Valley tracksters excel at Top Ten

MISSOULA — The Flathead Valley had an excellent afternoon Tuesday at the Russ Pilcher Western Montana Top 10 meet at MCPS Stadium.

Flathead High especially. 

Ben Bliven won the 100 and 200 for the Braves, teammate William Hollensteiner won the 400 and long jump and the Bravettes’ Alivia Reinhart took both the 200 and 100-meter hurdles. 

Rinehart, a senior, hit personal records in both wins: She won the 200 in 25.13 seconds and the 100 hurdles in 14.40; the latter is the best in the state, for all classes. 

The unscored meet, which invites in the best athletes within roughly 150 miles of Missoula, had the kind of performances you’d expect.  

In the girls 100-meter dash, Sofia Szollosi of Missoula Hellgate edged Whitefish’s Rachael Wilmot, 12.42-12.52.  

Wilmot was also a tight second to Rinehart in the 200, clocking 25.41. Wilmot’s time sits second in Class A, and Rinehart is first in AA. 

The Bravettes’ Josie Wilson ran her PR in 1,600 (5:17.41) while finishing third. 

Glacier’s Lauren Bissen got a PR in a convincing win in the 3,200, clocking 10:58.49 — in fact the top four placers PR’d, with Polson’s Morgan Delaney second in a Class A-best 11:22.49. Bissen sits second in Class AA and overall. 

The Wolfpack’s Alyssa Vollertson won the girls 800 in a season-best 2:22.52; Jaidyn Peevey met her PR in the high jump, 5-2, though she finished fourth on criteria. 

Helena’s Madilyn Todorovich took the high triple jumps. 

Bliven didn’t get any PRs Tuesday but was still plenty fast: He clocked 10.92 through the boys 100 and 22.03 in the 200. 

Hollensteiner’s 400 time of 48.29 was his best this season and leads the state regardless of class; he won a dual with Columbia Falls’ Isak Soyland in the long jump, marking 21-1.25. Soyland was second by a quarter-inch; his 21-1 is third in Class A. 

Flathead’s Lane Chivers edged Big Sky’s Cormack Batt by .07 in the 300 hurdles, winning in 39.22. 

The boys’ 800 was a highlight: Whitefish senior Simon Douglas won in 1:54.44, and Flathead’s Kasen Kastner (1:55.01) got second in a photo finish with Hamilton’s Evan Bennett (1:55.02). 

Not every Wildcat got in the blocks Tuesday — Jack Phelps was absent from the sprints — but Lane Voermans won the discus with a toss of 170 feet, 4 inches and was second in the shot put to Polson’s Astin Brown, who marked 57-6. 

Glacier got a PR and a win from Owen Thiel in the 1,600. Thiel’s time of 4:18.27 is the fastest run inside the state’s borders; Helena High’s Elliott Stimpson and Henry Sund ran faster at the Arcadia (Calif.) Invitational on April. 12. Stimson was second Tuesday, and Sund didn’t run. 

Glacier’s Dylan Smith was second in the discus, as was Cole Opre in the pole vault. While Opre cleared 14-6, a PR, Missoula Sentinel’s Geffen Guscio won at 15-0. Those two are the top vaulters in Montana, regardless of class. 

The Pack’s Cooper Pelc added a fourth in the triple jump and fifth in the 200. 

Bigfork’s Tamret Savik was second in the triple jump to Butte’s Sam Henderson, whose mark of 48-4.75 leads the state. The Vikings’ Austin Savik ran his season-best in the 300 hurdles, 41.11; he sits second in Class A in that event behind Frenchtown’s Brody Hardy (39.65). 

Full results can be found at athletic.net.