Thompson Falls Invitational Thompson Falls Golf Course Sept. 27, 2007 Girls Team Scores 1. Whitefish 15 2. Thompson Falls 59 3. Eureka 90 . Libby no score . Arlee no score . Plains no score Girls Individual Results 1. Loni Hanson Whitefish 18:52 (new school record - old mark was 19:08) 2. Lauren Kuennen Whitefish 19:15 3. Bailey Eaton Whitefish 19:33 4. Stella Holt Whitefish 19:35 5. Clare Miller Whitefish 19:40 6. Beth Donovan Whitefish 20:11 7. Kelly Beiser Whitefish 20:20 9. Carly Schwickert Whitefish 20:56 15.Jessica Sagen Whitefish 21:56 17.Hannah Weaver Whitefish 22:20 19.Megan Shaver Whitefish 22:30 21.Anne Miller Whitefish 22:37 28.Elizabeth Stevenson Whitefish 24:27 30.Mallory Phillips Whitefish 25:18 31.Alexa Halliday Whitefish 25:46 Boys Team Scores 1. Thompson Falls 24 2. Whitefish 35 3. Plains 88 4. Libby 123 5. Eureka 138 Boys Individual Results 1. Drew Coco Whitefish 15:36 (new school record - old mark was 15:43) 5. Erik Anderson Whitefish 16:58 8. Michael Harrison Whitefish 17:23 10. Michael Samdahl Whitefish 17:32 11. Patrick McGunagle Whitefish 17:33 16. Byron Bard Whitefish 18:05 17. Marshall Opel Whitefish 18:07 23. Dylan Rice Whitefish 18:36 25. Baxter Graham Whitefish 18:40 43. Tucker Chambers Whitefish 22:41 45. Chris Reyna Whitefish 23:38 46. Dietrich Perchy Whitefish 23:51 Comments: This was the first trip to Thompson Falls for the Whitefish Cross Country program. With the results achieved, it may not be the last. The Whitefish Girls returned with a team victory and a lot of personal bests. The Boys returned with a second place finish and several personal bests, as well. “We’ve been traveling to Hamilton because they put on such a good meet. We found that leaving at 4:30 AM, after late night homecoming activities was not conducive for good performances. We liked the competition and the course at Hamilton, but we were a bit tired of running tired there. The Thompson Falls meet offered us an alternative to what we were doing. I’ve been impressed with what the Thompson Falls coaches are doing with their program. They have a first rate program, and I figured that they would host a first class event. It turned out that is what we found.” The Whitefish girls team found the course to their liking as they headed out fast, and kept on going as they swept the first seven places, led by Loni Hanson’s first place finish with her school best time of 18:52. Lauren Kuennen, fighting the effects of a recent cold, ran a great race as well to finish second in 19:15. “Loni was impressive to watch. She went out quickly with a 5:53 first mile. That’s pretty quick, but the first mile was a quick one without hills to slow her down. The second mile she maintained her lead through the tough part of the course and then finished well while running the initial mile of the course from the reverse direction on the return to the finish. She looked great, and was rewarded for her effort with a personal best time of 18:52.” “Lauren was just as impressive. Other than letting Loni get out a bit on her in the first half mile, she ran about the same race as our leader. I advised her to go out a bit more conservative and work the second half of the race, which she did. When she’s completely healthy, I think she’ll be right up there with Loni at the end. That’s a credit to the both of them.” Freshman Bailey Eaton (19:33) and Stella Holt (19:35) came across the line next, along with senior Clare Miller (19:40). By virtue of their finishes in the top five, the Lady Bulldogs completed a sweep of the top five and were rewarded with a perfect score of 15 points. “The only time we’ve ever had a perfect score was in our own time trial. Bailey Eaton had one heck of a race. I had a feeling that she may have what it takes to be a cross country runner when I watched her run an 800 last spring as an eighth grader. She has really figured out how to handle a three mile race.” “Stella ran just as well, along with Clare. I was so pleased to see them run well on such a great day for running. The weather was perfect with it being cool, with a slight breeze coming off the Clark Fork River. We don’t get opportunities to run in such conditions very often, so it was great to see them take advantage of it.” Juniors Beth Donovan and Kelly Beiser completed the team scoring by finishing six and seventh with times of 20:11 and 20:20, respectively. The boys team had an opportunity to run with the same course and conditions, and although they were unable to come away with a team victory, they were rewarded with their best race of the season. “It’s tough to follow this girls team, but these boys gave it a great shot.” Drew Coco would not be out done, as he ran with the leader for the first half of the race, and then took off on his own. He ended up with the individual title and a school best time of 15:36. “Drew reallly went after it today. There was no hesitation. He went out with a plan and was determined to see it succeed. I was impressed. It was a more confident runner than what we’ve witnessed during the first half of the season. It’s exactly what he needed to run in the mid 15's for the 3 mile race distance.” Thompson Falls came away with the team title, but the Bulldog runners all finished strongly with Erik Anderson came in with a time of 16:58 for fifth place. Michael Harrison (17:23), Michael Samdahl (17:32) and Patrick McGunagle (17:33) all finished in the top 11 positions to help the Bulldogs in the team scoring. “The T Falls team ran really well on their home course. They certainly will be in contention for a state B title if they can run like they did today when they run in Helena at the State Meet. We were happy enough with our improvements. It’s exactly what we’ll need as we continue toward our own team goal at the end of the season.” Byron Bard (18:05) and Marshall Opel (18:07) rounded out the top seven for the Whitefish boys as they both ran very nice times for the course. The next event for the Whitefish Cross Country teams will be at home on Saturday at 11:00 am for the boys race, and 11:40 am for the girls, as they host Frenchtown, Libby and Columbia Falls. The flat, fast campus course at Whitefish High School promises to offer a great opportunity to see the teams in action against great competition. Come out a support your Bulldogs!