Mountain West Classic
9/25/99 at the University of Montana, Missoula MT
3 miles - moderate difficulty, one large hill in the last mile - 3200 ft
altitude
Boys: sr David Vidal 15:01 leads
Flathead 40 (average 15:25) to decisive victory
Girls: jr Emily Kroshus, Spartans,
17:19.48; North Central HS 84 (average 19:42)
Summary by Paul Jorgensen
The meet was held in Missoula Montana which is located at about 3000
feet elevation. The course has long gradual ups and downs with one
major hill which is about 150-200 meters in length. I would classify
the course as moderate to easy in difficulty. The distance of the
course is 3 miles. The meet was held under windy conditions with
temperatures in the high 50's. There were a few short rain showers
throughout the day.
There were over 1000 runners from the surrounding area. There were
seven teams from the state of Washington in attendance.
Flathead was the winner on the boy's side and North Central from
Spokane was the team winner for girls.
Junior David Vidal from Flathead overtook Michael Kiter, Casey Jermyn,
and Rowdy Sargeson in the last half mile for a three second victory.
Vidal's time of 15:00.57 is four seconds short of the course record set
by Travis Stehman (Kremlin Gildford) set in 1998.
Defending champion Emily Kroshus from Calgary was an easy winner with an
excellent time of 17:19. Amber Arvidson from Flathead was second with a
time of 18:21.
Highlights by Bill Brist
Boys Varsity
Flathead High took control early with a tight pack and cruised home an
easy team winner of the 10th Annual Mountain West Classic with a total
of 40 points. Helena's Capital High surprised in second place with 83
points beating out strong teams from Mead High School and Mount Spokane
of Spokane, Washington. Snohomish of Seattle finished in the fifth
position.
Flathead Junior David Vidal hung back in the pack until the last half
mile. When he went he went hard, and worked his way into the lead within
the next 400 meters. He coasted home the winner with a time of 15:00,
just four seconds shy of Travis Stehmans course record. Michael Kiter
of Shadle Park (Spokane) following in 15:03, with Casey Jermyn of Plains
(MT) in third (15:05)
The 3 mile course is moderate in difficulty, with one large hill within
the last mile. The altitude of 3200 feet does help make the course a
bit more challenging.
Preview by meet director Bill Brist
There will be over 1050 runners participating in the Classic this year with
races broken into two classifications for both male and female. Forty-nine
teams have committed to come to the Classic with some of the top teams from
Montana and Washington.
Girls Varsity Race -
The Washington Entries include Lewis and Clarks Alana Hagney (18th last
year, and 14th two years ago), and Mead's Amy Toliver (15th last year), who
look to be top contenders for this years top ten spots. Add North Central's
Laura Hodgson (12th last year) and Shadle Park's duo of Erin Krogel andChelsey Latendresse to the list of potential leaders.
The Montana Entries include the top returnee from last years race, Amber
Arvidson of Kalispell's Flathead High School. She has already run 17:54
this year, and looks to be able to approach the course record with the right
day. Helena Capital's Stacie Anderson was sixth lasty year, and has also
been running well. Local favorite Afton Bruffey of Frenchtown, last year's
seventh place finisher, is also back looking to improve upon her finish. Claire Anderson, of Whitefish, and Mackenzie Sherburne of Browning should be
up there as well.
The team race could not be more open. There is no clear cut favorite. Last
year's Champion, Flathead looks strong again this year. Teams that should
give them a run would be 1997 Classic Champions Lewis and Clark of Spokane.
LC was second to the Bravettes last season in Missoula, and look to provide
stiff competition again this year. Ferris High School of Spokane, along
with newcomers Shadle Park and Snohomish, should offer a challenge as well.
Montana's Helena, Helena Capital and Frenchtown will also battle for top
spots in the team competition.
Boys Varsity Race -
The Washington Entries include Mike Kiter of Shadle Park, who is a strong
candidate for the top spot. He has been running some great times early and
is on everyone's list of top runners in Washington. Chris Fayant of Mead is
also looking to lead his team to a high finish at this years meet. Lewis
and Clark brings in Marshall Green, who has run well at the Classic before.
Rogers High School brings top ten finisher from last years race, Chris Olinger. Andrew Ice, the junior from Ferris was only 8 seconds back in 13th
place. Mount Spokane's Cameron Schwehr ran well at the Flathead
Invitational and could be a factor as well.
When we look at the Montana entries, it's not hard to start with the top
returnees from last years race, which includes Flathead's Kevin Clary and
David Vidal. They finished 2nd and 5th in last years Classic, respectively.
Casey Jermyn of Plains was fourth in last years race and should be in the hunt as well. Helena Capital's Vance Twitchell and Rowdy Sargeson could
figure in the top ten. Don't discount class C's entrant from belt, Craig
Widhalm. A couple of others that have solid chances at the top ten are Seth
Watkins, Pat Murphy and Kurt Michels of Kalispell's Flathead High. Missoula
Sentinel's Mike LaForest offer the hometown crowd the best opportunity for a
top finish.
For Teams, it looks like Flathead has got to be the favorite again this
season. Their top five look pretty good, with #6 and #7 looking fast as
well. The race for second place is quite a jumble. Mead, Mount Spokane,
Ferris and Lewis and Clark are all strong, and should compete well with
Montana's Helena Capital. Don't discount new entry Snohomish, as they have
had some great results this fall.
Bill Brist
Mountain West Classic
Meet Director
[email protected]
