Casey Gunlikson, Lauren Heggen highlight returning state track champions

• 
  montanasports
• 3:18 pm

 

Missoula Sentinel’s Lauren Heggen won the girls 100 meter hurdles at the Russ Pilcher Top 10 Meet (MTN Sports photo).

The 2019 track and field season is scheduled to get under way Saturday, and fans will recognize several names as 2018 state champions. Athletes such as Casey Gunlikson and Lauren Heggen return to defend multiple titles, though new names will likely emerge throughout the season.

New champions will be crowned at the end of May in the boys 400-meter dash and pole vault, the only two events without a returning champion as outgoing seniors claimed the 2018 titles. The State AA and B meets will be held at Kalispell May 24-25, while Laurel will host the State A and C meets the same days. To view the state qualifying standards for each class, please click here.

Kalispell Glacier, Corvallis, Forsyth and Ennis are the defending boys team champions. Ennis is seeking its fifth consecutive State C title.

Missoula Sentinel, Dillon, Bigfork and Manhattan Christian are defending girls team champions. Sentinel and Bigfork are each chasing a third consecutive state title.

Returning 2018 state champions are listed below. If you notice an error or omission, please email sports@ktvh.com

Boys

Team

AA – Kalispell Glacier
A – Corvallis
B – Forsyth
C – Ennis (4th consecutive)

100

A – Keith Vanderlaan, Miles City, 10.97
B – Casey Gunlikson, Big Timber, 11.09

200

A – Keith Vanderlaan, Miles City, 22.36
B – Casey Gunlikson, Big Timber, 22.40

400

None

800

A – Quinn Stewart, Polson, 1:59.39

1,600

A – Levi Taylor, Laurel, 4:26.57
B – Bryce Love, Manhattan, 4:31.56

3,200

AA – Ben Perrin, Kalispell Flathead, 9:08.38
A – Levi Taylor, Laurel, 9:43.80
B – Zak Meeker, Manhattan, 10:00.86
C – Riley Schott, Manhattan Christian, 10:07.07

110 hurdles

B – Bradley Graves, Huntley Project, 14.64
C – Benjamin Tuinstra, Valley Christian, 15.54

300 hurdles

B – Casey Gunlikson, Big Timber, 38.85
C – Cody Welsh, Turner, 40.87

400 relay

AA – Kalispell Glacier, 41.68
A – Miles City, 42.72
B – Huntley Project, 43.35
C – Seeley-Swan, 44.24

1,600 relay

AA – Billings West, 3:22.08
A – Livingston, 3:24.43
B – Forsyth, 3:26.80
C – Seeley-Swan, 3:29.92

Long jump

B – Ry Olson, Joliet, 22-01

Triple jump

A – Zane Johnson, Dillon, 44-04 ¾
C – Levi Brubaker, Noxon, 44-03

High jump

AA – Trey Tintinger, Helena, 6-09
B – Avery Stiles, Jefferson, 6-06

Pole vault

None

Shot put

A – Carter Hughes, Sidney, 55-06 ½
C – Noah Ambuehl, Great Falls Central, 49-08 ¼

Discus

A – Carter Hughes, Sidney, 174-01

Javelin

AA – Evan Todd, Kalispell Glacier, 184-01

Girls

Team

AA – Missoula Sentinel (2nd consecutive)
A – Dillon
B – Bigfork (2nd consecutive)
C – Manhattan Christian

100

B – Maddisen Marema, Shepherd, 12.76
C – Zoe Delaney, Winnett-Grass Range, 12.70

200

A – Tylia DeJohn, Dillon, 26.05

400

A – Lauren Schulz, Whitefish, 59.44
C – Zoe Delaney, Winnett-Grass Range, 57.88

800

A – Heather Baker, Miles City, 2:21.89

1,600

A – Bea Frissell, Polson, 5:09.79
C – Averi Parker, West Yellowstone, 5:30.80

3,200

A – Bea Frissell, Polson, 11:23.92
C – Averi Parker, West Yellowstone, 12:01.72

100 hurdles

AA – Lauren Heggen, Missoula Sentinel, 14.66
B – Wrenzi Wrzesinski, Baker, 15.40

300 hurdles

AA – Tavy Findon, Billings Senior, 44.20
A – McKenna Friend, Miles City, 47.22
B – Wrenzi Wrzesinski, Baker, 45.84
C – Casey Ehmann, Darby, 46.46

400 relay

AA – Billings West, 47.56
A – Dillon, 48.86
B – Bigfork, 50.26
C – Fort Benton, 50.21

1,600 relay

AA – Billings Senior, 4:00.60
A – Whitefish, 4:04.33
B – Bigfork, 4:01.89
C – Fort Benton, 4:08.59

Long jump

AA – Delaney Bahn, Bozeman, 18-10 ½
A – Lindsay McGree, Butte Central, 17-03 ¾

Triple jump

AA – Lauren Heggen, Missoula Sentinel, 39-07
B – Kendall Lynn, Three Forks, 34-10

High jump

AA – Shelby Schweyen, Missoula Sentinel, 5-07
C – Brenna Osksa, Plentywood, 5-04

Pole vault

B – Kamryn Scully, Deer Lodge, 10-00
C – Terra Bertsch, Seeley-Swan, 9-06

Shot put

A – Anna Zimmer, Lewistown, 43-01 ¼

Discus

A – Calla Haldorson, Corvallis, 143-10
B – Emily Poole, Huntley Project, 118-09
C – Klaire Kovatch, Seeley-Swan, 135-03

Javelin

A – Angellica Street, Columbia Falls, 147-07
B – Emily Poole, Huntley Project, 133-06

 

Maroons eyeing successful track season, eventually

By  Bruce Sayler

The numbers might be a bit light, but the scoring potential looks positive for Butte Central as the Maroons wait for snow to clear and melt, and temperatures to warm a little more for embarkment on their 2019 high school track season.

Head coach Zack Stajcar has an experienced turnout of 18 tracksters and a veteran staff to work it as BC tries to guess when that first competition might occur.

“It’s not a big squad,” said Stajcar, who welcomed 18 Maroons to practice. “Half have seen what divisionals and state are all about and are looking to going again this year.”

As Stajcar mention, nine of the BC athletes competed at the 2018 state Class A track meet. And, this year’s freshman class produced only one track contestant, but she is a dandy. The Maroons have a good season planned.

When it may start could be the biggest problem. Wintry weather canceled the opener at Corvallis, another shot at a Corvallis meet was denied because the field was already full and so the BC crew is looking at, perhaps, a next Tuesday debut in Butte.

Stajcar is thinking more realistic.

“April 6th in Belgrade,’’ he targeted as being the most likely opener for Butte Central.

The Maroons have been practicing in the Maroon Activities Center, which has space to run in and a jumping pit in the front hallway.

The turnout of 18 athletes breaks into 12 boys and six girls, and Stajcar likes the chances of both squads to score meaningful points in the postseason by the end of this year.

 

 

 

 

 

Head coach Jamie Heinz and the Columbia Falls High School track teams will be looking to have another successful year in 2019 as the season opens in Frenchtown April 6.

The Wildcats are coming off a 2018 season in which they finished eighth at the state meet and will be looking to do even better this year.

“I’m excited with what we have this year. We have right at 100 kids out for track right now. I have more senior boys than I have had in a very long time and I am hoping that will equate to some success,” Heinz said. “I have great balance on the boys team. I have a couple of great throwers and some good sprinters. Our distance runners are coming off a state championship in cross country and they should be the strength of our team.”

The 2018 Cats graduated four athletes who competed at the state meet last year, but Heinz said he should have between 12 and 15 seniors to help lead the way this year.

The Cats have 12 athletes who competed at last year’s state meet returning this season, including Easton Sempf, Zack Pletcher and Drew Morgan, three of the four members of last year’s mile relay team which finished second.

Parker Greene, who was third in the state in the discus will also be returning for the Cats this season, as will Danny Henjum and Kaeden Clewein, who were a members of the 400-meter relay team, which finished fifth.

Others returning that competed at state include Joe Lamb, Seth Umbriaco, Isaac Balla, Chance Adams, Tanner Gove and Richard Role.

Also joining the Cats on the track for the first time this season will be senior Colten McPhee, who will be running sprints and pole vaulting as well as possibly running on a few relay teams.

The Wildkats squad will have somewhat of an opposite look this season, with only two seniors and a lot of young talent. Heinz said that, along with some key seniors and juniors, he will have strong set of freshman and sophomore athletes on this year’s team.

“Both of those freshman and sophomore classes are extremely strong and I think there will be a lot of them that will surprise people this year,” he said. “I am really excited for those younger girls to step in and perform. There is a lot of talent there that a lot of people don’t know about. I think there is also good balance on the girls team this year. I have some very strong athletes. We will be good in the distance races. I will have some good sprinters and some good jumpers. We should have a pretty good team.”

Despite their youth, the Kats will have nine athletes returning who made it to the state meet last season, including defending state champion javelin thrower Angellica Street, who was also 11th in the shot put last year. Genevieve Delorme will return for her senior year after finishing third at state in the 800-meter run last year. Also returning will be senior Haileigh Bayee.

Junior Josie Windauer will be looking to improve on her performance at state last year, where she finished seventh in the pole vault and 12th in the 200-meter dash. Sophomores LaKia Hill and Madysen Hoerner both competed in the long jump at state last year and junior Kiera Brown was 21st in the shot put. Junior Stella Bistodeau will be looking to improve on her 10th place finish in the high jump at state last season.

Others returning for the Kats that qualified for state last year include Flora Jarvis, Paige Burger and Alexis Purcell.

While Heinz says he has high hopes for his teams this year, he said that he will use the first few track meets to help evaluate his squads.

“Other than the kids who went to state last year, all the other athletes are such an unknown that I don’t know what to expect,” he said. “I just want to get through the first meet or two just to see where we are at. I will probably have a better idea of our expectations for this season in a few weeks.”

 WHITEFISH

 

 

The Whitefish track and field team is looking to hit the ground running next week at Flathead.

The team returns a number of last year’s state finishers, including Lauren Schulz, Lee Walburn and Sam Menicke.

On the girls side, the team is looking to best last year’s fifth overall finish at state.

Schulz, champion in the 400 last season, will again look for a dominant season, head coach Derek Schulz said.

The team also returns Mikenna Ells, Anna Cook, Kennedy Grove, Marlee Bender, Ella Greenberg and Emily Gunlikson, among others.

On the boys side, Lee Walburn will look to improve on last season’s third place in the state 300 hurdles. Menicke also returns after last year’s fourth in triple jump.

In addition, the boys will get senior leadership from Jack Schwaiger, Keegan Wold, Dillon Botner, Jack Eisenbarth and others.

“We have a strong group of senior leaders in that class,” Schulz said. “We’ve got kids that are multi-sport athletes that are returning also that were at the state track meet a year ago.”

In both the boys and girls teams, Schulz says he’s hoping to get the experienced athletes leading the way for some of the newer kids on the team.

“There’s some really good kids that are hard working and fun to work with. My hope is the seniors set a high standard of work ethic and show that to some of these younger faces that have all this potential and we’ll see what happens. We want to be healthy, we want to continue our physical improvement throughout the season, but we have divisionals in Butte this year and we want to be ready for that challenge. Both boys and girls are teams that we feel like if we do a good job and we get the work ethic and commitment from the kids, then we should have a team that’s capable of placing at divisionals and maybe even state.”

At the time of writing only a few lanes had been cleared of snow on the track, but Schulz said it’s just a pattern of late starts that comes with living in northwest Montana.

“We can still get our practicing in, it’s been a little bit of a challenge but we’re accustomed to that kind of start anyway,” he said. “We’re just looking to get in shape and get the rust out.”

The team will compete at Flathead on April 2 at 3 p.m. The Saturday after, they’ll head down to Frenchtown before returning to the Valley for the Flathead Time Trials on April 9.

Later in the season they’ll host the annual Akey, Roseberg and Murphy A.R.M. Invite on April 27.

Divisionals are in Butte on May 17 and 18, and state is in Laurel a week later.

Schulz said right now it’s not clear whether that will be a full meet next Tuesday or if only some events will compete, as Legends Stadium and the surrounding field event areas still have some thawing of their own to do.

“Depending on their throwing areas, their weather between now and then ... we may be having a full meet, but we may not. I’m sure they’ll attempt to have some meet, even if it’s modified,” he said.