Cross-country team has good numbers, youth

The Columbia Falls cross-country team has an excellent field of runners this year, said coach Richard Menicke.

"We have a lot of kids out, we should have a roster of about 30 runners," he said last week.

While they don't have standout athletes like all-state runner Samantha Mundel, Menicke said he expects this team to grow and get better as the season progresses.

Mundel graduated and will run for Carroll College this fall.

"We just want to improve on our times all season," Menicke said.

On the girls' side, Menicke is counting on youth. Raina Crowell and Jenny DeLorme have been training most of the summer, he said. Crowell is a sophomore, DeLorme a freshman.

On the boys' side, Winfield West is their top runner, with brothers Bryce and Brendan Bennett right in there.

But it will take a few meets for the team to shake out, Menicke noted.

"It's wide open," he said. Menicke is in his 20th year with the program and this is his seventh year as head coach.

This year the conference includes all of the western Montana schools, as Northwest A and Southwest A have merged into one.

Menicke said Corvallis is the team to beat for a conference title, Whitefish will be the top contender from the Northwest. The team's first meet is in Libby Aug. 29.