Two BFHS cross-country runners advance to state championships
Bonners Ferry cross-country runners, from left, Hunter Smith, Connor Alexander, Camille Ussher and Abigail Gorton are seen at the elite Bob Firman Nike Invitational meet at Eagle Island State Park in Boise last season.
File photo by TYLER WARNER
BONNERS FERRY — Two Bonners Ferry High School cross-country runners qualified for the 3A state championships this weekend, with juniors Connor Alexander and Camile Ussher both finishing in the top 10 in the 3A District I-II championship last week.
Alexander ran a 17:22.4 in the boys meet, coming in second place overall behind a Coeur d’Alene Charter runner and continuing his excellent season.
In the girls meet, Ussher qualified with room to spare, finishing in eighth place with a time of 22:46.6, comfortably over a minute faster than needed to qualify for the state championships.
No other boys runner finished inside the top 25, while on the girls side senior Jenna Brooks missed out on qualifying for the state championships by just over 30 seconds, finishing with an 11th-place time of 23:48.3. Senior Lauren Onstott also placed inside the top 20, coming in 16th with a time of 25:06.2.
On the team side of things, the boys finished in fourth place with a score of 89, and the girls finished last with a score of 71.
Alexander and Ussher will compete against some of the best runners in all of Idaho this weekend. The boys and girls races will both take place on Friday, Oct. 30 at Portneuf Wellness Complex in Pocatello.