Van Maanen, Leishman lead Arlee, Mission Runners at state cross country championships

Arlee's Ava Van Maanen turned in a top-10 finish, while Trevor Van Maanen and Mission's Jason Leishman led the local boys at the Montana High School Association State Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Amend Park in Billings.

Competing against the state's best Class B runners, Arlee freshman Ava Van Maanen finished eighth in the girls 5,000-meter race with a personal-best time of 19 minutes, 22.7 seconds.

Van Maanen finished just two-tenths of a second behind Jefferson's Emma Ahlers for seventh place, highlighting an impressive performance in her first state championship appearance.

In the boys' race, Arlee senior Trevor Van Maanen earned an 11th-place finish, clocking a personal-best 16:33.7. That finish placed him among the top dozen runners in a field of 239 competitors.

Mission senior Jason Leishman also delivered a strong showing, placing 20th overall in a personal-best 16:57.1 to lead the Bulldogs.

The Mission boys finished 12th among 32 scoring teams with 413 points, while Arlee placed 18th with 546 points. Poplar captured the Class B boys championship with 100 points, narrowly edging runner-up Harlem, which finished with 101.

Behind Leishman, sophomore Boyd Kain was Mission's second finisher, placing 70th in a personal-best 18:16.2 and sophomore Isaiah Garipey followed in 86th with a time of 18:43.9.

Sophomore Isaac Morigeau finished 113th in 19:09.0, while eighth-grader Noah Robine placed 124th in 19:22.9. Both recorded personal-best times.

Sophomore Hudson Hawkaluk added a 136th-place finish in 19:43.3, while senior Sage Assiniboine rounded out Mission's group in 177th at 20:21.0. Both also established personal bests.

For Arlee, senior William Fisher IV finished second, placing 94th in 18:53.9.

Sophomore Aarinnario North Peigan followed in 119th with a time of 19:18.5, while junior Bo Brockway placed 126th in 19:26.8.

Eighth-grader Alijiah Rodriguez finished 196th in 21:12.8, sophomore Josiah Glass was 199th in 21:16.6, and junior Nate Brush completed Arlee's lineup in 231st with a time of 23:26.5.

All seven Arlee boys recorded personal-best performances.

On the girls' side, Mission finished 21st among 29 scoring teams with 651 points.

Sophomore Raileigh McDonald led the Bulldogs with a 97th-place finish, completing the 5,000-meter course in a personal-best 22:57.1.

Sophomore Brooklyn Leishman followed closely behind, placing 102nd in 23:07.4, while sophomore Emma Christopher finished 111th with a personal best of 23:24.4.

Eighth-grader Shadow Garipey placed 157th in 24:51.4, sophomore Quincey Jensen was 184th in 25:58.1, and freshman Ember Ashley rounded out Mission's runners in 188th with a personal best of 26:15.6.

In addition to Ava Van Maanen's eighth-place performance, Arlee freshman Jessica Arnold-Brown placed 98th in the girls' race, recording a personal-best time of 23:00.9.

Sophomore Izabella Knoll finished 196th in 26:38.7, while fellow sophomore Kaidance Pierre placed 205th in 27:01.8. Arlee had four girls competing and did not register a team score.

Jefferson captured the Class B girls team championship with 115 points, followed by Sweet Grass County with 154 and Chinook with 212.