Harriers do well in race at Hamilton
Chris Peterson | Hungry Horse News | UPDATED 10 months, 1 week AGO
The Columbia Falls cross country team “Herd of Turtles” had a fair showing in Hamilton Thursday. The varsity boys took second to Corvallis, and the varsity girls took fourth. The JV boys won the meet.
“There hasn’t been a week this season where we haven’t seen solid growth,” said head coach Jim Peacock.
River Blazejewski was first for the guys, with a 16:44. Mason Colliander came in second with a 17:42, followed by Aiyers Powell, with a 17:46.
On the girls side, junior Hazel Alexander also showcased a huge PR of 20:48.
“All season, she’s been closing the gap between her and her teammates, and once she did, she’s developed that ‘I can’ attitude that we clearly saw at this Hamilton race: she went out, led the pack, and went to go see what she could accomplish,” Peacock said. “I’m proud of her.”
Behind Alexander were seniors Findley Dezzani, with a personal best time of 20:59, and Ashley Andrews, with a 21:33.
“Really great races on the day,” said Peacock.
But the real standout male performance was that of a varsity runner who ran JV at this meet.
Connor Jordan won the JV boys race by a whopping 45 seconds, with a personal best time of 17:53. The last time a freshman “sub 18’d” was four years ago by River Blazejewski, at the Capitol City 7 on 7 meet.
“We’ve had a really solid freshman season. It’s a big deal, depending on them at the varsity level,” Peacock said.
The varsity teams will travel down to Helena on Wednesday night to compete on Thursday morning. At the Capitol City 7 on 7 meet, the races go as follows: there are two JV races, then the seventh-place varsity boy and girl from each team run combined, followed by the sixth-place runners, etc., for a total of seven races.
“It’s a fun race when you don’t have teammates to work off of–it makes for a few exciting breakout surprises,” Peacock said.
It’s a fantastic event to watch, as the anticipation builds throughout the day leading up to the last race. The event will be held at Bill Roberts Golf Course.
The herdling JV teams will also race on Saturday in Pablo, at the Silver Fox Golf Course.