Cross country: C-Falls claims Libby Invite

The Libby cross country team may not have taken a top place at the hometown invitational meet on Saturday, but first year-head coach Rodd Zeiler isn’t even looking at times yet.

“Our main goal was to cross that running barrier we all face with grace and success and they all did,” Zeiler said. “They hit a wall they had to overcome mentally and physically and they did it with a good attitude.”

Of the 13 teams that competed in the Libby Invitational, the Columbia Falls Wildcats took first in the boys’ meet behind Sage Wanner, who ran the J. Neils Park course in 15 minutes and 53 seconds. Flathead’s Ben Perrin followed with a time of 16:17.

The Lady Logger runners took eighth on Saturday behind Lauren Thorstenson, who finished the course in 22:14.

For the boys, Tim Goodman finished in the top 20 with a time of 18:21.The Libby boys didn’t place on Saturday, but Zeiler said the team has officially crossed the threshold of knowing what it takes to compete. He said while goals and times will come into the primary focus, he first needs the team to understand how to follow through a course mentally and physically and “to learn what it takes to have guts and grit. How to do that without reducing your form to mush. Once that’s established then you start looking at times and setting goals.”

Zeiler said by week three he hopes to have established goals for the team and individual runners.

This weekend the Loggers will head to Eureka for a mile-and-a-half relay race.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.