Bonners Ferry sophomore runner Zach Hammond placed 48th among 82 runners in his division during the Footlocker Western Regionals Cross Country Championships in Walnut, Calif.

Hammond completed the 3.1-mile hilly course in 18:27, while Bonners Ferry classmates Micah Krmpotich placed 49th with a run of 18:39 and Mitch Skjeveland took 64th with a time of 19:32.

Senior Badger Dylan Sweeney, who ran in a separate division, took 120th out of 214 runners. Sweeney’s time was 19:31, which is about two minutes slower than his normal time. Sweeney continues to struggle with an injury from early fall and hadn’t run for a month prior to Western Regionals.

The race served as a qualifier for the Footlocker National Championship race held the following week in San Diego.

The four local athletes, who were last year’s top Badger cross country runners, flew to California for the event and returned two days later. The course at Mt. Sac featured three major hills; the first had several switchbacks.

The boys enjoyed the experience.

“It’s really cool to see thousands of other runners just like you,” said Sweeney, who is the son of Carol Thompson and Joe Sweeney.

“You get to see how you match up with people from across the country,” added Hammond, the son of Bobby and Tacie Hammond.

“It was a lot of fun to go and watch the guys and girls race,” said Krmpotich, who lives with Shannon and Bruce Wilson.

Skjeveland is the son of Jennifer Meyer and Jamie Skjeveland.

Nydell Wall, owner of the Athletic Connection in Bonners Ferry, provided the boys with their uniforms.