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Morley Wins Third Mountain West Classic in Record-Setting Time

By Beacon Staff

Makena Morley keeps pushing the limits of speed in Montana distance running.

The Bigfork junior set a course record at the Mountain West Classic in Missoula last weekend, running 16 minutes, 43.42 seconds over three miles. It broke Zoe Nelson’s 2002 mark by 17 seconds and ranks as one of the fastest all-time in Montana high school competition.

Morley won her third consecutive Mountain West title by 46 seconds in a field of nearly 400 runners at the University of Montana Golf Course, which is also where the state cross country meet will be held Oct. 26. Last season she won Mountain West in 17:07. Her previous best time in cross country was 16:50.

The Glacier boys won the title among 58 other teams at Mountain West, edging Bozeman by nine points. Kade McCutcheon placed ninth, 15:40, and Nathan Connell earned 16th, 15:46, to lead the Wolfpack.