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Glacier’s Hill Wins Foot Locker West Regional

Hill's victory marks the third year in a row that a Flathead Valley runner claimed first place at the west regional

By Dillon Tabish
Glacier freshman Annie Hill. Beacon File Photo

The undefeated season continues.

Annie Hill, a sophomore at Glacier High School, won the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships West Regional on Saturday in Walnut, California.

Hill finished the 5K race in 18:12.6 to edge out runner-up Kate Hunter of Provo, Utah. The victory propels Hill to next week’s Foot Locker nationals in San Diego, where she placed eighth a year ago.

Hill’s victory marks the third year in a row that a Flathead Valley runner claimed first place at the west regional race. Bigfork’s Makena Morley won the event the past two years. Hill placed fourth a year ago.

Hill, the fifth-ranked high school runner in the nation, has been on a dominating streak in recent months, breaking Morley’s all-class state record at the state championship cross country meet in Great Falls and then winning the Nike Regional.

Saturday’s seeded girls race featured 148 of the best prep runners from Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Ella Degrandpre, a freshman from Missoula, placed 37th in 19:23.

In the boys seeded race, Helena senior Aidan Reed placed 13th in 16:05. Jake Perrin, a senior at Flathead, placed 24th, 16:16. Glacier’s Logan Harmon placed 122nd, 17:19. Cameron Meikle from Hamilton took 128th, 17:23.

Garek Bielaczyc from Salt Lake City, Utah won the boys race in 15:21.