The final few weeks of the Montana high school track and field season are bringing the best out in the athletes. Class B and Class C started the postseason last week with district meets, while all four classifications run their divisional meets this week. Below are some of the standout performances from last week that caught our eye at MontanaSports.com.
- The girls’ 100-meter dash at the Billings Public Schools City meet was the fastest race of the season. Billings West star Maddie Brockel edged Billings Skyview’s Breanne Fuller 12.31 seconds to 12.32. Those are the two fastest times in the state this season, regardless of class. West’s Maddie Albrecht also posted a top-six time of the season, crossing the finish line in 12.67 seconds. Brockel and her West teammates kept it up in the 200, as well, taking the top four places on the podium. Brockel, a three-time state champion in the 200, finished in 25.14 seconds, setting the state’s fastest time again. Albrecht now has the state’s fourth-fastest mark at 25.95 seconds, and Ellie Scherfius cracked the top 10 with a 26.34.
- The boys were cruising at the BPS City meet, too, getting three top-10 times in the 200. Billings Senior’s Micah Ans won the event with a 22.29-second race, which is the third-fastest time this spring. Billings West’s Trevin Gradney and Kyle Patelis finished in 22.58 and 22.65, running the state’s eighth- and 10th-fastest times, respectively.
- Kalispell Glacier boasts some of the best sprinters in Class AA, and Drew Turner and Mark Estes extended the dominance to the 400 at the Mike Nicosia Columbia Falls vs. Kalispell Glacier Dual. The Wolfpack duo posted the third- and fourth-fastest times in Class AA this season, with Turner crossing the line in 50.66 seconds and Estes finishing in 50.97 at last week’s dual.
- Levi Taylor of Laurel and Morgan Vosler of Miles City enjoyed the conditions at the Jockstop Twilight Invitational in Glendive, running Class A’s fastest 3,200-meter races of the season. Taylor finished in 9 minutes, 27.54 seconds, which is the fourth-fastest 3,200 in the state regardless of class. Vosler’s 11:28.94 is Class A’s top girls mark. The times were personal-best marks for both runners.
- Columbia Falls’ Angellica Street uncorked Montana’s best javelin throw of the season at the Nelson-Thomas ABC meet in Polson, marking an impressive throw of 145 feet, 1 inch. Meanwhile, Corvallis’ Zach Jessop won a head-to-head battle between Class A’s top two throwers. Jessop threw 180-03 to top Michael Graves of Hamilton at the Nelson-Thomas ABC meet. Jessop’s 180-03 is sixth-best overall mark of the season and the second-best Class A mark. Graves still has the best throw in Class A, recording a throw of 182-05 earlier this season.
- Class A’s top two jumpers met at the Nelson-Thomas ABC meet, as well. Gavin Strom of Libby leapt to a season-best mark of 21 feet, 11 1/4 inches to out-duel Jace Klucewich of Frenchtown, who marked a 21-07 1/2. Those jumps rank Nos. 1 and 2 in Class A this season.
- It was only a matter of time before Bryn Morley vaulted to the front of the 3,200-meter run in Class B. The Bigfork star ran the 3,200 for the first time this season at the Bigfork Invite, clocking an impressive 10:48.65. The time is Class B’s fastest of the season and ranks third in all classes.
- Huntley Project’s Emily Poole, just a sophomore, threw a personal-best 142-02 in the javelin at the District 4B meet. It’s the third-longest throw of the season and best in Class B. Poole also won the shot put and discus at the district meet.
- Glasgow senior Baylie Chappell blew away the field at the District 2B meet, running Class B’s fastest 100-meter dash of the season. Chappell crossed the finish line in 12.75 seconds, more than .7 seconds faster than second place. Chappell also won the 200, finished second in the 400, second in the long jump and ran a long on Glasgow’s winning 400-meter relay team.
- Townsend’s Kameron Rauser topped an impressive field in the 400-meter run at the District 5B meet. Rauser’s time of 50.46 seconds is his personal-best time and ranks fifth overall and third in Class B. Nate Brunett of Jefferson (51.31 seconds), Wyatt Barney of Manhattan (52.16) and Zane Newman of Townsend (52.53) ran personal-best times, as well, and now rank fourth, fifth and sixth in Class B.
