solid performance out of this young team. They're showing me that they're hungry to be up there with the best. It's only going to be a matter of time and miles for this group."
Nathan Knox finished in fifth place with a personal best time of 16:42 to lead the Bulldogs. Jace Kalbfleisch (11th), Fischer Gangemi (14th), Baxter Graham (16th), Chris Reyna (18th) and Will Holdhusen (20th) all finished in the top-20 for the Whitefish team.
"As with the ladies, these young men did a great job of competing today," Brist said. "I was happy with the results. Freshmen Spencer Hale and Peter Seymour both had huge races today, with both finishing under 20 minutes for the first time this season. I really feel great about the runners from front to back with their efforts today."
Next up is the Northwest Divisional Championship race on Saturday, Oct. 17, in Columbia Falls.
"I think we're right where we want to be with our fitness level," Brist said. "I'm pretty sure we'll be competitive with both the boys and girls teams. It's our goal to be competitive."
Whitefish Invitational
Whitefish High School
Girls teams
1. Whitefish 19
2. Thompson Falls 63
3. Columbia Falls 73
4. Frenchtown 96
5. Eureka 120
Girls individual results
1. Loni Hanson, 18:34 (new course record, old record set by Bailey Eaton, 18:58 in 2009, and new meet record, old record set by Hanson, 18:59 in 2007)
2. Bailey Eaton 18:48
3. Jessica Sagen 18:49
6. Carly Schwickert 19:45
9. Hannah Weaver 19:50
13. Jackie Cassidy 20:47
15. Anne Miller 20:55
18. Liz Stevenson 21:39
20. Nicole Birk 21:56
36. Emma Marchetti 24:34
43. Katrina Brown 26:06
49. Justine Dugdale 27:25
50. Haley Hill 28:14
Boys teams
1. Frenchtown 45
2. Columbia Falls 52
3. Whitefish 64
4. Libby 114
5. Plains 119
6. Eureka 141
7. Thompson Falls 154
Boys individual results
5. Nathan Knox 16:42
11. Jace Kalbfleisch 17:42
14. Fischer Gangemi 17:52
16. Baxter Graham 18:00
18. Chris Reyna 18:07
20. Will Holdhusen 18:11
29. Francisco Valle 18:55
36. Spencer Hale 19:35
37. Peter Seymour 19:36
47. Matt Guitterez 21:22
48. Matt Kennedy 21:33
51. Jon Jacobs 21:47
55. Zach Blumhardt 22:16