SANDPOINT — Coeur d’Alene junior Caitlin Conway was clearly the leader of the pack on Saturday at the 13-team William Johnson Sandpoint Invitational, winning the girls race by a comfortable 53 seconds in a time of 18:42 on the 5K track at Travers Park.

But it was the pack that ultimately won the race, as sophomore Katherine Kaul finished third (19:42), Claire Pierce fourth (19:45) and Hannah Davidson fifth (19:50), leading the two-time reigning 4A state champion Bulldog girls to the first team win of their own meet in a decade.

All seven Bulldogs finished under 21 minutes, flashing the depth that will help them in their run for a state three-peat. Bulldog girls coach Angie Brass was riding high after her team was able to edge 5A power Coeur d’Alene by 16 points in a strong showing.

“That was the first time in a very long time. All in all, a very strong pack,” said Brass. “We utilized this last race before regionals. You can feel the strength of the pack.”

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