PREP CROSS COUNTRY: Priest River girls claim district title
MAX OSWALD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 months AGO
I grew up in the small town of Orwigsburg, Pa., where I resided all of my life before moving to Sandpoint. I attended Blue Mountain High School, where I participated in cross country and track and field, a sport that I ended up falling in love with. I went on to attend and run for DeSales University (with other brief stints at Susquehanna University and Elizabethtown College) and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sport communication with a minor in sport management. I remember just how great it made me feel when I was mentioned in my hometown newspaper. I want to be able to give that feeling to every athlete in Bonner County, no matter how big or small their accomplishments are. As an athlete myself, I know how many hours of work are put in on a daily basis, and that hard work deserves to be recognized. It is my goal to cover as much of the Bulldogs, Spartans and Wampus Cats as I can. I want to work with every athlete, parent, coach, administrator and the community to ensure the best stories are published. | October 24, 2025 12:00 PM
PRIEST RIVER — Junior Alannah McLaimtaig placed second out of 18 runners with a time of 22 minutes, 59 seconds and the Lady Spartans finished 4-5-6 to clinch the 3A District 1-2 title and a state berth Thursday at The Ranch Club.
Seniors Capri White (4th, 23:59) and Kyla White (5th, 24:38) ran to top five finishes while freshman Maiyu Smith (6th, 25:55) ran to a new personal best and was the meet's top freshman. Junior Breelynn Duran (10th, 27:00) rounded out the scorers for the Lady Spartans, which bested Kellogg by five points.
For the boys, freshman Tadhg McLaimtaig was the meet's top freshman, placing third out of 22 runners with a time of 17 minutes, 55 seconds to book his ticket to state. Junior Daniel Gunkle also claimed an individual state berth as he placed fifth in 19 minutes, 2 seconds for the Spartans, which were third out of three scoring teams with 59 points.
Priest River will return to action Saturday, Nov. 1, for the 3A State Championship, set to be held at the Lewiston Orchards near Lewis-Clark State College.
BOYS
TEAM SCORES (Top two advance to state) — 1, Kellogg 28. 2, Grangeville 42. 3, Priest River 59.
STATE QUALIFIERS (Top seven) — 1, AJ Rose, Grangeville, 17:47. 2, Shadrach Creswell, Kellogg, 17:54. 3, Tadhg McLaimtaig, Priest River, 17:55. 4, Alex Cassidy, Kellogg, 18:48. 5, Daniel Gunkle, Priest River, 19:02. 6, Buck Coe, Kellogg, 19:05. 7, Davin Harju, Kellogg, 19:25.
OTHER LOCALS — 14, Maxwell Hewitt, Priest River, 21:52; 17, Jonathan White, Priest River, 23:19; 21, Landon Blackburn, Priest River, 24:12.
GIRLS
TEAM SCORES (Top two advance to state) — 1, Priest River 27. 2, Grangeville 32. 3, Kellogg 73.
STATE QUALIFIERS (Top six) — 1, Callie Howe, Grangeville, 22:48. 2, Alannah McLaimtaig, Priest River, 22:59. 3, Alexis King, Grangeville, 23:02. 4, Capri White, Priest River, 23:59. 5, Kyla White, Priest River, 24:38. 6, Maiyu Smith, Priest River, 25:55.
OTHER LOCALS — 10, Breelynn Duran, Priest River, 27:00; 12, Abagail Shaulis, Priest River, 27:37; 13, Sakura Smith, Priest River, 28:00.
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