Helena High cross country continued to make gains with another strong early season showing, this time at the Bozeman XC Invitational on Saturday.
The varsity girls got things going with an aggressive start at Bridger Creek Golf Course, and they finished with aplomb as the Bengals’ competed to the very last inch of the 5-kilometer course to snag every point they could. That competitive fire resulted in an eighth-place finish and numerous lifetime bests under cloudy skies and with a light breeze cooling the air.
Bozeman (83), Hellgate (101), and Gallatin (107) took the top three spots, and they were followed by Class A Hardin (120), Wyoming’s Natrona (143) and Sheridan (178), Flathead (183), and Helena (218). The Bengals finished fifth among the 16 AAs in the meet, and again were carried by their collective effort, with the top five runners crossing the finish line within 1 minute, 2 seconds of each other.
Leading the way for Helena was senior Bria Plant, who despite sensing midway through the race she wasn’t having a great day, shaved a whopping 28 seconds off her personal best to finish 27th in 20:21. Close behind was junior Solveig Mohr in 31st, and she too ran a personal best, improving by 39 seconds to cross the finish line in 20:30 after closing with a big kick down the homestretch. Next up for the Bengals were senior Sofia Hinderman and junior Hadyn Garza in 46th and 50th with personal bests of their own in 21:00 and 21:05.
Junior Margaret McDonald put together a strong performance as Helena’s fifth and final scoring runner to place 68th in what was her second-best career time, pushing across the finish in 21:22. Sophomore Kate Lee added some insurance in 71st with a lifetime best of 21:24 as she caught five runners in the final 150 meters.
Helena’s seventh runner was junior Margot Muszkiewicz in 123rd and Adela Sund placed 146th. Both runner’s posted their second best career times in 22:46 and 23:20, respectively.
In the boys varsity competition, junior Henry Sund worked his way up front with the lead pack early in the race, which helped carry him to another strong finish as he guided the Bengals to fifth place with a 15th-place showing in 16:13. Close behind were the dynamic duo of freshmen Milo Kauffman and junior Elliot Stimpson, who once again pushed each other from start to finish to personal bests of 16:22 and 16:25, respectively, in 21st and 24th place.
Senior Trey Schlepp made a strong late push and was followed closely by junior Jake Matthews in 57th and 58th to complete Helena’s scoring. Both runners finished in 17:18, which was a lifetime best for Schlepp. The Helena boys 1-5 spread was an impressive 1:04.
The Bengals finished with 173, as Bozeman (55), Billings West (97), Great Falls (117), and Sentinel (163) claimed the top four spots.
Also running varsity for Helena were sophomore Garrett Hinderman (65th, 17:25, PR), junior Eli Highness (68th, 17:27, PR), sophomore Dylan Hill (73rd, 17:31), senior Ian Rasmann (83rd, 17:41), and junior Chris Jenemann (172nd, 19:26).
Junior Varsity
Not to be outdone by their varsity counterparts, Helena’s JV squads impressed in a big way with the girls winning the meet and the boys placing second.
Led by senior Alivia Thunstrom, who was running her first race, the girls placed seven runners in the top 21 to win a close battle with Bozeman and Hellgate. The Bengals finished with 50, while Bozeman posted 64 and Hellgate delivered 71.
Thunstrom posted an impressive season debut in 22:25 to place seventh, and the Bengals poured across the finish line after that. Freshman Mary Clement chopped 1:10 of her previous best to place ninth in 22:34, junior Ella Irey opened her season in 13th with a time of 22:36, sophomore Wren Clum followed in 15th in 22:40, sophomore Emily Davidson was 16th in 22:44, sophomore Gabbi LaVoie followed her breakthrough race in Kalispell with a 19th-place finish in 22:59, and junior Caoimhe Gallagher was 21st in 23:06.
By placing their top seven in the top 21, the Bengals had a full complement of scoring runners and displacers (six and seven) across the finish line before Bozeman’s fourth runner and Hellgate’s fifth, locking up the team title. The girls also demonstrated incredible teamwork, providing each other with a massive push toward the finish line as the top five finished within 19 seconds of each other and the top seven within 41 seconds. And that theme of unity was consistent for many of the runners that followed, as they packed up and ran together, something they’ve been working on consistently at practice.
On the boys side, the Bengals finished second with 105, while Billings West collected the victory with 84.
Senior Ryan Maus led the way with a season record in third place, finishing in 18:23. Freshman Joel Melton raced to 11th in 18:48, junior Sam Fitterer was 23rd in a personal best of 19:11, freshman Dan Williams placed 38th in 19:35, and junior Luke Wilkins capped the Bengals’ scoring in 52nd in 19:51. Sophomore Finn Morrison (81st, 20:17) and junior Carson Payne (144th, 21:26) were Helena’s sixth and seventh runners.
The JV boys finished with a 1-5 gap of 1:28 in a field of 313 runners.
Up Next
The big meets continue next week as the Bengals head to Highland Golf Course for the Butte Invitational, where the field will include 25 teams. Competition begins at noon Friday, Sept. 15.
Helena High Cross Country 