Eight Bulldog runners earn spots on District 1 Cross Country Team
SANDPOINT — Eight Sandpoint runners were honored this week, as the District 1 Cross Country team was announced, made up of the top 12 boys and girls runners in North Idaho, as selected by the 11 coaches in the district.
The schools represented in District 1 are Sandpoint, Coeur d’Alene, Lake City, Post Falls, Lakeland, Timberlake, Bonners Ferry, Priest River, Kellogg, Coeur d’Alene Charter and Kootenai.
For the girls, Katherine Kaul, Hannah Davidson and Niah Brass earned a spot on the team. For the boys, Cole Dillon, Brady Nelsen, Garrett Pierce, Peik Lund-Andersen and Ephriam Weisz made the team.
Bulldog coaches Matt and Angie Brass on what each runner did to earn a spot on the team:
n Kaul: Kat is a four year varsity, four year XC state medalist, part of a state champion team as a freshman, 2nd place state team as sophomore and 3rd place team as senior. She is a four year District 1 top 12 Runner, including Runner of the Year in 2016, and owns a 18:39 PR, tied for third fastest in SHS history. She always gives everything for her team in races, finishing in collapse. Katherine is a workhorse, loving the training and racing, always positive and helping those around her. She is fast, smart, a strong racer, devours hills and continually sets a blistering pace. Kat is a team captain this year and is the toughest competitor we have ever coached.
n Davidson: Hannah is a four year varsity, three year XC state medalist, part of a state champion team as freshman, 2nd place state team as sophomore and 3rd place team as senior. She has helped to bring home four Regional team titles, and was Regional Champion this year as a senior. She is a three time District 1 top 12 Runner of the year. Hannah owns a 18:56 PR, making her the 5th fastest in SHS history. She is a team captain this year, setting an example of year-round commitment to her sport. Hannah is consistent and always a dependable racer, holding our school’s 800 meter record, and she has the most impressive finishing speed.
n Brass: Niah is a three year varsity, three year state competitor, part of our 2nd and 3rd place state teams. She is a two-time District 1 top 12 Runner and owns a PR of 19:48 from our home meet this season, making her No. 12 on our all-time top 5K times at SHS. She brings a fire and devotion to her teammates and pack running, pacing our No. 3-7 runners through the first portion of races, executing the pack plan with strength and experience. She is a hardworking and committed teammate who is all-in.
n Weisz: Ephriam embodies the theory that hard work over time pays off. He has been a three year runner for Sandpoint, consistently putting in the training miles and improving every season. He was Regional Champion this year, earned his second letter, and led the way for the first perfect score at Regionals in team history for the Regional championship team. He improved his 5K PR by over a minute in the last year, which now stands at 16:47.
n Dillon: Cole transferred to Sandpoint at the end of his freshman year and quickly made an impact. He is a three year varsity letterman, three year Regional Medalist, member of the last three Regional championship teams, and has been selected to the District I Cross Country team for the past two seasons. He has been a consistently successful runner due to his toughness and mid-race surges. Cole has a 16:44 5K PR.
n Pierce: Garrett didn’t start running cross country until his junior year. As a first year runner he had modest success, running an 18:20 5K and being the state alternate. Garrett committed to the training and the grind, and blossomed into a tough and competitive front runner this season. He was the Regional Runner-Up for 4A, a two year letter earner, and a member of the Regional championship team. An outstanding year, but perhaps his greatest impact on the team was outstanding leadership, helping the team captains to galvanize and direct the team to it’s success. Garrett finishes his season with a 16:57 5K PR.
n Nelsen: Brady is a first year cross country runner, finding success through his ability to push to his limits. He is a great addition to the team, holding with the pack and learning a lot about racing throughout the season to earn a letter. He started the year running an 18:24 at the Bob Firman Invitational, and ended up with a 17:25 5K PR.
n Lund-Andersen: Peik has run cross country for the past four years, and has consistently improved and contributed to the team. He is a three year letter earner, a 2017 Regional Medalist, and a member of the last three Regional championship teams. Peik is both mentally and physically strong, working consistently these past four years to improve as a runner and help his team. Peik’s fastest time as a freshman was 20:04, he now owns a 17:13 5K PR.
Girls Runner of the Year — Sydney Shanahan, Post Falls.
Boys Runner of the Year — Chad Humphreys, Coeur d’Alene.
GIRLS
Niah Brass, Sandpoint; Rylee Brown, Coeur d’Alene; Hannah Davidson, Sandpoint; Lauren Forster, Coeur d’Alene; Jenna Gardiner, Post Falls; Katherine Kaul, Sandpoint; Abigail Peightal, Timberlake; Sydney Shanahan, Post Falls; Brooklyn Shell, Coeur d’Alene; Lilian Smith, Coeur d’Alene; Kara Troyer, Coeur d’Alene ; Jordan Young, Bonners Ferry.
BOYS
Landon Davis, Timberlake; Cole Dillon, Sandpoint; Caleb Gleason, Priest River; Carter Gordon, Lake City; Jordan Hardy, Timberlake; Noah Herbert, Timberlake; Peik Lund-Andersen, Sandpoint; Jared Meredith, Coeur d’Alene; Brady Nelsen, Sandpoint; Cameron Parks, Priest River; Karson Peach, Coeur d’Alene; Garrett Pierce, Sandpoint; Ephriam Weisz, Sandpoint.