Running Scotties Rampage to Weekend Victories

For Chase Hughes, the weekend was normal - meets in Frazer on Sept. 17 and Sidney the following day afforded him a Dyad of opportunities to better his PR and challenge his fellow Scotties to do the same. 

For his team, though, and its sister squad one and the same, Thursday and Friday's competitions marked a decisive stride into the beating heart of an increasingly promising season.

"We're looking pretty good," said Hughes, "we're all healthy, all good."

Thursday saw five Scotties - Emily Kolstad and Morgan Guttenberg for the females, Walker Allen, Ellis McKean, and Gabe Hallock for the males - slot into top ten finishes. Both the girls broke coach Rod Karst's 23-minute standard in spurring their team to a two-point victory over an upstart Malta five.

The boys had a more comfortable time in dispatching their foes - senior Walker Allen broke 18 minutes, and the team beat second-place Harlem by 51.

Friday ushered both teams, this time with the JV in tow, to Sidney. Despite having raced the previous day, top finishers Allen and Emily Kolstad both improved their Thursday times and led their respective teams to the podium for a second day running.

"Racing two days in a row was a strain on the legs," said Hughes. "I'd never done that in my career before last week."

Hughes said he loaded up on carbs and slept copiously. He was quick to note, however, that running back-to-back races is as much a mind-game as it is a quest to maintain bodily equilibrium. "There's a lot of mental involved," he said. "You've got to tell yourself you can do it."

The girls shaved their victory as close to the scalp as possible. Alex Simensen's final surge ensured her a 12th-place finish and her team a one-point triumph over Miles City.

The boys again marooned their foes in the blustering dervish left in the wake of their storming footsteps, defeating the second-placed hosts by 28 points en route to a third-straight first place trophy.

Hughes said that while both courses were hilly, Sidney provided more downhill segments than did Frazer, and that the latter was more of a road run than the former, which led the runners across wide grass expanses.

On Saturday, Sept. 26, the Scotties host the annual Glasgow Invitational in Fort Peck. The race starts in Kiwanis Park and loops around the Interpretive Center.

"It's gonna be a fast one," said Hughes. "There will be a few B teams there which might be contenders at states, so it'll be a good challenge. Everyone likes this course."

Frazer Invitational

Sept. 17, 2015

Girls team scores: Glasgow 52, Malta 54, Wolf Point 100, Poplar 107, Dodson/Whitewater 220, Richey/Lambert NS, Harlem NS, Circle NS, Frazer NS

Emily Kolstad 6th 22:18

Morgan Guttenberg 8th 22:52

Brinlie Nielsen 11th 23:10

Alex Simensen 12th 23:41

Julia Kolstad 15th 24:03

Faith Sallee 16th 24:05

Katie Kaiser 19th 24:20

Mary Fewer 21st 24:41

Alaina Sallee 23rd 25:26

Alexus Nistler  38th 29:18

Andrea Hansen 46th 35:10

Boys team scores: Glasgow 47, Harlem 98, Brockton 119, Wolf Point 135, Poplar 183, Plentywood 204, Frazer NS, Culbertson/Bainville NS, Hays/LodgePole NS, Richey/Lambert NS,  Dodson/Whitewater NS, Williston Trinity NS

Walker Allen 4th 17:50

Ellis McKean 7th 18:05

Gabe Hallock 9th 18:17

Merlin McKean 11th 18:35

Braden Hallock 16th 19:04

Chase Hughes 23rd 19:36

Ethan Jamba 26th 19:59

Shane Sinclair 30th 20:42

Colin Jamba 31st 20:43

Logan Gunderson 33rd 20:57

Colton Pewitt 34th 20:58          

Tony Kaiser  35th 21:11

Presley Hallock 36th 21:14

Tanner Overby 39th 22:00

Jordan Billingsley 45th 23:32

Sidney Invitational

Sept. 18, 2015

Girls team scores: Glasgow 48, Miles City 49, Wolf Point 92, Poplar 85, Sidney NS, Terry NS, Circle NS, Frazer NS, Froid/Medicine Lake NS

Emily Kolstad 6th 22:20

Julia Kolstad 9th 23:10

Morgan Guttenberg 10th 23:19

Brinlie Nielsen 11th 23:37

Alex Simensen 12th 23:57

Faith Sallee 16th 24:54

Mary Fewer 19th 25:31

Girls JV

Katie Kaiser 1st 24:31  

Alaina Sallee 2nd 25:34

Alexus Nistler 11th 30:53

Andrea Hansen 12th 33:53

Boys team scores:  Glasgow 31, Sidney 59, Miles City 87, Glendive (JV) 110, Poplar 146, Frazer NS, Wolf Point NS, Terry NS  

Walker Allen 2nd 17:42

Ellis McKean 3rd 17:50

Gabe Hallock 5th 17:58

Merlin McKean 8th 18:24

Braden Meland 13th 19:01

Ethan Jamba 19th 19:42

Chase Hughes 20th 19:45

JV Boys

Colin Jamba 1st 20:16

Shane Sinclair 2nd 20:41

Logan Gunderson 4th 21:00

Tony Kaiser  5th 21:18

Presley Hallock 6th 21:23

Tanner Overby 7th 22:10

Jordan Billingsley 12th 24:54