FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Klaire Kovatch, a former Montana high school standout at Seeley-Swan, is headed to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships following a strong showing in the discus last Saturday at the NCAA West Regional meet in College Station, Texas.
Kovatch entered the meet expected to qualify for nationals — her season-best mark ranked No. 9 in the region. Her first attempt of 172 feet, 8 inches was not enough to put her over the line, but her second throw of 178-2 vaulted her into qualifying position.
Kovatch sat in 12th place with a handful of competitors still to throw, but the she on as the final scores came through to earn a berth to the national meet.
Kovatch, a redshirt junior at CSU, was a three time Class C state discus champion in high school and helped Seeley-Swan to an overall team title in 2021. She was the 2021 Gatorade girls track and field athlete of the year for Montana in 2021.
The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held June 11-14 in Eugene, Ore. Other area athletes to qualify include Montana State's Rob McManus (3,000-meter steeplechase), Harvey Cramb (1,500 meters), Hailey Coey (long jump), and the Bobcats' 4x400 women's relay team of Olivia Lewis, Peyton Garrison, Giulia Gandolfi and Caroline Hawkes.
