Hawk XC Runners Compete At Home Meet

Broadus hosted their Cross Country meet last Friday, with weather starting out cool but hot conditions prevailing as the day went by. Teams from Miles City and Glendive composed a majority of runners, with Baker, Lodge Grass, and Terry along with the five runners from Broadus making up the high school teams attending the meet. Junior high schools included Ashland, Glendive, Baker, Miles City, and Lodge Grass.

Reece Emmons ran a 26:43 on the hilly Broadus course, which makes two laps around the Rolling Hills golf course. She placed 14th overall. Addison Draine placed 19th with a 29:33.

For the boys, Christian Oylear got out in front of the pack quickly, leading the way through much of the first mile of the race. His pace was unfortunately unsustainable for the entire 3.1 mile race, and he fell to 6th place by the end, running a 20:11. Sean Oylear placed 13th, with a 21:14, and Bradyn Stoddard-Terrill, with a 25:24.

Broadus Coach Ashley Emmons told us the strategy she employs with her racers: "Our first mile is considered a smart mile, where you really need to think of your pace and overall strategy – if you come out too fast, you'll hit the wall and burn out later in the run. On the other hand if you start too slow, you will have too far to catch up. The second mile is the mental mile – the crowds aren't fully out cheering you on, so it's up to you to make it happen on your own. The third mile is the guts mile, where you have to pull out everything you have to compete and finish the race."

Those strategies are still being played out with the team, especially as the younger runners "find their stride" in the races, gaining experience each week.

This week, Broadus will race in Miles City, and with four of five racers already qualified for State, only Bradyn Stoddard-Terrill still needs to qualify, and he was close to qualifying in Broadus – Miles City is a much more tame course with far fewer hills, being run on the golf course.

Ashley wanted to thank the Broadus volleyball team and coaching staff for all their help on the race, as they helped direct runners on key turns in the course, and helped hand out waters and medals as the exhausted runners crossed the finish line. Krista Gotfredson was also thanked for the sack lunches made for all the runners, and the entirety of Rolling Hills Golf Course for their course and facilities. Mrs. Ternes and Patrick Emmons helped by driving carts fore and aft of the runners, ensuring they stayed on course.