Bulldog cross country teams wrap up season at 4A state meet
—Photo by SAYDEE BRASS Pictured from left to right are girls coach Angie Brass, Heather Wallace, Sharon Rowe, Rainey Woodward, Dana Beaty, Hannah Davidson, Katherine Kaul, Niah Brass and Matt Brass at state.
—Photo by SAYDEE BRASS Pictured from left to right are Angie Brass, Ephriam Weisz, Fin Lund-Andersen, Riley McGinnis, Clay Rasmussen, Reilly Wolfe, Cole Dillon, Peik Lund-Andersen and boys head coach Matt Brass at state.
POCATELLO — Juniors Katherine Kaul and Hannah Davidson earned state medals, finishing 15th and 16th respectively to lead Sandpoint at the 4A Idaho State High School Cross Country Championships on Saturday at the Portneuf Wellness Complex in Pocatello.
The Bulldog girls finished fifth, just missing the podium after placing three points behind third place Bishop Kelly and losing the fourth-place tie-breaker by just 1.5 seconds to Idaho Falls.
Kaul went out fast and hung with the front group, but was ultimately done in by an uphill stretch halfway through the race, before falling back and finishing just .12 seconds ahead of Davidson at 20:13.10.
“Kat went out in a big group, she wanted to be in the top 10,” described coach Matt Brass. “In the middle of the race was a 600 meter hill, and it took it out of her.”
Rainey Woodward was 29th in 21:01, Dana Beaty 40th in 21:17, Heather Wallace 43rd in 21:23, Niah Brass 51st in 21:41 and Sharon Rowe 53rd in 21:44 for the girls.
On the boys side, Cole Dillon had a strong race, placing 28th in a 17:38. He was followed by Finan Lund-Andersen in 31st (17:44.85), Clay Rasmussen in 36th (17:54.36), Ephriam Weisz in 60th (18:31.87), Riley McGinnis in 72nd (18:58.40), Peik Lund-Andersen in 82nd (19:12.80) and Reilly Wolfe in 97th (20:54.81) to round things out. The team placed 8th in the State with 190 points.
The nearly 5,000 foot elevation was understandably tough running for a team that trains at 2,000 feet in a sport renowned for pushing the body as hard as possible for 5K.
“The elevation really kicked out butt down there,” said Bulldogs head coach Brass. “The kids were all to the wall, and four had to get attention in the medical tent. It wasn’t for lack of effort.”
Elevation took it’s toll on all of the Northern teams, renewing talk among state coaches about moving the southeast venue to Idaho Falls, which isn’t quite as high. Competing at elevation in any sport is challenging, but for endurance sports like distance running it is particularly difficult. There are no timeouts or places to catch your breath.
The state has finally adopted a three year rotation of established courses, one for the North, one for the South which has already assigned it to Eagle Island, and one for the South East. Coaches from around the state, including the Brasses, are hoping there are elevation rules put into place like in many other states.
Four Bulldog runners ended up collapsing and were taken briefly to the first aid tent to get treatment following their races due to altitude related breathing issues.
“It was a rough weekend, but not due to lack of effort. The kids, top to bottom, literally gave it everything they had. We are exceptionally proud of them and how they ran today,” said Matt Brass. “It’s disappointing that the state doesn’t have an elevation cap on the state competition like many other State High School Associations do, as well as the NCAA.”
It was a quality season for the Sandpoint harriers. The girls varsity won three out of four invitational meets, as well as their fourth straight Regional Championship. The boys team had two third place and one second place invitational finish, as well as winning their fourth straight Regional Championship.