The Glasgow Cross Country teams brought home three All State finishers from the state meet in Missoula on Saturday. Reed Larsen led his Scottie boys' team with a seventh place finish and All State honors. The girls' team was led by Iris McKean, who placed fourth overall, and Tanae Baker, who claimed ninth place, both earning All State accolades.
Junior Larsen led the Glasgow boys, with his time of 17:30.82, to a fourth-place team finish with 155 points. Glasgow came in behind all western Montana teams: Bigfork with 100, Three Forks with 118, and Lincoln County (Eureka) with 150.
"I felt like I ran with my heart, and really put it out there to beat my goal and run my hardest," Larsen said. "As a team, I felt like we all ran our race, to the best of our ability, and I think all of us are proud of how we performed."
Fellow junior Lane Thompson ran an 18:06.52 to finish in 29th place. Kyler Holinde, freshman, finished in 34th place with his time of 18:20.29. Senior Dalton Sand finished in 18:28.00 and 36th place. He said, "I'm proud of my team, we gave it our all and didn't hold anything back. We trained hard all season and it showed getting 4th at state. I could not have asked for a better team."
Fellow seniors Bergen Miller and Blake Lloyd placed 49th and 61st, respectively. Miller ran an 18:42.57 and Lloyd's time was 19:10.82. "The State meet was an incredible experience," Miller said. "I totally loved the town of Missoula, the scenery and the mountains, the environment of the meet, all of it." Sophomore Eli Feezell rounded out the Scottie boys team, coming in 84th place with a time of 19:55.00.
Miller expressed disappointment in not reaching the team podium his senior year while holding himself responsible, saying "I loved the experience and I loved having the opportunity to run with the boys one last time in Cross Country, but finishing 4th place just crushed my heart. I wanted a podium finish to end my senior year, I wanted a podium finish to have one final moment of triumph with the guys, and I wanted to give [Coach Rod] Karst one last plaque. I took all the right steps, but in the end I was only a few seconds away from accomplishing all that I had dreamed of for years, and that is something that haunts me."
Despite his disappointment, Miller found the best part of his season was the people. "Nothing matches the joy I find in the people," he said. "When I was a freshman, I joined Cross Country to try it out, but I stayed for the people. Then, every year I found myself closer and closer to them. My teammates have changed my life in so many ways, and I will be forever thankful for them."
The girls claimed eighth place with 278 points, behind Red Lodge, 87; Broadwater County (Townsend), 100; Columbus, 109; Manhattan, 115; Three Forks, 151; Huntley Project, 209 and Colstrip, 257.
McKean earned her All State honors and met her goal of finishing in the top five at state after running a 20:01.27. McKean is now the 19th Scottie with at least three All State finishes to her name in Glasgow girls cross country history.
"This is the first state meet that I've been truly happy about, which is a great feeling," said McKean. "The course yesterday wasn't the fastest, but it was the perfect amount of difficulty. There were graudal uphills and downhills, with a big hill in the middle. The weather could not have been more perfect! It was cloudy and about 55 degrees, which is ideal running weather." She added that the highlight of the meet for her was sharing her moment with family and supporters, as well as hugging her teammates at the end of the event.
Freshman Baker ran a 20:40.47 in her first appearance at the state meet. Fellow freshman Kheyerah Bilger ran a 24:05.28 and finished in 69th place. Haylly Turner, junior, finished in 87th place with a time of 25:05.09. Sophomore Eve Stone ran a 26:44.76 and earned 109th place. Freshman Mary Dykema set a personal record of 27:32.82 and finished in 118th place.
McKean also shared encouragement for her teammates as they continue their high school running careers, "I think it's important to acknowledge the depth of cross country throughout the state. Running in eastern Montana, in super small meets, it's difficult to have an outlooks on the rest of the state's performances. I hope my team will realize what it takes to compete at the top, and apply it to their training and careers to accomplish some big goals. I also want everyone to be so proud of themselves, keep their heads up, and continue to work hard for this upcoming track season!"
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