Badgers competitive in big races
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October 5, 2012 |
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Aimee Sayers |
Hazy skies did not deter the Badger cross
country teams from competing in the Erik
Anderson Invitational at Plantes Ferry, Spokane,
two Saturdays ago, or the Bob Weisel Invite at
Phillips Farm in Moscow last Saturday. The races
differed considerably in number of participants,
topography, and structure, despite both being
five kilometers.
The Plantes Ferry Invite brought a range of
Washington and Idaho schools together and also
featured male and female collegiate races. The
race was held at the Plantes Ferry sports
complex and featured long open stretches of
grass punctuated by short hills and tight turns.
Runners from over 40 schools participated in the
high school races; freshman, junior varsity, and
varsity.
"Our boys' team did well, and I liked that we
could run our freshmen in a class race, even
though it meant that our J.V. boys were an
incomplete team," coach Paul Bonnell said. "We
didn't run a complete girls' team, as the girls
were in separate races, and we've had a couple
out for injuries. Aimee Sayers and Hannah Lysne
ran competitive races."
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Luke Reoch |
In the varsity boys, junior Luke Reoch ran a
16:50 and placed 20th in stiff competition from
schools such as Central Valley (Spokane),
Riverside (Washington), Moscow, and Sandpoint.
For the varsity boys, it came down to solid
racing fundamentals on the grassy, open course.
Said Bonnell, "They made the most of every
opportunity and ran strategic, gutsy races."
Despite feeling "off" just prior to the race,
senior Tyson Boorman had a standout performance.
Varsity seniors Josh Dufrene, Jared Lysne, and
Alec Perkins stepped up, and joined by sophomore
Jacob Perkins and junior Collin Cossairt, led
the boys to a 13th-place team finish, over teams
from Moscow, Lakeland, and Sandpoint.
The Bob Weisel Invite at Phillips Farm Park in
Moscow featured sand and steep hills, including
an uphill finish of around 1,000 meters.
The race structure was by classes, with all
freshmen running together, all sophomores, and
so forth.
"The Badgers were well represented. I like class
races, although it's a bit bittersweet to stand
at the starting line with all the seniors," said
Bonnell. There were no team scores, given the
class structure, but several Badgers placed in
the top 10 in each race.
"I'm glad that we ran well on such a tough
course," said Bonnell.
Freshman Alva Swanson said, "I remember middle
school, when I thought 1.5 miles was hard. Now,
I'm racing more than twice as far. It seemed
impossible before, and now I'm doing it."
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