State track: Whitefish boys claim another title

LAUREL — Behind a dominant performance from senior Logan Harwood, the Whitefish boys clinched their eighth boys track championship in school history. 

Harwood won both the 200- and 800-meter runs on Saturday and finished fourth in the 100, adding to his 400 win from Friday — nearly a clean sweep of the sprints and middle-distance races. 

“He had a huge meet,” Whitefish coach Derek Schulz said. 

“I don’t know the last time anyone in Montana (did that). If he would’ve had a little bit more rest and a few more meters he would’ve won the 100 too. One of the more impressive track meets of anybody that we’ve ever had.”

Harwood anchored the Bulldogs’ 400 relay team that clinched the state title, and set a school record in the process, in 42.86 seconds. They missed beating the Class A record by .12 seconds.

But, Harwood wasn’t the only Whitefish athlete that showed up with his A game. 

Keaton Grove won the 110 hurdles, finishing in 15.33 seconds, edging Dillon’s Mick Paffhausen by .03 seconds. He finished sixth in the 300 hurdles. 

“He didn’t win by much, but he won it,” Schulz said. 

Sean Foley placed second in the pole vault, clearing 13 feet, 6 inches. Luke May placed fourth in the javelin and Jace Kalbfleisch was fourth in the 3,200. Each of those points allowed the Bulldogs to coast to sixth in the 1,600 relay, having already locked up the trophy.

“Almost everyone ran their best times and cleared their best marks,” Schulz said. 

“That’s tough at the state level. I was thrilled with how everyone competed.”

Columbia Falls’ Ty Morgan finished second in the javelin and Nakia Alexander was third in the triple jump. Polson’s Riley Sampson was second in the discus.

Whitefish’s Marlow Schulz swept the girls’ sprints for the second straight year, winning the 100 (12.66) and 200 (25.16) on Saturday. She defended her title in the 400 on Friday, topping the old Class A record set in 1978 by nearly a second.

“She had a huge meet again,” the elder Schulz said. 

“Now she’s done it two years in a row.”

The Whitefish girls 400 relay finished second, setting a school record. Polson’s Anna DiGiallonardo finished third in the 100 and Columbia Falls’ Carla Nicosia was third in the triple jump. Andrew Getts was sixth in the discus for the Wildkats