Cross Country Runners Off to a Good Start

The GHS cross country team made the trip to Williston for their first meet of the season Aug. 27.

The girls ran against seven other teams and placed right in the middle of the group:

Minot, 37; Watford City, 87; Stanley, 118; Glasgow, 122; New Town, 148; Williston, 175; Trenton, 212; Williston Trinity, 223.

The boys faced a smaller pool of competitors and finished just ahead of Watford City: New Town, 22; Williston, 38; Minot, 75; Glasgow, 145; Watford City, 176.

Head Coach Rod Karst was happy with the results. "The times will get better," he said. "These [times] are for a 5K, which is about 200 meters longer than normal, so they are a touch slower than what we are used to."

For the rookies, it can be a big adjustment to go from running 1.5 miles in competition to running 3.2 miles. "I think the younger kids did a great job stepping up and running hard, for many of these kids it was their first high school meet." said Karst.

"I think the girls did a great job of grouping, which will help us place higher as a team," Karst concluded. "Both teams were missing runners, and we hope to have most of them back for the Billings meet." The runners will be in Billings on Friday, Sept. 2.

Individual results:

Morgan Guttenberg - 19th, 24:23.7

Tyisha Begs His Own - 24th, 25:06.0

Brinlie Nielsen - 25th, 25:14.0

Brooke Westby - 26th, 25:14.4

Ali Cunningham - 28th, 25:25.9

Katie Kaiser - 36th, 26:45.8

Nicole Williams - 42nd, 28:18.3

Mattea Piersak - 47th, 30:45.5

Alexus Nistler - 50th, 32:58.7

Ellis McKean – 13th, 18:09.0

Merlin McKean – 18th, 18:28.9

Gabe Hallock - 34th, 19:59.8

Wilson Overby - 37th, 20:07.6

Jacob Meiers - 43rd, 20:39.9

Kaden Zimmerman - 50th, 21:14.2

Colton Pewitt - 56th (no time)

Colin Jamba - 58th (no time)

Tanner Overby - 67th (no time)

John Cremer - 71st (no time)

Jordan Billingsley - 72nd (no time)