Whitewater in Culbertson

The Whitewater Penguins ran at the Culbertson on September, September 26.

"Considering the 25 mph wind that they had to run in they did great," Coach Hammond said. "I was going in expecting all of them to add time. The wind is the worst element to run in and can make the race feel SO long."

Despite the wind, two Penguins were able to improve their time.

Sophomore Sammie Wisher led the Penguins with a time of 25:03.49, which gave her a placing of 27th. Wisher shaved close to two minutes off of her previous best of 26:46.0 which she set in her first high school meet in Glasgow.

"She really worked on slowing down her pace this week to be able to sustain throughout the whole race and she definitely accomplished that," Coach Hammond said.

Sophomore Kendra Cummings also set a new personal best, taking 40th with a time of 26:03.86.

Freshman Ava Handley took 54th with a total of 28:50.45 and Hannah Hanley took 58th with a total of 29:59.24.

"Ava and Hannah added a little time but they finished very strong and have a lot of positives to look at with improved form and strong finishes," Coach Hammond said.

This Saturday, Coach Hammond, who is a graduate of Malta High School, will experience her first Malta Invitational, but she said the event would not be weird for her.

"If I was a runner in high school it might be a little strange," Coach Hammond said. "It's fun having it in my own back yard though!"

Being that Coach Hammond lives near Marian Hills Golf Course, the team has a bit of home-field advantage this weekend.

"I've had the girls come into Malta and run the golf course a couple of times," Coach Hammond said. "It's a tough course to run. Hopefully, they will be ready!"

The meet scheduled to start at 10 a.m. The boys will kick things off followed by the girls' races.