Eaton sets course record in Thompson Falls

The Whitefish High School cross-country teams love to run at Thompson Falls. The course is fast, the area scenic and the competition very good. The Bulldog runners also seem to run very, very well on the course.

The Lady Bulldogs ran first and set the tone for the day with a team victory led by individual-winner Bailey Eaton. The Whitefish girls won the team title with a low score of 21 points. Second-place Columbia Falls finished with 70, while host Thompson Falls finished in third with 87.

"Bailey ran an outstanding race," coach Bill Brist said. "She led from the start and pulled away in the final mile of the race. This was a strong field with some of the top individuals from Class A in the race. Her time of 18:33 was not only a new course record, but also a new school record."

The former school record was set last year by Jackie Cassidy at 18:42.

"The entire girls team had a great meet," Brist said. "The ladies took advantage of the cooler weather to put down fast times."

Loni Hanson and Jessica Sagen finished fourth and fifth at the meet. Carly Schwickert finished in sixth with a personal best time of 19:35.

"Carly had a breakthrough race," Brist said. "She's gone through a couple of rough patches in her career as a runner, but this race really was a bright spot. This was her first race under 20 minutes, and it puts her right into the thick of things for her future races. She has the ability to run with our top-three, and by finishing only 22 seconds back from Jess shows that she's not that far away."

Hannah Weaver finished in eighth with a personal best time of 20:00.

"I would have liked to have seen her squeak under that 20-minute mark," Brist said, "but she did such a great job of running all the way through the three-mile course, that I think she was able to get everything she could have out of her run. She didn't have much left at the finish, which is the way we like to see them finish."

Anne Miller, Liz Stevenson and Nicole Birk all finished with times in the low- to mid-21s, which were personal bests.

"These three all raced very well," Brist said. "They're starting to really cut down their times. Our depth is starting to get better. We still have a few more meets ahead of us, so I feel that we are making some strides with these three."

The Whitefish boys ended up in fourth out of nine teams. They were led by Nathan Knox, who finished in the top-10 with his eighth-place finish with a personal best time of 16:49.

"Nathan had a great race," Brist said. "He worked his way up through the field as the race progressed. He had a lot of patience, and it paid off with a great performance. It was nice to see him rewarded with a time in the 16s. That's a major goal for every boy runner. Once you've hit the 16s, you've reached a special level."

Knox was followed in by Jace Kalbfleisch (13th at 17:21), Fischer Gangemi (23rd at 17:52) and Baxter Graham (27th at 17:56).

"Jace and Fischer have been doing a great job for our team," Brist said. "As freshmen, it shows that although age is a factor in athletics, it's not always a limiting factor. I think that they both have a bright future in front of them if they continue to improve as they have this season."

Brist noted that Baxter and Chris Reyna (31st in 18:06) both had great races to round out the Bulldogs' top-five. Both competed all the way to the finish line, he said.

Next up for both squads will be the Whitefish Invitational, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 10, on the Whitefish High School campus. This will be the only home meet of the season for the teams and will offer a great opportunity for the community to watch cross-country competition.

"We have a larger field this season for our home invitational," Brist said. "Our course is a bit tight, so it'll be interesting to see how it works out. It's a great chance to see a cross-country meet. There are plenty of opportunities to see the runners. It's a faster course, with no hills to slow them down, so times should be quick with the cooler weather expected for the meet."

Eight schools will be on hand to compete in the event, including top Class A teams Frenchtown, Columbia Falls, Ronan and Libby and strong Class B teams from Thompson Falls, Plains and Eureka.

Thompson Falls Invitational

Girls teams

1. Whitefish 21

2. Columbia Falls 70

3. Thompson Falls 87

4. Flathead JV 116

5. Frenchtown 131

6. Eureka 150

Girls individual results

1. Bailey Eaton 18:33 (new course record, old record Kasey Harwood, Polson, 18:48, 2003)

3. Loni Hanson 19:00

4. Jessica Sagen 19:13

5. Carly Schwickert 19:35

8. Hannah Weaver 20:00

18. Anne Miller 21:10

19. Liz Stevenson 21:11

21. Nicole Birk 21:34

37. Emma Marchetti 23:58

55. Katrina Brown 26:33

59. Justine Dugdale 27:40

61. Haley Hill 28:19

Boys teams

1. Columbia Falls 27

2. Frenchtown 63

3. Flathead JV 95

4. Whitefish 101

5. Plains 137

6. Eureka 167

7. Libby 177

8. Thompson Falls 194

9. Arlee 205

Boys individual results

8. Nathan Knox 16:49

13. Jace Kalbfleisch 17:21

23. Fischer Gangemi 17:52

27. Baxter Graham 17:56

31. Chris Reyna 18:06

34. Will Holdhusen 18:19

27. Francisco Valle 18:55

63. Spencer Hale 20:41

64. Peter Seymour 20:47

67. Matt Guitterez 21:01

72. Matt Kennedy 21:25

73. Zach Blumhardt 21:35

77. Jon Jacobs 22:50