Simon Douglas has been near the front of several races this year, and at the Class A State Cross Country Championships on Saturday, October 26 he proved to be one of the best in Montana.

Racing at Missoula’s University of Montana, the Whitefish senior placed sixth with a time of 16:42.46. It was the capstone of a high school running career that spoke volumes about his running style. 

“Simon met his expectations getting in the top ten; how he did it was classic Simon: kicking from 12th with 450 meters to go,” Whitefish Head Coach Richard Menicke said.

It has to be said that cross country is unique in that it comes down to just a single race at the end of the year. What Douglas showed was he was the sixth-best runner in the state. A rare achievement for any athlete, as being the sixth-best basketball, soccer or football player at any position would be an honor to cherish.

Whitefish as a team placed 14th. Fellow senior Ethan Amick placed 50th (18:09.30), while junior Logan Hyland was 71st (18:43.14). Luca Gignoux, in his first state race as a freshman, placed 11th (20:00.39).

“The boys' team finished exactly as projected before the race, so that is good to meet expectations,” Menicke said. “The silver lining is that six of the eight on the state team will be back next year.”

 Menicke said that Hyland raced well and finished in the top half of the pack.

Mason  Loeffler was 114th (20:03.50), while Jake Shors was (20:11.49), and Koru Larimore was 130th (20:39.92).

In the girls race, the tightly packed Lady Bulldog runners bunched up to place ninth as a team.

Maren Cromie placed 30th (21:11.56) to lead the Lady Bulldogs with the best time in the junior’s career. Grace Inabnit was 37th (21:37.53), followed closely by Sophie Douglas, who was 41st with a personal best time of 21:41.75.

Kellie Klepper was 74th (23:04.40) and Sierra Gibb was 78th (23:14.02). Whitney Workman in her final high school cross country race, placed 107th (24:38.52), and Astir Pulsifer placed 119th (25:12.97).  

“The girls team did amazing - two of our top three ran the fastest race of their careers. Shout out to Maren Cromie for getting out fast and racing well; she was followed by Grace and Sophie, who both ran strong,” Menicke said. “They finished 30-37-41, which is great for pack scoring.”

Menicke said Gignoux led the No. 4-7 runners, which was key for a top-ten finish in team scoring.

“While celebrating this season and the accomplishments of our seniors, I am super excited for the future,” Menicke said. “We have a core of boys and girls who will be around for at least two more years, and they get along well and like to work hard. Good things happen with those factors combined with the experiences of this year.”

    Seniors Ethan Amick (left) and Simon Douglas (right) vie for position early at the MHSA State Cross Country meet in Missoula on Saturday. (Matt Weller photo)
  

    Senior Whitney Workman logs in another solid effort at the State Cross Country meet on Saturday. (Matt Weller photo)
  

    Whitefish Senior Kellie Klepper makes a break at the State Cross Country meet in Missoula. (Seth Anderson Photo).
  

    Whitefish Junior Maren Cromie led the lady bulldogs at the State meet on Saturday, posting a personal best time of 21:16, good for 30th overall. (Matt Weller Photo)
  

    Freshman Bulldog, Luca Gignoux, accelerates towards the finish of the MHSA State Cross Country championship in Missoula on Saturday. (Matt Weller photo)
  

    Koru Larimore competing at the State Cross Country meet in Missoula on Saturday. (Seth Anderson Photo)