Girls 4th Behind 3 Nationally Ranked Teams; Boys Climb to 7th in Elite Field
The Helena High girls and boys led the way for Montana on a gorgeous Saturday at the Bob Firman Invitational cross country meet on The Course in Spokane Valley, Wash.
The site of the event provided runners with a unique experience on a new multi-million dollar facility constructed with one sport in mind – cross country – and the Bengals didn’t let the opportunity go to waste.
Guided by a trio of fearless freshmen and stabilized by savvy racing from veterans, the Bengal girls held their own with a fourth-place finish behind three nationally ranked teams – No. 8 Sehome (Bellingham, Wash.), No. 24 Rocky Mountain (Meridian, Idaho), and No. 36 Jesuit (Portland, Ore.).
Helena’s boys, meanwhile, posted a strong collective effort to finish 7th, slightly ahead of 8th-place Bozeman, and recorded the top finish for a Montana team in a race that featured incredible speed and depth.
From the start, it was clear the Helena girls were aiming for the podium they just missed, as freshmen Willa Sweeney, Clara Ostby, and McKenlee Young pushed to the front of the pack in the first kilometer. Seniors Isa Ward and Kortney McKay settled into a fast pace a little further back, and junior Izzy Lundstrom and senior Emmie Bermingham kept their teammates in sight, poised to add depth they’ve provided throughout the season.
As the race progressed through the 2K, 3K, and 4K marks, three Montanans – Polson’s Morgan Delaney, Bozeman’s Phoebe Maixner, and Hellgate’s Reed Stromberg – moved to the front of the pack to spearhead what would turn out to be a statement day for Montana runners.
Sweeney and Ostby continued to push each other through the always difficult middle mile in the top 40, and Young continued forward a handful of places back in her strongest, most complete race by any measure in a Bengal uniform. Ward and McKay, meanwhile, navigated heavy traffic in the top half of the elite field, while Lundstrom and Bermingham provided a safety valve in the event any of the Bengals’ top five faltered.
But Helena (201 points) held strong throughout the lineup and put a scare into the teams ahead of them, finishing just 25 points behind Rocky Mountain (176) and 18 behind Jesuit (183). Sehome, which placed 10th at Nike Cross Nationals last fall, ran away with the win, posting 125 points.
Sweeney guided the Bengals across the line for the fifth time in as many races this season, running a 36-second personal best of 18:15 to set a Bengal freshman 5K school record, and move to No. 2 on the all-time list behind 2019 Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year, Kylie Hartnett. Ostby (30th) and Young (32nd) also moved ahead of Hartnett’s freshman record with massive personal bests of 18:24 and 18:29, respectively.
Ward placed 70th in 18:56, slipping under 19:00 for the third time in her career as she established good rhythm in the race and will take some momentum forward after a confident performance. McKay placed 96th in 19:18, her second-fastest mark this season, demonstrating resolve throughout the race as she locked down Helena’s scoring as the fifth runner, moving up five places in the final kilometer. Lundstrom, meanwhile, made a big late push through the field to finish 100th in a personal best of 19:22. The junior gained six places in the second kilometer, seven in the third, eight in the fourth, and nine in the fifth as she continues to find her footing in her first season of cross country. And senior Emmie Bermingham ran a season best of 19:57 in 143rd, again demonstrating her reliability and grit throughout the race.
The race marked the first time in school history more than two Bengals registered times faster than 19 minutes in the same event (four), and the first time more than one runner ran faster than 18:30 in the same competition (three).
In the boys race, things got off to a difficult start for Helena’s leader as Milo Kauffman got a “flat tire” just 400 meters into the race, then kicked his shoe completely off about 200 meters later – choosing to move forward with just one shoe.
While the all-grass course made that plan seem favorable in the moment, the disadvantage became clear as the race progressed and Kauffman’s body struggled to keep up with his aspirations as a result of a shorter leg to stand on and the lack of traction on one side.
Despite the unfortunate turn of events, he pressed on and still managed to run his second-fastest time this season (15:22) and finish 33rd to lead the Bengals to seventh.
Behind Kauffman were a rush of personal-best performances from his rising supporting cast. Sophomore Emory Kreissler placed 76th in a PR 15:52, pushing through a difficult fourth kilometer to rebound with a strong finish, and senior Joel Melton posted another strong performance with a PR of 15:57 in 85th.
Just off Melton’s shoulder was Helena sophomore Tristan Hill, who had yet another breakthrough performance, this time finishing 86th in a PR of 15:57, climbing a whopping 44 places from the end of the first kilometer to the finish. Freshman Derek Bury, meanwhile, was nearly as active in the passing department, moving past 34 runners in the same distance to place 94th in a PR of 16:03 and finish Helena’s scoring.
Sixth-man Dan Williams (232nd) also ran a personal best, clocking in at 17:16, and junior Foster Warner (254th) capped Helena’s big day in 17:45.
With just four weeks remaining until the state championship meet, Helena next heads to the Great Falls Invitational on Friday, Oct. 2 before returning home for two meets at Helena’s Bill Roberts Golf Course – Tracy Logan 7 of 7 on Thursday, Oct. 8, and the Helena Area Meet on Wednesday, Oct. 14. State is Saturday, Oct. 24 at Amend Park in Billings.