Lady Pirates look strong in Spokane minus top runner
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SPOKANE — The Polson Lady Pirates cross country squad put together an impressive showing in Spokane Saturday despite being without their top runner at the Erik Anderson Invitational.
With the team’s fastest runner so far this season, Aja Starkey, scratched from competition with a foot problem less than two hours before the race, the rest of the squad put together an inspired performance in the 5K run.
Battling 80 degree plus temperatures and a host of runners from larger schools, Polson freshman Claudia Hewston came away with a fifth-place finish while the team’s senior leader, Mesa Starkey, finished eighth.
“With suddenly altered team aspirations, I was proud of the way the girls responded individually,” head coach Matt Seeley said. “Against big, powerful teams from eastern Washington and Idaho, Claudia and Mesa showed real Montana toughness to break into the top 10.”
Hewston finished the race with a time of 20:28 while Mesa finished in 20:42.
Along with the pair of runners in the top 10, Tegan Bauer finished with a time of 22:45, Alisha Jore had a time of 23:49, Mariah Hamel ran a 24:10, Marlee Seemann finished with a time of 24:57 and Whitney Zimmerman had a time of 25:14.
“It was neat to see how the girls responded without their top runner,” Seeley said. “They were disappointed at first but then they rallied and decided to run a hard race. I was very proud of them for that.”
The holdout was a bit of a disappointment for Aja, who was coming off a fourth-place finish in the Mountain West Classic the previous week.
“Aja was battling a bit of a foot problem after getting some new shoes,” Seeley said. “We were worried about her and decided to hold her out of the race, but sometimes it can be a little hard to hold her back when she needs to. It was very tough for her to make that decision. It was really hard for her to sit there and watch the others run when she couldn’t compete.”
For Aja’s older sister, Mesa, it was an opportunity to rally the rest of the team into a strong performance while also running a strong race herself.
“Mesa showed signs of returning to her form from last year when she was our top runner,” Seeley said. ‘It has been hard for her to find her own race while also having to keep in mind the team’s needs this year. She just isn’t used to having runners on her own team ahead of her yet, but we couldn’t be doing what we are doing without her.”
The trip to Spokane seemed to take its toll on the Pirates, but there was a bright spot in a strong performance from Jimmy Bjorge, who finished with a time of 17:54.
“Bjorge really came through for us. He can be an up and down runner, but he took this race very seriously and ran hard,” Seeley said. “Jimmy finished the season as a team leader last year and he is back to that same form and looks to improve even more for the upcoming championship races. He is a real competitor and often rises to the occasion at the big meets.”
Along with the good performance from Bjorge, Alex Nystrom finished with a time of 18:22, Travis Hays finished in 18:37, Tel Motichka had a time of 20:17, Mike Bournstein finished in 20:19, Reed Hovenkotter had a time of 21:02, Jacob Young ran the course in 21:04 and Nick Andrews finished in 21:20.
According to Seeley, a lack of quality sleep may have hindered his boys team.
“The boys had a bit of a tough race after not getting enough sleep,” he said. “Traveling can be a negative and a positive for us. The process of riding the bus and staying in a hotel and not getting a good night’s sleep can be nerve racking.”
“It is a challenge that can lead to slower times. But it is also great practice for us since we will have to stay overnight if we go to state.”
The season continues this weekend for Polson as both the Pirates and Lady Pirates will be in action at Hamilton Saturday.
