CHRONICLE
September 10, 2015 I The Lovell Chronicle I 7
DAVID PECK
Rocky Mountain seventh-grader Elsie Wassmer puts on a mighty kick as she
nears the finish of the Lovell Invitational cross country meet Thursday at the
Foster Gulch Golf Course.
DAVID PECK
Lovell eighth-grader James Caldwell gives it his all down the stretch during
the Lovell Invitational middle school cross country meet Thursday evening at
the Foster Gulch Golf Course. Caldwell finished fourth out of 32 runners.
BY DAVID PECK
The Lovell Mustangs
ordered up some perfect
late summer weather for
their inaugural middle
school invitational Thurs-
day afternoon at the Foster
Gulch Golf Course.
Host Lovell, Rocky
Mountain, Powell and
Cody attended the meet,
with 38 girls and 32 boys
competing.
Lovell had only four
boys competing, but James
Caldwell placed a strong
fourth place with a time of
12:02, not far behind win-
ner Colin Queen of Powell
(11:37) and a pair of Cody
runners. Kincaid Dickson
finished 26 with a time of
16:44, Jacob Mangus 28th at
16:48 and Gabe Helm 30
at 18:03.
Richard Spann was the
top finisher for the Rocky
Mountain Grizzlies, placing
12 with a time of 14:14.
Close behind him were
teammates Zach Simmons
in 14th (14:16) and Justin
Dausman in 15 (14:17).
Landon Stebner was 20th
with a time of 15:14.
Other Rocky Mountain
finishers included George
Higgins (22nd, 16:03), Daw-
son May (23rd, 16:04), Dylan
Escalante (25% 16:40) and
Aaron George (32nd, 23:21).
In the girls race, Lovell
Mustang Lauren Mitchell
battled Emma Karhu and
finished just two seconds
behind the Powell run-
ner with a time of 14:07 to
place fifth.
"For a two-mile race on
that course that's an excel-
lent time," Lovell coach Ca-
leb Sanders said in nam-
ing Mitchell as the middle
school runner of the week.
"We feel good about our
girls feeder program. I'm
excited about the future of
our girls program."
Patti Sanders showed a
strong kick to place eighth
at 15:02, and Raeghan
Wacker and Maddisun
Steed finished just out of
the top 10 at 11 and 12%
respectively, running times
of 15:21 and 15:23. Sariah
Hendershot placed 19th at
16:43.
Rocky Mountain's lone
runner, Elsie Wassmer, fin-
ished 25 with a time of
17:10, and Lovell's Brook-
lyn Walker finished 31st
at 18:20, Adaline Dickson
37th at 20:56 and Krystalyn
Palmer 38 at 32:06.
The LMS runners
will compete at the Sheri-
dan Invitational this Sat-
urday, and both squads
will compete at the Foster
Gulch Golf Course again
on Monday, Sept. 21, when
the Grizz host the Rocky
Mountain Invitational for
middle school and high
school teams. Action in
Sheridan Saturday starts
at 10 a.m. with the girls
middle school race.
Rocky JV runners shine at Billings Invite
BY DAVID PECK
The Rocky Mountain
Grizzlies battled the big
boys at the Billings Invita-
tional Cross Country Meet
Friday, which featured
many larger schools from
around the area.
"As a coach I love the
Billings Invitational,"
coach John Bernhisel said.
"It's a massive meet. Lots of
schools from all over Mon-
tana and Wyoming attend.
The competition is intense
and our athletes get pushed
to great times. Since it is
early in the season the run-
ners can get a good sense of
their potential.
"The meet is well or-
ganized to handle nearly
1,000 runners. For athletes
and parents it is a great
setting to realize how popu-
lar cross country is and how
tough the sport can be."
Junior Dominic Twom-
ey ran well Friday, finish-
ing 46th out of 150 varsi-
ty runners with a time of
17:08.22, shaving 2½ min-
utes off his time at the
Cody Invitational the week
before, though the Mon-
tana course was only slight-
ly shorter [] 3 miles vs. Wy-
omingDs 3.1 mile course.
"Dominic ran OK in
Cody, but here he real-
ly shined," Bernhisel said.
"17:08, even for a three-
mile race, is getting into
times colleges look at and is
a time that will be noticed
across the state."
Bernhisel named
Twomey as the team's boys
runner of the week.
In the boys junior var-
sity race, Rocky Mountain
placed 12th out of 22 com-
plete teams and 32 squads
overall.
Junior Zach Milbrad
led the way for the Griz-
zlies, finishing 70th out of
304 runners with a time of
19:05.28, and senior Ryker
Everett, seeing his first ac-
tion of the season, was 91st
at 19:24.15.
Sophomore Jonathan
Allred finished 106th with
a time of 19:42.59, and ju-
nior Spur Hackney wasn't
far behind in ll3th place at
19:49.16.
Sophomore Lathan
May finished 158th with a
time of 20:33.94, and senior
Josh McCracken was 184th
at 21:01.85. Junior Trev-
an Lytle finished 202nd at
21:25.76, freshman Isaac
Baird 280th at 24:47.69.
GIRLS RESULTS
Rocky Mountain didn't
enter anyone in the girls
varsity race, but the Lady
Grizz JVs placed eighth
out of 19 complete teams
and 33 total teams with
265 points, beating Hardin
and finishing just behind
Casper Natrona.
Freshman Grace Wass-
mer, this week's girls run-
ner of the week, raised
eyebrows by placing 43rd
out of 255 runners with a
time of 22:37.95, and ju-
nior Marissa Arnold placed
56th, covering the course in
23:03.31. Junior Livia Hig-
gins placed 66th at 23:19.66
and freshman Jacque Leon-
hardt 70th at 23:25.11.
"Grace ran all through
middle school, but this
meet isthe first time, in my
opinion, that she realized
her potential," Bernhisel
said. "Everything came to-
gether for her and she had
a fantastic meet."
Burlington sophomore
Callin Preator placed 94th
with a time of 24:15.77, and
fellow Burlington soph Pa-
cee Garza finished 148th at
25:49.96.
Sophomore Macey
George finished 235th at
31:25.96.
"Every single runner
ran faster than at Cody,"
Bernhisel said. "Every sin-
gle runner ran at least a
minute faster. I couldn't
have been happier. It's been
several years since I've had
a combined boys/girls team
that is so deep. It's a bit
early to start comparing us
to other teams around the
state, but I'm pretty posi-
tive about how we can com-
pare to the other 2A schools
in Wyoming."
Summing up his feel-
ings, Bernhisel noted,
"Isaac Baird improved
by eight minutes (from
Cody). That's what I love
as a coach, a runner work-
ing hard and showing
improvement."
The Grizzlies will trav-
el to Montana this Satur-
day for the Hardin Invi-
tational with running to
begin at 9 a.m., then com-
pete in the Lander Invita-
tional next Thursday, Sept.
17, at 4 p.m.
"Hardin is a big meet,"
Bernhisel said. "There are
a lot of schools from North
and South Dakota, a lot of
Indian schools. It's another
fun meet like the Billings
meet."
BY DAVID PECK
The Lovell Bulldogs
couldn't match the sheer
numbers of the larger
schools competing at the
Billings Invitational Fri-
day afternoon, but they did
show some quality with
their two varsity runners
and several junior varsity
competitors.
The Bulldog and Lady
Bulldog times were fast,
coach Caleb Sanders said,
even accounting for the
slightly shorter Montana
course, at 3 miles rather
than Wyoming's 3.1 miles.
"The reason everyone
ran so good is that in a race
with so many runners it
feeds your adrenaline and
you're always running with
someone and the course
is lined with spectators,"
Sanders said. "There's nev-
er a point in the race where
you're alone."
Senior Jaclyn Caldwell
placed 14 in the varsi-
ty race out of 123 runners
with a time of 19:26.10 as
Lovell's lone runner.
"She has only gone un-
der 20 minutes twice, once
at State last year with a
full 5K," Sanders said. "I
was expecting it in a three-
mile race, but Wyoming has
some good runners and she
fared well up there. Time
wise it was a real good race
for her."
In the boys race, soph-
omore Brent Snyder was
strong for the second
straight meet and finished
42nd out of 150 runners
with a time of 17:00.58.
The Lovell boys were with-
out senior Jacob Newman
for the second consecutive
meet.
"Brent ran better than
the previous week (18:20
in Cody)," Sanders noted.
"I was happy. He started
well. His second mile was a
struggle, but his third mile
was back down time wise."
In the girls junior var-
sity race, sophomore Jes-
sica Caldwell placed sixth
out of 255 runners with a
time of 20:58.10.
[]Jessica showed a
2 ½-minute improvement
(from Cody),[] Sanders
said. NMaybe she likes
that environment. She ran
a seven-minute first mile
and a touch faster on the
last two. She was 30th or
40th after the first half mile
but kept moving up and
moving up. At the first mile
mark she was in the top 10.
"The way she ran is my
favorite style, when you
can be stronger in" the sec-
ond half (of the race) and
even increase your pace
slightly and move up."
Coaches named Cald-
well as the high school run-
ner of the week.
Senior Afton George
finished 118th with a time of
24:41.84, freshman Megan
Cornia 137th at 25:25.50.
Sanders noted that George
improved her time in Cody
by six minutes.
Junior Savannah Jol-
ley finished 142na with a
time of 25:42.03, senior
Caitlyn Lundberg 146th at
25:48.66.
"That was Caitlyn's
and Savannah's first race
(of the season), Savannah's
first cross country race
ever. They both ran really
well."
Lovell placed 13th out of
19 complete teams and 33
teams overall.
In the boys JV race,
sophomore Kyle Wolv-
ington placed 52nd out of
304 runners with a time
of 18:56.15, and fresh-
man Brenden Lundberg
was 105th at 19:42.55 in
his first race of the sea-
son, sophomore Ben Cornia
110th at 19:46.74.
"That was the biggest
improvement from one
week to the next that we've
seen from Kyle," Sanders
said.
Freshman Hunt-
er Steenbakkers fin-
ished 180th at 20:56.43, ju-
nior Kyle Burton 266 at
23:34.52 and freshman JR
Dickson 286th at 25:42.29.
Lovell placed 19th out of
22 complete teams and 32
teams overall.
The Bulldogs will trav-
el across the Big Horns
Saturday for the Sheridan
Invitational, with running
scheduled to begin at 10
a.m. with the girls middle
school race.
