Bulldogs win Libby Invitational

LIBBY, Mont. — Jimmy Mathews finished fourth, clocking a 16:28 to lead a strong pack finish by the Sandpoint boys cross country team, which beat eight other schools to win the Libby Invitational Friday afternoon at Jay Neils Park in Libby.

The race was so close it came down to the sixth place finishers between Sandpoint and Columbia Falls, with Evan Rains finishing 17th overall to break the tie and give the Bulldogs the win, as both teams finished with 52 points overall.

David Marienau clocked a 16:36 to finish 7th overall on the three-mile course, followed by Danny Pfeifer (11th), Mikka Nostdahl (14th), Tim Householter (16th) and Rains.

“I was pleasantly happy, but not surprised,” said head coach Matt Brass, calling the effort fantastic. “The way they’ve been working in practice, I was expecting a breakout performance.”

The JV boys team was equally impressive, winning the JV meet with a miniscule score of 23, as five of the top seven finishers were Bulldogs.

Molly Burgstahler finished 10th overall, clocking a respectable 20:53 to lead the Bulldog girls team, which finished fifth out of five teams. Shanysa Reid (23rd), Lindsey Anderson (28th) and Miranda Ewing (31st) were the top varsity finishers.

The Bulldogs are at the Silverwood Invitational next Saturday.