Cross Country: Loggers compete at Thompson Falls, Eureka

by Western News
| October 5, 2009 12:00 AM

Libby High School cross country runners Jacob Thomas and Will Lott each recorded the fastest 3.0-mile course times in the past two seasons last week at different meets.

First, Thomas ran a 17:53 during this past Thursday’s Thompson Falls Invitational. Then on Saturday, Lott ran the same time at a small meet in Eureka.

“I was real happy with some of our kids down there at Thompson Falls,” LHS coach Rod Tempel said. “Jacob Thomas just ran exceptionally well. That was the first time anybody had been under 18 minutes in a while so I was real pleased with him.”

Lott was just seven seconds behind Thomas at Thompson Falls with a time of 18:00. Ben Graziano followed with an 18:25 and Jacob McCrohan came in with an 18:30. Libby’s top four runners all had personal bests.

Also running for the Loggers were Zeke Carlson (19:32), Matt Nelson (19:32), Cody Elliott (20:00), Trevor Hogan (21:16), Kyle Stern (21:22) and Jesse Nelson (24:01).

As a team, the boys placed seventh out of nine teams.

Foreign-exchange student Nikola Falk continues to tear up the course for the girls. Falk ran the route in 19:54 to place seventh overall. Elizabeth Rodgers ran a 27:26 and Michelle Hanson came in with a 34:16.

Cody Barrick ran a two-mile course in 14:53 at the middle-school level.

At Eureka, Falk took first place by a full 40 seconds over the nearest competitor with a time of 20:13. Rodgers completed the course in 28:20.

For the boys, Lott’s 17:53 was Libby’s top time and third-best at the meet. Thomas followed in fourth at 18:18 while working his way through a hip injury that he suffered while running down a long hill. Dylan Berget placed fifth with a 18:49 and McCrohan came in sixth at 18:57.

Graziano placed seventh (19:04), Kody Berget was eighth (19:10), Carlson finished ninth (19:16) and Nelson ended up 10th (20:02). Other LHS runners included Hogan (15th, 21:55), Stern (17th, 22:06), Elliott (18th, 22:12); Chris Faulkner (19th, 22:22) and Nelson (21st, 22:35).

The Libby boys won the meet with 25 points. Eureka took the top two individual places but finished second overall with 39 points.

Barrick ran a 10:57 in the middle-school race, which covered 1.5 miles.

Libby heads to Whitefish on Saturday for an eight-team meet.