Freshmen pacing Loggers into state XC meet
Seven of the 17 runners that ran for the Loggers at the Western A divisional meet are freshmen, including four of six on the varsity girls team. Six are pictured here. (Photo courtesy of Rodd Zeiler)
There’s a youth movement on the Libby cross country team.
Seven of the 17 runners that ran for the Loggers last weekend at the Western A divisional meet are freshmen, including four of six on the varsity girls team.
“Having the freshmen come out is just a phenomenal thing,” Loggers coach Rodd Zeiler said.
Annika Thorstenson is second to only her older sister, Lauren, on the girls team this year, helping push the Loggers to an eighth place finish at divisionals. Fellow rookie Halona Lafleur will also run at state with Ruby Martin traveling as an alternate.
Ian Wood has the fourth-fastest time among the boys and will bolster a Loggers roster that finished 10th at divisionals when it travels to the state meet on Saturday at Bill Roberts Golf Course in Helena.
The improvement among the first-year runners has been massive, with Annika Thorstenson cutting three minutes off her first time this season, Ruby Martin cutting down two minutes and Savanna Sanderson cutting off nearly six minutes. Gabby Fantozzi, who has battled shin splints this season, cut three minutes offer her time in a little over a month from the Mountain West Classic to divisionals.
“It’s amazing how these freshmen are stepping up and really making the team better,” Zeiler said.
The cross country team is young overall, with only two seniors racing on varsity between the two teams. The boys are paced by sophomore John Cheroske and the girls by juniors Lauren Thorstenson and Mikalyn Zeiler.
Senior Michael Diller ran a 19:17.3 at the divisional meet and will push for the fastest time for the Loggers and Sidney Stevenson is the lone senior among the young girls side, with Maryssa Sanderson serving as an alternate.
“I’m hoping for some very good things at state,” Zeiler said.
The young team is doing its best to help recruit more young talent to help build depth on the roster.
“They’re trying,” Zeiler said. “They try to tell people how awesome it is.”
The Class A boys will open the state meet at 11 a.m. on Saturday with the girls scheduled to start at noon.
The Corvallis boys dominated the Western A meet and enter state as a favorite for the team title, with multiple runners who could challenge for the individual championship. The Blue Devils girls team also enters as a favorite along with Whitefish.