Weiser cross country runners continue to improve times

Weiser High School’s cross county team made the trip to Nampa’s Lakeview Park last Thursday to compete against 3A, 4A and 5A schools at the Gary Ward Invitational.
 Two runners finished with sub-16 minute times to take first and second place in a field of 143 varsity boys competing in the 5,000 meters.
 Kuna senior Russell Richardson placed first with a time of 15:33.62. Runner-up Caleb Hamblin, a senior at Liberty Charter School, took second place with a time of 15:45.04.
 In team scores for the boys, Kuna placed first, followed by Rocky Mountain in second place. Ridgevue took third place. Weiser finished in 21st place.
 Senior Nate Lattin paced the Weiser varsity boys and ran his fastest race so far this season. He finished in under 20 minutes with a time of 19:41.76. Lattin’s best race ever was a finish of 19:08.8 in 2018.
 Weiser coach Scott Hale said last year it took a fast time to qualify for state as an individual and that’s what Lattin is working toward this season.
 “I know Nate’s goal has always been to make it to the state meet,” Hale said. “Last year to qualify individually it took a sub 19-minute time. So that’s been his goal all season, and I think he can do it.”
 Other finishers for the Weiser varsity boys included Colton Foster (20:10.81), Michael Despain (20:34.64), Ben Hathhorn (21:22.16), Colyer Chandler (21:43.23) and Dylan Turrentine (22:24.75).
 For the Weiser varsity girls, senior Ellie Walker set the pace with a time of 23:41.30. It was her best time this season and also her first sub-24 minute race. Her finish at the Gary Ward Invitational was about 30 seconds faster than her previous fastest time. Her best race ever in the 5,000 meters was 22:06.7 in 2018.
 Other Weiser girls who posted times included Kiearra Hoobery (24:20.12), Stephanie Bodett (25:41.13), Libbie Rynearson (26:10.13) and Ellie Eames (27:44.62).
 The field of varsity girls at the meet totaled 107 runners who posted times. Ridgevue’s Alexia Corona placed first with a sub-19-minute time of 18:10.09. Aubrey Thueson of Centennial took second place with a time of 18:56.18.
 In team scores for the varsity girls, Rocky Mountain placed first, followed by Bishop Kelly in second place and Centennial in third place. The Weiser varsity girls placed 12th.
 The Wolverines have two more meets before competing in the SRV 3A districts on Oct. 22. The Wolverines will travel to Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Ore., on Thursday, Oct. 3, for the Crosby Invitational.
 Weiser’s cross country teams will be back home on Wednesday, Oct. 9, for the SRV Invitational. The race will be run at Weiser’s Rolling Hills Golf Course, which is considered one of the more challenging 5K courses in the area.
 Between now and the 3A SRV districts and 3A state meet, the effort in training will be to get faster in the 5,000 meters, Weiser’s coach said.
 “Our focus for the rest of the season will be to develop our speed and mental toughness as much as possible,” Hale said. “We have a few runners that are right close to each other, so we’re also working on pacing with each other to bring the whole team up to speed.”