CROSS COUNTRY: State meet comes to Kalispell for first time

The MHSA all-class state cross country meet will feature a showdown between nationally-ranked runners and a pair of nationally-ranked teams.

And that’s just in Class AA.

The state’s best runners will converge on the Flathead Valley today when the meet starts off at 11 a.m. at Rebecca Farm.

The Class B girls will start the action, followed by the Class C girls, B boys and C boys.

The Class AA girls are scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m., followed by the A girls then AA boys and A boys last at 2:50 p.m.

It’s the AA girls that features the most significant race of the weekend. Glacier junior Annie Hill, ranked as the nation’s third-best cross country runner by DyeStat, will attempt to win her third-straight individual state title in her home town. Just last year Hill set the all-class state record in Great Falls, finishing the three-mile course in 16 minutes, 30.71 seconds, better than 3 seconds faster than the old all-class record and nearly 20 seconds faster than the previous best mark in Class AA.

Running on a fairly easy course with little vertical rise at Rebecca Farm, Hill could challenge that record this weekend.

Her top competition is Billings Senior sophomore Tiahna Vladic, the nation’s 17th-ranked runner and the only girl to defeat Hill in state in the last two years.

Vladic won the Mountain West Classic last month in a surprising finish, crossing the finish line in 17:04.7. Vladic most recently set a personal-best time of 16:43.2 at the Billings City meet, a time that rivals Hill’s best this season, 16:40.3 at the Butte Invitational earlier this month.

The Bozeman girls, ranked eighth in the nation, are the heavy favorites to take home a 10th straight team title. The Hawks have eight girls that have times in the top 22 posted in the state this season, led by seniors Piper Meuwissen and Kenenni Wiegand and juniors Camila Noe and Phoebe Jacques, each all state runners finishers from last season.

Billings Senior, Missoula Hellgate, Missoula Sentinel and Glacier are also in the running for the podium, though the top spot is likely out of reach.

The Bozeman boys are also favored to win the team title, also returning four all-state runners from last year while entering the meet ranked sixth in the nation. The Hawks have won eight straight Class AA crowns.

Hawks senior Chase Equall, ranked 24th nationally, has the top time in the state this season, 14:55.1 at the Helena 7 of 7 Meet, and will be among the favorites to win the individual title.

Sentinel senior Marshall Beatty, Great Falls C.M. Russell junior Cooper West and Flathead sophomore Ben Perrin — the latest in a family of state champions for the Braves —will likely push Equall for the title.

In Class A, Columbia Falls senior Sage Wanner is among the favorites to win the individual title, running 15:44 last weekend to post the second-best time in the state this season. Belgrade senior Sawyer Degan enters with the top time, running 15:28 in Butte, and Corvallis’ Carson Jessop has also posted sub-16 times this season.

Jessop and the Corvallis boys will be favored to win their second-straight team title, with Frenchtown, Lewistown and Columbia Falls all vying for the podium.

The Whitefish girls will be one of the favorites to capture the team title on the other side along with Hardin and Columbia Falls. The Bulldogs have five girls that have posted times in the top 25 finishes in the class this season, led by sophomores Ella Greenberg and Braya Hobson.

Columbia Falls freshman Kimberly Peacock is among the favorites for the individual title, posting the second-best time in the state this fall. Western A champion Jaycie Schmalz, a senior from Hamilton, and Central A champ Pipi Eitel, a senior from Belgrade, are also among the favorites.

The Bigfork girls will be among the favorites to win the team title in Class B, bringing the top two runners in the class in junior Bryn Morley, the defending state champ, and sophomore Anya Young, who finished third last year.

Manhattan should also be in the race with Eureka, who brings a strong pair in senior Tyann Totten and sophomore Mckay Guckenberg.

The Townsend and Glasgow boys enter as team favorites on the other side, with Townsend senior Bryant Edgerton holding the top individual time in the class.

The Manhattan Christian boys and Winnett-Melstone girls enter as favorites in Class C.