Running with purpose
Polson runners set personal records at Hamilton Saturday
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HAMILTON — The Polson cross country program had another strong day Saturday as six of the Lady Pirates' top runners and seven of the top Pirates all recorded their fastest times of the year at the Daly Mansion.
Jimmy Bjorge ran one of the best races of his career at the meet, finishing sixth to lead the Pirates with a time of 17:19, 20 seconds faster than his previous personal-best time.
Alex Nystrom was 10 seconds faster than his previous personal best time as he came in eighth overall with a time of 17:32. Travis Hays shaved a whopping 1:04 off of his previous best time and finished ninth for the Pirates with a time of 17:33.
“These three runners are really pushing each other to improve,” Polson coach Matt Seeley said. “If we can get them all together under 17 minutes, we will have a chance to be very competitive in the conference.”
Reed Hovenkotter had, perhaps, the best day for the Pirates, according to Seeley. Hovenkotter opened the race with a quick pace to help push his teammates and then held on to break the 19-minute mark to finish 39th overall with a time of 18:59.
Just ahead of Hovenkotter at the finish line was teammate Mike Bournstein, who finished 28 seconds ahead of his previous best time to come in 37th with a time of 18:56.
Tel Motichka finished 43rd for the Pirates with a time of 19:16, 26 seconds faster than his previous personal best, and Jacob Young beat his previous personal best by 43 seconds to come in 46th with a time of 19:41.
The combined efforts of the Pirate runners was enough to earn the team a fourth-place finish with 103 points.
The Lady Pirates were once again without their top runner this week as Aja Starkey continues to battle a foot problem. As an added setback at Hamilton, the Lady Pirates also had to run the race without Alisha Jore, who missed the race with a strained calf muscle.
As they have done so well this season, the Lady Pirates stepped up to meet the challenge and came away with a second-place team finish with 56 points.
Freshman runner Claudia Hewston continues to move her way up the ranks among the best runners in Class A as she shaved 59 seconds off her previous personal best time to finish second with a time of 19:09.
“Claudia has now distinguished herself as not just a fast freshman, but also a legitimate contender for one of the top spots on the podium at the state meet,” Seeley said. “She just refused to drop back and gritted her way through three tough miles without giving an inch to one of the best runners in the state.”
Mesa Starkey and Tegan Bauer also ran their best times of the season to finish in the top 10 for the Lady Pirates as Starkey came in fifth with a time of 20:07 and Bauer was sixth with a time of 20:30.
Whitney Zimmerman beat her previous best time by 30 seconds as she ran a 22:38 to come in 21st.
“She started strong, slipped back a little in the middle mile, and then she really surged in the last mile,” Seeley said. “Whitney has been getting very strong in the last couple of weeks, and she looks ready to make big varsity contributions when it really counts.”
Marlee Seemann took 34 seconds off her best time to come in 22nd at 22:40, Mariah Hamel beat her previous best by 24 seconds to come in 28th with a time of 23:18 and Laura Barta finished 35th with a time of 24:04.
“It’s pretty rare to have this many kids hit personal bests on the same day and I am very excited to see all the varsity runners racing so well as we head into the last three weeks of the season,” Seeley said.
The Pirates and Lady Pirates will be in action in Polson this weekend as they host the Pirate Duels meet at the Polson Fairgrounds Saturday.
