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Race Day Outlook
Wyoming defending titles -
Stellar girls race matches two triple state champions: Zoe Nelson MT and Sarah Balfour WY

by Steve Smoot, Wyoming Coaches Association - Sport Representative - Cross Country

TEAM WYOMING - BOYS

"Team Wyoming" Boys bring a solid list of performers to defend their
team and individual titles won in last year's BW I. Two of the three
individual state champions and 10 "veterans" from BW I. They will be led by
junior, and two-time defending state 3A individual state champion, Matt
Heller of Lander.

Heller has not lost to any runner in Wyoming this season and owns
the all-class record for the Douglas course, and was the state 1600 and 3200
meter champion in track last spring. Heller will be joined by two-time state
champion, Brett Schuler of 2A Wright, who, along with team mate Jon Atwater
are running in their second Border War.

Graydon Curry, a junior from Campbell County, was the 4A individual
runner-up and will be joined by team mate Alex Young, whose Camels won their
5th consecutive state team championship. Rock Springs brings all of their
top 5 runners from last week's 4A State Runner-Up team performance - Greg
Griffith, William Miller, David Kendall, Dustin Gibson, and Zac Reiter.

3A State Champions, Douglas High School, will bring 3 veterans from
last year's battle, who went 2-3-4 to Heller last week - Dietrich Wambach,
Derek Green, Nik Deinninger plus team mate Brandon Miller. In all, Wyoming
will be represented by 21, out of a possible 25 All-Staters with 11 of the
top 15 out of class 4A, 9 of top 10 in class 3A, 4 of 5 from 1A-2A.

TEAM MONTANA - BOYS

"Team Montana" Boys are hungry to win the Border Wars title on their home
turf. After placing second in last year's inaugural race, a stellar field
of boys is ready to go for the 2003 title. The team will include the Class
A and B individual champions, 25 All-Staters and 8 returnees from BW I.
Expected to lead the way will be Class A Champion Nolan Real Bird of Hardin
and Class A Runner-up T.J. StrangeOwl of Colstrip.

Joining Real Bird and StrangeOwl will be the 3rd and 4th place finishers in
Class A, Chad Hunsucker of Polson and Ryan Kearney of Butte Central. Class
AA will be represented by Riley Reardon of Great Falls High, John Ricardi of
Bozeman, and two members of the team champion Helena High Bengals, Jason
Ames and Brian Haseman.

The top 7 finishers of the Class B ranks will be represented. They'll be
led by state champion Daniel Bridge of Shelby. He will be supported by Nate
Tashida of Missoula Loyola, who was only ½ second behind Bridge in finishing
2nd at the state meet.

The Class C contingent will be led by the 3rd and 4th place finishers,
Andrew Yager and Andy Vukonich, both of Joilet. Yager and Vukonich lead
their Joliet team to a 3rd place finish in Missoula.

TEAM WYOMING - GIRLS

Team Wyoming Girls are loaded. They will bring all 3 individual
state champions, as well as the top 4 runners that led the 1-2-3-4 Wyoming
sweep of the top spots in last year's Border War - Sarah Balfour, Emily
Higgins, Nikki Peterson, and Gretchen Fagley.

The Girls from the Cowboy State also boast the top four runners from
each class at last week's state meet. Included on their roster are 21 out
of a possible 25 All-Staters and 13 returning Border War "Veterans" that won
the inaugural race on "home turf" in Sheridan last year. They are led by
junior Sarah Balfour of Natrona County High School who last week won her
third straight state individual title. She was last year's Border War
winner and is backed up by the same three girls

Emily Higgins, a sophomore from 2A Rocky Mountain, just won her
second consecutive individual 2A title and was 2nd last year in BW I.
Gretchen Fagley, a senior from Sheridan, was last week's 4A runner-up,
finishing only 10 seconds behind Balfour. Nikki Peterson,a senior from
Riverton, was third in class 4A last week. Trish Evenson, a freshmen from
Campbell County, was 4th last week and led her Camel team to an
unprecedented8th straight team championship.

Jenne Dilts, a junior from Douglas, led her team mates to their
third consecutive 3A team title, on the way to her second consecutive
individual title. Team mates Marissa Saunders and Kelsey Shatto finished
right behind in 2-3, for the second year in a row. Cody High School twins,
Stacy and Samantha Slight, both are back to run in BW II. That's two, two
for two!! Layne Strannigan, a senior from Cheyenne Central, started the
year on her school golf team and earned her 4th straight All-State Golf Team
Award, before joining cross country in late September.

Rock Springs High School has the greatest representation with 4
girls - Ashlen Nimmo, Lindsey Hueckstaedt, Wendy O'Lexy and Katelyn Parody.
State 2A Team champions Wright and 3A champions, Douglas each bring 3
runners.

TEAM MONTANA - GIRLS

Like the boys, "Team Montana" is looking to turn the tables on the Wyoming
girls in BW II. The girls' field also includes three individual champions,
Kasey Harwood of Polson, Jayme Larson of Glascow and Megan Young of
Harrison. Harwood, Larson and Young are 3 of 7 veterans of BW I.

The Class AA schools will be led by 5th placer Kim Tritz of Missoula Big
Sky. She'll be joined by 3 freshmen, Bridgette Hoenke and Cara Lehman of
Billings Senior and Carly Selleck of Billings West who finished 6th, 7th and
9th overall.

Harwood will be the top finisher from the A schools. This may have been the
race of the day in Missoula two weeks ago when 8 girls were still in the
lead pack beyond the two-mile mark. Teri Lea McCormick of Billings Central,
Jordan Gurgiolo of Hamilton and Wasewi Shawl of Browning are also expected
to be in the thick of today's race.

Emmylyn Bentley of Lincoln County and Isreal Bulltail of Lodge Grasswill be
the top Class B competitors to join the Glascow Scottie's Larson. They'll
be joined by the Class C Champion Young, together with runner-up Sidney Best
of Centerville-Belt.

All total, the women's team will have 20 All-Staters and 2 of the top 15
from Border Wars I.

After their strong performances two weeks ago in Missoula, both teams hope
to overcome the snow and cold to bring the titles to Montana.

Press Release

Re: 2nd Annual Universal Athletic
Montana/Wyoming High School
Cross Country �Border War II�
November 1,2003

Rocky Mountain College
Billings, Montana

From: Steve Smoot � Douglas High School �
Wyoming Coaches Association Sport Representative - Cross Country
307 358�4081

The second annual Montana/Wyoming High School Cross Country All-Star competition, �Border War II,� will be hosted by Montana this year on the campus of Rocky Mountain College in Billings on Saturday, November 1 .

Runners from all the school classifications will represent their respective states in a 5K (3.1miles)competition that puts the two neighboring states' best distance runners head-to-head in a uniquely competitive All-Star event.

The High School sport of Cross Country in Montana and Wyoming has consistently produced some excellent teams and runners over the past decade. Both individuals and teams from these states have competed well at Regional and National competitions, and gaining national rankings.

This year is no different. The high school runners from both Montana and Wyoming are once again are proving to continue the tradition.

TEAM MONTANA

There is much to brag about on the Montana side of the border in Zoe Nelson , now a junior at Flathead High School in Kalispell . Setting course records wherever she runs, Nelson is undefeated at all levels for two years running. She not only successfully defended her state crown for the third time, but is also the defending Footlocker National Champion as well.

Her performances the past several seasons have been stellar and she has one more year of high school left. She and her team mates ran away with yet another state championship last weekend and the Lady Braves are presently ranked tenth in the nation.

Flathead High School also boasts the boys individual state champion in Matt Parker . The Braves senior came from behind in the last 400 meters in Missoula to run down Jon Metropoulos of Helena for the championship win by less than two seconds.

Nolan Real Bird of Hardin , the class �A� champion and fastest performance from last weekend, will be joined by TJ Strange Owl of Colstrip , the class �A� runner-up, as the top two returning �veterans� of �Border War I.� They are looking change the outcome in this year's match-up on �home turf.�

TEAM WYOMING

Wyoming has plenty to boast about as well. They possess both the boys and girls traveling trophies won at �Border War I� last year, which are now on display in the state capital in Cheyenne.

�Team Wyoming� girls are led by Sarah Balfour of Natrona County High School , also a junior and the two-time 4A state champion. She was the girls champion from last year's inaugural �Showdown in Sheridan.� Currently she is undefeated in races throughout Wyoming, South Dakota and Colorado with some impressive times. She is capable of giving Nelson her best run of the season.

Last year Balfour led a 1-2-3-4 sweep by the girls from the Cowboy State, and all four are back. However, last year �Team Montana� was without Zoe Nelson and the Kalispell girls. If this year's dream match-up happens, the �Battle in Billings,� could see a Nelson-Balfour duel to the finish, and in their wake, a battle to take the trophy away from a Wyoming team that is very deep in talent.

Even though Wyoming graduated last year's boy's Border War champion, Andrew Jones of Campbell County, the Cowboy State looks to be led by Matt Heller of 3A Lander . Heller has been dominant in Wyoming all season, with notable achievements coming in the form of a new all-class course record at the Douglas Invitational, which is home of the state meet every other year. Heller will have another chance to better it this weekend at the Wyoming State Championships on Saturday.

Heller hopes to be joined by a strong group from Campbell County High School looking to increase their streak of consecutive state championships, and talented runners from the other classes, as well. They will all join forces and head north across the border in defense of the first inter-state battle.

UNIQUE SCORING FORMAT

Unlike the typical scoring format, in which team scores are determined by the top 5 runners, the winning team will be awarded to the lowest total team time. This will ensure every runner will have an impact in determining the team championship, not just the top runners.

The Sheraton Inn of Billings will serve as host and meet headquarters for the All-Star meet to be run on the campus of Rocky Mountain College. Team and individual awards will be provided by Universal Athletic at the post-race luncheon and Awards Ceremony at the Sheraton. Limited tickets for the luncheon will be available at the door for family, friends, and fans.

Automatic invitations are extended to the top performers at each of their state meets. �Team Montana� will consist of the top 12 runners from class �AA,� 8 from class �A,� 5 from class �B� and 5 from class �C.� With three classifications in Wyoming, each of the boys and girls �all-star� state teams will consist of the top 15 finishers in the state meet from class 4A, top 10 runners from 3A, and the top 5 runners from 1A-2A, for a total of 30.

Oregon and Washington have been running a similar contest for the last several years and Arizona and Nevada are having their first this fall.

Coach Steve Smoot of Douglas is the state coordinator for Wyoming and Bob Stingley of Great Falls heads up the teams for Montana. Coach John DeVitt of Billings is the on-site coordinator. Joining efforts with the coaches are Universal Athletic Services, the Sheraton Inn of Billings, and Rocky Mountain College.

Steve Smoot
Douglas High School � Track & Field/Cross Country
Wyoming High School Coaches Association Sports Representative � Cross Country
Douglas Wyoming 82633

307 358-5250 (w) 307 358-4081 (h) [email protected]

Bob Stingley
Great Falls High School � Cross Country
(406) 761-7748 (h)

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