Bigfork junior Makena Morley ran 16:35 to win the Class B state cross country championship and break the all-class state record held by Flathead’s Zoe Nelson.
At the 50th annual state cross country meet in Missoula on Saturday, the Bigfork junior set a new all-time record for female distance runners in Montana history. Her winning time surpassed Nelson’s 2002 previous best of 16:50 and is only the second time under 17 minutes in history at the state meet. It also gave Morley her third consecutive Class B state title.
Today’s milestone has been atop Morley’s mind since she entered high school and emerged as a contender for the record books.
Morley already held the Class B state record of 17:44, which she set as a freshman.
Click here to view results from the race.
Morley’s brother Logan placed second in the Class B boys race, 16:25.
The Glacier boys placed second as a team, the best finish in school history. Kade McCutcheon placed fourth, 15:37, and Logan Harmon earned 15th, 16:13, and the Wolfpack tallied 99 points behind Bozeman, which scored an impressive 30 to win another title.
The Whitefish girls earned second in Class A. Sarah Latcham placed 16th, 19:51, and the Lady Bulldogs placed five runners in the top 30 to finished runner-up behind state champ Corvallis.
Polson’s Claudia Hewston placed fifth, 19:24. Samantha Mundel from Columbia Falls placed ninth, 19:31.
Click here to view all of the results from today’s championship meet.
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