Scotties Statebound

Glasgow's cross country teams closed out their regular season Saturday at the Harlem Invitational, solidifying the squads' rosters for State this week. The Scottie girls won the meet with 34 points, finishing ahead of Sunburst, 62; Poplar, 62, and Chinook, 93. The boys were 6 points out of first place, placing behind Harlem's 73 points. Poplar put up 83 points for third, Plenty Coups 93 for fourth and Wolf Point 118 for fifth.

"The course was a little longer this year, so times weren't what we were hoping for on Friday," said head coach Tim Phillips. "But overall we did see some of our runners really step up!"

Tanae Baker continued to lead the girls team, taking first place overall, out of 51 runners. The junior turned in a 19:19.97. Haleigh Huntsman and Kheyerah Bilger also cracked the top 10, finishing in sixth and eighth, respectively. Huntsman ran a 22:02.81 and Bilger completed the course in 22:35.47.

Kimber Dulaney took 11th at 23:18.57 with Jensina Tweten finishing directly behind her in 12th place with a time of 23:23.51. Caylen Jankowski ran a 23:33.03 and finished in 15th place. Riley Evenson-Glasoe's 23:51.37 put her in 17th place.

Mayzie Yoakam placed 23rd, staying on the trail for 24:50.63. Mary Dykema ran a 27:13.24 for 36th place and Josie Kemp turned in a 29:05.77 for 43rd place.

"With several of the girls competing for a spot on the state team, we saw some real good efforts. Tanae, Haleigh and Kheyerah all continue to be very consistent. Kimber and Jensina both ran very well: Jensina was only six seconds from another personal best!" Phillips said.

He continued, "Riley ran very well, and Caylen wasn't too far off her Sidney time. Mayzie has not been healthy all year, and struggled a bit. I thought both Mary and Josie gave good efforts on a less-than-ideal day."

Kyler Holinde was again the lead Glasgow boy, taking third place overall out of 78 racers with a time of 17:42.65. Ted See set a season record at 18:45.98 to take 14th and Adam Mickelson was close behind with a time of 19:34.91 in 17th place.

James Seekins and Rowen Kloker took 22nd and 23rd, respectively. Seekins ran a 20:17.02 while Kloker's time on the course was 20:30.99. Owen Thompson took 28th place at 21:09.52. Drew Simensen took 37th place at 21:51.80 and Gage Larsen ran a 22:49.74 for 48th place.

Timothy Pearson placed 57th with a time of 23:23.22 and Tristin Silhan ran a 26:49.33 for 72nd place.

"For the boys, Kyler Holinde continues to run strong to lead the team. He's closed the gap a little to Branlin (from Harlem). If Kyler has a good day at state, he should make the top 15," Phillips said. "Ted was only a couple seconds slower than last year's course, which was short. And Adam, James and Owen were far ahead of last year's times – so on a long course that's a win!

"Gage got a side-ache and that slowed him down quite a bit. Tim, Drew and Tristin all saw their seasons end but between the three, they cut 8 minutes off their time from the start of the season, so I look for good things from them next year!"

The 60th Annual Montana High School Association Cross Country Championships are this Saturday. The Glasgow girls will take Baker, Huntsman, Bilger, Emily See, Jankowski, Dulaney and Tweten with Evenson-Glasoe serving as alternate. Holinde, T. See, Mickelson, Seekins, Kyler Whitman, Kloker, and Thompson will run for the Scottie boys with Larsen as alternate.

"Looking forward to state, we'll add Emily back in the mix. She's been fighting tendonitis in the ankle all year but has really hit the bike hard and I expect her to still be close to top form. Tanae is still running very strong so I expect her to continue that in Kalispell," Phillips told the Courier. "Team-wise, I think we have a really good shot at the top three. If we all run really well, I believe we have a shot to win. But Manhattan is pretty even with us. And Huntley is right there too. 

"We're hoping to have Kyler Whitman healthy for state - I think he should be good to go by Tuesday. The boys will be a little farther back than the girls at state, but I'm eager to see what they do with all their training, both individually and as a team."

The Cross Country Championships will be at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell Saturday, Oct. 21. The Class B boys race at 1:15 p.m. The Class B girls run closes out the event with a 2:10 p.m. start time.