Whitehorse girls surprise with 4th-place state finish

WINDOW ROCK

Based on their top finishes at both the Pinnacle and Region 19 meets earlier this season, the Whitehorse Lady Raiders did not exactly enter this year’s Utah Class 1A girls’ state cross-country meet under the radar.

“Some of the other Region 19 coaches have been watching us and commenting on our team’s performance,” Whitehorse girls’ cross-country coach Georgiana Simpson said. “They understood how well the team had been running this year.”

Nonetheless, her team did surprise some people as the Raiders placed fourth overall in the team standings. With her team rising to their potential, Whitehorse tallied 78 points at the state meet, which was held Oct. 17 at Sugarhouse Park in Salt Lake City.

“Outside of our region, I don’t believe anyone saw us coming,” she said.

Whitehorse finished behind Panguitch High (21), Milford (21) and Monticello (72) in team standings with the top two teams earning trophies.

Sophomore Bahazhoni Filfred paced Whitehorse as she finished 13th overall with a time of 22 minutes, 59.0 seconds.

Simpson said Filfred came into the state meet with a terrific base. She said Bahazhoni trained with her older sister, Daan, a junior, almost every day by running the mesas near their home.

“They have a great support from their parents and know how to dig into tough races,” Simpson of the Filfred sisters.

As for the younger Filfred sister, Simpson said she’s is hungry for a Top 10 finish next season.

“She is excited about her great improvement from last year’s state competition,” Simpson said. “Last year she placed 25th overall.”

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