Brist, Gangemi earn All-State honors

Whitefish missed out on the hardware at

the Class A state cross country meet, yet they still managed some

impressive results against tough competition.

Fischer Gangemi (16:21) was ninth

overall for the boys, while Nicole Brist (19:46) was 14th overall

among girls. They both earned All-State honors.

“We had a few great performances,”

Whitefish coach Bill Brist said. “Fischer Gangemi and Nicole Brist

earning All State honors by placing in the top 15, that was

fantastic for our team.

“Jace Kalbfleisch (19th) and Maya

Gordon (21st) both had nice races, as well.”

Both runners just missed the top

15.

“They have both improved a lot this

season,” Brist said. “I think that they will be a big part of next

year’s success.

“We have a lot of runners on our teams

that need just a bit more experience. Between the boys and girls

teams, nine of our 14 runners were running in their first state

race. It’s tough to get out there and race against the best in the

state for the first time. We had some nice races, especially with

the girls, where nearly all the runners ran close to their season

bests.”

The Lady Bulldogs finished in seventh

place overall behind strong races from Brist, Gordon, Peyton Twete,

Emma Marchetti, Revecca Holdhusen, Autumn Fisher and Andrea

Lamoureux.

“In order to run for the title you need

all of your runners to be able to compete for a top 20 placing,”

Brist said. “We were not quite at that level this season. We made

some great strides, and competed well within our conference, but we

need a bit more time to be able to compete for trophies at the

state level.”

The boys team capped an impressive

season with a 10th place finish at state behind quality outings

from Gangemi, Kalbfleisch, Keaton Grove, Will Holdhusen, Thomas

Henson, Caleb Knox and Elias Taylor.

“For our program, at Whitefish High

School, we like to be competitive,” Brist said. “We also like to

see our runners mature and learn. Both, with their running, and

with everything they do. I think that we had forty individuals

achieve that goal this season. I’m very pleased with that

result.”

Brist thanked the parents and assistant

coaching staff (Sara Brist, Aldo Kuntz and Janna Rozar) for their

support.

“With their continued outstanding

participation, cross country will always be able to represent the

community and high school in the best fashion possible,” he

said.