BILLINGS — Make it four Montana Mile titles for Christina Aragon.
The former Billings Senior and current Stanford Cardinal sensation defended her title on Friday evening, winning the 2018 Montana Mile in 4 minutes, 59.3 seconds, pulling away in the second half of the race and edging 2016 Montana Mile winner Tiahna Vladic, also of Billings Senior.
Vladic posted a time of 5:03.3, while Kelsi Lasota earned a close third-place finish at 5:03.6. Bozeman graduate Camila Noe, who broke Aragon’s record of the fastest 3,200-meter run this spring, placed fifth.
Aragon, the five-time all-American for the Cardinal, helped Stanford to a program record and national runner-up finish in the women’s distance medley relay at the NCAA Indoor National Championships. She capped her outdoor season with a fourth-place finish in the 1,500-meter run.
Friday’s win was the first for Petsch, a former Billings West harrier and Rocky Mountain College all-American. Petsch and former Billings Senior stars Dawson LaRance and Jorey Egeland spent the four-lap race at the front of the pack, with Egeland setting the pace midway through.
But Petsch, who captured all-American honors after finishing seventh in the NAIA Indoor National Championships in March, then added a 10th-place effort in the 1,500 at the outdoor national championships, took the lead in the final lap to cross the finish line in 4:20.94. LaRance, who owns Montana’s high school all-class record in the 800-meter run, posted a time of 4:23.14, a photo finish with Egeland’s 4:23.15.
Petsch captured runner-up honors in the NAIA’s 1,500 during the outdoor season in 2017 and will compete for the Battlin’ Bears cross country and track and field programs again this year.
The complete results of Friday’s Montana Mile, which kickstarts the 2018 Big Sky State Games, can be found below.
2018 Montana Mile
Men’s results
Isaac Petsch, Billings West/Rocky, 4:20.94
Dawson LaRance, Billings Senior/Minnesota, 4:23.14
Jorey Egeland, Billings Senior/MSUB, 4:23.15
Cesar Mireles, Rocky graduate, 4:24.11
Duncan Hamilton, Bozeman/Montana State, 4:25.64
Drake Henson, California/MSUB, 4:30.19
Dillon May, Washington, University of Montana, 4:30.35
Leonard McComas, Bozeman, 4:31.52
Isaac Schmidt, Missoula Hellgate/Montana State, 4:32.47
Ivan Colmenero, Manhattan/MSUB, 4:35.37
Noah Majerus, Lewistown/Carroll, 4:37.65
Anthony Schmalz, Hamilton/Montana State, 4:39.66
Ty Mogan, Laurel/Montana State, 4:40.03
George Beddow, Billings Central/Rocky, 4:44.07
Women’s results
Christina Aragon, Billings Senior/Stanford, 4:59.3
Tiahna Vladic, Billings Senior, 5:03.3
Kelsi Lasota, Colorado/Montana State, 5:03.6
Mackenzie O’Dore, Joliet/Rocky, 5:10.4
Camila Noe, Bozeman/University of Portland, 5:10.9
Maddie Edwards, Missoula Big Sky, 5:28.4
Hannah Madsen, Manhattan/Western Washington, 5:36.4
McKenna Edwards, Missoula Big Sky, 5:37.1
Libby Needs, Hardin, 5:42.4
