Middle school harriers finish season
The Whitefish Middle School girls cross country team competes at the Whitefish Invitational meet at the Whitefish Lake Golf Club. (Photo courtesy Vonda Garcia)
The Whitefish Middle School boys cross country team competes at the Columbia Falls meet at the Montana Veterans Home. (Photo courtesy Vonda Garcia)
The Whitefish Middle School cross country team recently finished a noteworthy season.
There were 43 fifth through eighth grade boys and girls compete on the team, coached by Muldown Elementary School Health Enhancement Teacher Vonda Garcia.
The boys’ team won all but their last meet, due to the illness of two of the team’s top runners.
Their biggest accomplishment was beating out the Bozeman team by 31 points to win the Mountain West Classic in Missoula, which had 312 finishers and complete teams from 25 middle schools. At that meet, Colter Gaertner, Jacob Henson, and Finn Davidson placed fifth, sixth, and seventh, with Mason Genovese in 13th, and Barrett Garcia in 25th as the team’s top five.
The girls’ team highlight was winning the Whitefish Invitational at the Whitefish Lake Golf Course. Sophie Olson placed eighth, with Hailey Ells, Maylani Horton, Adrienne Healy, and Maeve Ingelfinger in 15th, 16th, 17th, and 19th, to beat out Kalispell by 12 points in a field of nine complete teams.