SPOKANE — Two weeks ago when Polson freshman Aja Starkey finished fourth in the Mountain West Classic two weeks ago, her biggest fan was her sister Mesa.

“I was on the verge of tears,” Mesa said “She’s running the most amazing races of her life.”

Last week, Aja sat out in Spokane after her foot started hurting as a precaution. That left the bulk of the running responsibility to her teammates and her sister.

They certainly didn’t let down.

Mesa finished eighth (20:42) and freshman Claudia Hewston finished fifth (20:48) for the girls’ team.

“I was proud of the way the girls responded individually,” Polson head coach Matt Seeley said. “Against big, powerful teams from Eastern Washington and Idaho, Claudia and Mesa showed real Montana toughness to break into the top ten.”

Mesa has been working with a lot of the younger runners on the team and said that everyone is running well and working hard in practice.

With the number of talented freshman on the team, it’s hard to ignore Mesa’s influence on them.

The boys’ team also ran well against the competition to the west. Sophomore Jimmy Bjorge led the Pirates with a time of 17:54. Junior Alex Nystrom finished at 18:22, and sophomore Travis Hayes shaved nearly 1:12 off his time with a 18:37 run.

“Travis finished the season as a team leader last year and he is back to that same form and looks to improve even more for the upcoming championship races,” Seeley said. “Jimmy is a real competitor and often rises to the occasion at the big meets.”

Polson will run at the Hamilton Invitation next Saturday.