Track: Final weekend for athletes to hit state marks
With state qualifying standards in Classes AA, A and B, 38 boys and 42 girls from the region’s high schools have already secured another week to their season entering this weekend’s divisional track meets in Libby and Missoula.
Those elite athletes get one more chance to improve their marks ahead of the state meet and their teammates have one last chance to join them in the final week of the season.
Class AA
The Flathead and Glacier boys and girls have seen a lot of success this season, primarily in the distance runs and field events. They start their divisional track meet at 2 p.m. in Missoula. The second day of racing begins at 11 p.m. on Saturday.
Flathead senior Sylas Schutt ran a class-best 9:34.67 in the 3,200-meter run at Archie Roe a few weeks back and Braves junior Jake Perrin has the second-best 1,600 in the class. Both runners have been near the top of the state in each discipline this season, and have run well against elite competition.
Braves senior Jess Beaman has posted class-best marks in the long and triple jumps. Glacier’s Austin Cook isn’t far behind Beaman in the long jump, trailing by nine inches as the second-best leaper in the class entering the weekend.
The boys teams have yet to qualify a competitor in the 100, 300 hurdles and javelin. The top six finishers at the divisional meet, including ties, advance to state.
Glacier freshman Annie Hill is set to be the star of the meet on the girls side, having already ran the best 1,600 time by any Class AA competitor in history. She also leads the class in the 3,200 and has qualified in the 400 and 800.
Flathead junior Gillian Maness also figures to be in the mix in the distance races, having qualified in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200. Eight girls from the two schools have qualified in at least one of the distance races.
Glacier senior Keyawna Larson has consistently posted the best javelin throws in the state and is likely to be near the top of the heap this weekend. The Wolfpack also has three girls near the top of both the shot put and discus.
Each school has yet to qualify athletes in the 100 hurdles, 400 relay, high jump and pole vault.
Class A
As the Northwestern A meet begins its last trip to Libby, a few all-around athletes have been making their marks in the conference.
Whitefish’s Jed Nagler leads the state in the high jump, clearing 6-6 earlier this season, and has qualified in the 100, 200 and discus. Polson’s Jacob Clairmont has also qualified for four events, running among the best in the class in the 110 and 300 hurdles, the long jump and pole vault.
Whitefish junior Luke May is the state leader in the javelin.
Columbia Falls senior Samantha Mundel leads Class A in each of the three distance races with near record times this season. Teammate Carla Nicosia has the best triple jump in the class and is among the top 100 hurdlers.
The area’s Class A boys have yet to qualify a runner in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 and the 1,600 relay, along with the triple jump and shot put in the field events. The girls are still looking for qualifiers in the 200 and 300 hurdles.
The top five qualifiers, including ties, at the Northwestern A meet will advance to state.
Class B
Arguably, the best athletes in the state are in District 7B. They join their counterparts from the 6B at the Western B meet in Missoula today.
On the boys side, Troy’s Sean Opland, the defending state champ in the 400, has class-best marks in the 200, 400 and high jump and has qualified in the 100 and triple jump. Bigfork’s Josh Sandry, who edged Opland for last year’s high jump championship, is second in the high jump this season and has qualified in the 100 and javelin.
Then there’s the Morley family. Bigfork junior Logan Morley, the defending boys 1,600 champ, leads the class in the 1,600 and 3,200 and is among the fastest in the 800.
Elder sister Makena, who won three individual titles and anchored the championship 1,600 relay for Bigfork last season, has sat most of the season with an illness, returning last week at divisionals to set the second best marks in Class B in the 800 and 3,200, adding to the 1,600 qualifying mark she set earlier in the season.
Her marks are second only to younger sister Bryn, who holds class-best marks in the 400, 800, 1,600 and 3,200.
Plains senior Hailey Phillips is among the fastest 100-meter runners and leads the class in the 200 and both the 100 and 300 hurdles. Bigfork freshman Haile Norred has qualifed in the 100, 200, 400 and high jump. Valkyries teammate Marissa Hiza has qualified in the 100 hurdles and the long, triple and high jumps.
Even with a boatload of talent on the track and in the field, the local boys have yet to qualify in the 300 hurdles and the girls in the discus and javelin. The top six competitors, including ties, at the Western B meet advance to state.