Derek Storkel Thursday won the Westfield Pioneer Invitational for the third straight season.

So, what’s new? Storkel got significant help from his Tomah Timberwolves teammates.

Jesse Parker finished 19th out of 52 runners, and seven Tomah runners finished 41st or better as the Timberwolves were fifth out of seven teams and were just nine points away from fourth.

The performance of Tomah’s six other runners is a hopeful sign that the Timberwolves won’t be ticketed for last or next-to-last at multi-team meets in 2008.

Storkel dominated the 5,000-meter (3.1-mile) race with a time of 16 minutes, 17 seconds. That was 49 seconds ahead of Wautoma’s Sean Wise, the runner up. Logan Norlin of Wautoma was third at 17:11.

Parker, a junior running his first interscholastic cross country race, ran in 20:15. He was followed by Tomah teammates Chris Laylan (21:20), Jacob Waddell (21:21), Reese Butterfuss (21:23), Kyle Laylan (22:09) and Michael Wilde (22:38).

Team scores: Lodi 60, Wautoma 66, Mosinee 71, Reedsburg 89, Tomah 98, Wisconsin Dells 134, Rio/Fall River River 144.

Tomah was one of just two teams to field a complete junior varsity squad. Lodi won the jayvee race over Tomah, 21-34.

Zach Humpal paced the Timberwolves by finishing fifth in a field of 32 runners with a time of 22:48.

Mitch Rezin was sixth in 22:55.

Other Tomah runners were Jacob Rezin (24:00), Skylar McCarthy (24:20), John Lanska (24:21), Kevin Kirsch (24:21) and Daniel White (27:02).