Copperhead Cross-Country runners Gage Novak, left, Jayda Cornelius and Austin Schellenberg hold up their ribbons for placing at the Butte Central Invitational at Fairmont Hot Springs on Sept. 8. Novak took first place for boys (his second win in a row), Cornelius finished in sixth place for girls and Schellenberg was eighth for boys. Anaconda Weekly Review photo by James S. Rosien.
By James S. Rosien
Anaconda Weekly Review publisher
Copperhead Cross Country came out in full force on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at the familiar grounds of Fairmont Hot Springs Resort’s golf course for the Butte Central Invitational, with Anaconda sending 15 runners to the meet – nine boys and six girls – with three of them placing at the invite and one, Gage Novak, making it two firsts in a row as he stormed past the competition to win the boys’ 5000m by almost 40 seconds.
Coming off of his victory at the Seamus Camp Cross Country Invite at Park High School in Livingston on Aug. 28 – that one by 40 seconds as well – Novak recorded yet another personal-best time, finishing the Fairmont race in 18 minutes 17 seconds flat. The sophomore was 39.7 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, senior Will Normandeau of Ronan, when he crossed the finish line.
Novak was not the only Copperhead boy to place at Tuesday’s invite either, as fellow sophomore Austin Schellenberg finished in eighth place with his personal-best time of 20 minutes 43.2 seconds.
And senior Jayda Cornelius placed sixth for girls with a season-best time of 24 minutes 36 seconds flat.
The girls’ 5000m was won by Savannah Langley of Frenchtown, doing so in 23 minutes 13 seconds.
The Copperheads saw plenty of personal- (PB) and season-best (SB) times at Fairmont, starting with the boys:
• Brett Dahood, 13th place, 21:54 (SB);
• Wyatt Jense, 14th, 22:10.4 (PB);
• Avery Wayland, 16th, 22:40.3 (SB);
• Michael Anderson, 20th, 23:21 (PB);
• Madden Zeren, 21st, 23:29.7 (PB);
• Jack Holmes, 26th, 25:32.3 (PB);
• Niles Harr, 30th, 38:04.9.
And for the Copperhead girls:
• Grace Mehrens, 13th, 27:02.2 (SB);
• Elizabeth Krakowka, 14th, 27:28.2 (PB);
• Sadie Schultz, 15th, 28:19.7 (SB);
• Avery Schelin, 20th, 29:29.0 (SB);
• Grace Richter, 21st, 30:44.8.
As a team the boys finished in second place while the girls took third place; the boys’ meet was won by Ronan, while the girls’ was won by Frenchtown.
The AHS cross-country teams have a big meet coming up in a week, as they’ll head to Missoula on Saturday, Sept. 19 for the Mountain West Classic. More information about the Mountain West Classic is available at https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/277015/info
