Three Lakewood High alums team up to run cross country at the University of Great Falls

Cullen Cantwell absolutely loves running in Montana, so he recruited reinforcements.

Going into his senior year at the University of Great Falls (Great Falls, Mont.), Cantwell is captain of the Argonauts’ NAIA men’s cross country team. The 2005 graduate of Lakewood High School has high hopes for his final cross country season at UGF, but Cantwell isn’t merely focused on his improving his times; he’s excited to welcome two new teammates.

Recent Lakewood High grads Taylor Guske and Chad Skiles are University of Great Falls recruits who will run with Cantwell on the Argos’ cross country team. Because of his age difference, Cantwell never competed with Guske and Skiles at Lakewood. But next month the three pals will finally be teammates.

“Having them come out means a lot to me, and it’s just going to make my senior year surreal,” said Cantwell, who will also run with Guske and Skiles on UGF’s track team.

For years Cantwell mentored Guske and Skiles, helping them train when he had breaks from college.

Last year Cantwell, who transferred to UGF after running two seasons at Everett Community College, barely missed qualifying individually for the NAIA Cross Country National Championships. Although Cantwell wasn’t a standout in high school — his best individual finish for Lakewood at the Class 2A state meet was 52nd — he blossomed at UGF, where he red-shirted a year before emerging as a team leader in 2009. He plays a crucial role in a relatively new program that is entering its fourth year.

During his senior year at Lakewood Cantwell’s average time in 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) races was about 18 minutes, 16 seconds. Now his personal record for that distance is 15:36.

How did he do it?

“It’s all from putting in a mindless amount of miles,” Cantwell said.

That’s what it takes. College cross country races are 8 kilometers, significantly longer than the 5K distance used for most high school events. By cranking up his training routine, Cantwell successfully made the transition, and UGF’s coach is confident that the two incoming Lakewood alums, Guske and Skiles, will too.

“I was really excited to get both those guys,” University of Great Falls head cross country and track coach Jim Brewer said. “I think they’re going to be able to make a big difference on the team.”

“The thing that stands out about (Cantwell, Guske and Skiles) is they know how to work,” said Brewer, a 1990 Stanwood High graduate who earned All-American cross country honors at Western Washington University. “They’ve got (good coaches) back at Lakewood (who have) given them a good head start.”

Lakewood’s experienced coaching staff is led by co-head coaches Jeff Sowards and Jon Murray. It’s rewarding to see former Lakewood runners stick together, Sowards said.

“When there’s three that go to one program they obviously want to continue something that they had camaraderie-wise in high school,” he said. “It will be fun to watch them progress at this next level.”

Guske and Skiles are longtime friends who plan to room together at UGF. They were Lakewood’s top two finishers in November at the 2A state cross country meet, placing fifth and 24th, respectively, to help Lakewood win the fourth-place team trophy.

They admire Cantwell and look forward to competing with him.

“He inspires me every day with how hard he works,” said Skiles. “He puts in tons of mileage and he has a true passion for the sport.”

“He’s a pretty good motivator. There’s something about him that I just connect with — I believe anything he says,” Guske said of Cantwell.

Cantwell, who will live near Guske and Skiles in a campus apartment in Great Falls, has a particularly close relationship with Skiles. Cantwell was a high school teammate of Scott Skiles, Chad Skiles’ older brother.

Scott Skiles placed second at the 2A state cross country meet in 2005, his junior year at Lakewood. He was a favorite to win it the following year, but in late August 2006 he died in a head-on car collision.

Chad Skiles was about to start his freshman year at Lakewood. He dedicated his season to Scott, who he looked up to and desperately wanted to run with. Among the many people who reached out to console Chad Skiles was Cantwell, who has helped fill the big-brother role that Scott Skiles no longer can.

This past fall when Cantwell encouraged Chad Skiles to join him at UGF, they talked about how Scott Skiles had so much talent and surely would have competed in college. Referring to the opportunities Scott never got a chance to pursue, Cantwell told Chad he should finish what his brother started and run in college.

Although Chad Skiles wasn’t heavily recruited and didn’t reach the same level of running success that his brother achieved at Lakewood, Chad has a vital trait that should help him thrive at UGF.

“I know that Chad has the same drive that Scott had,” Cantwell said. “It’s just a matter of time before he unleashes.”

Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.