Track and field fans rejoice. The 2022 high school season is on the horizon, and there are several returning state champions looking to add to their respective trophy cases.
Defending Class AA state champion Missoula Sentinel brings back one of the best pure athletes in the state, as Zac Crews looks to defend titles in the 110-meter hurdles and the javelin.
In Class A, defending champion Hamilton brings back a loaded crew in the distance races. Colter Kirkland won the 800- and 1,600-meter runs last spring, while teammate Lane Cole won the 3,200. Class B defending champion Jefferson has a pair of hurdlers back, as Braden Morris won the 110's and Joey Visser, a University of Montana football commit, won the 300 hurdles by .01 seconds over Morris.
Missoula Loyola standout sprinter Ridger Palma returns after winning the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the 2021 Class B state meet. Palma also finished second in the 400.
One of the best throwers in the state returns to Seeley-Swan, as Walker McDonald will look for repeat Class C championships in both the shot put and the discus.
Odessa Zentz of Helena High will highlight the Class AA returning state champions. Zentz burst onto the scene in 2019 as a freshman by winning the 400 and 800. After COVID took away her sophomore campaign, Zentz dominated again in her junior season. She claimed state titles in the 200, 400 and 800 last spring and has her eyes set on a monster finish to a fantastic high school career.
Brooke Stayner will be looking to do the same at Sentinel before she heads to run for the University of Montana. Stayner won the 100 and 300 hurdles and the long jump last year.
Butte Central's Rileigh McGree had a masterful performance at the 2021 State A meet, sweeping both hurdles races and claiming a long jump title, too. McGree will be one of the top athletes to watch in Class A.
Defending state champion Laurel will have key pieces back, including 2021 800-meter champion Carly Cook, who is a junior. Cook finished third in the 400, as well, while teammate Alyse Aby finished runner-up.
The Big Timber girls claimed last year's State B title and look primed to challenge for a repeat. The Sheepherders are anchored by seniors Emily Cooley and Alyssa Boshart. Boshart won the 100 last spring in 12.90 seconds, and finished second in the 200 and third in the 400. Big Timber will have the entirety of its championship 400-meter relay team back, as Cooley and Boshart are joined by Bailey Finn and Aley Aller. Cooley also won the high jump last spring with a leap of 5-04.
Senior Sariah Maughan will anchor defending Class C champion Seeley-Swan this spring. Maughan won the 400 and 800 at last year's state meet and finished fourth in the 1,600. Maughan also ran on both championship relay teams for the Blackhawks.
Look out for Savage freshman Brooke Reuter, as well. Reuter won the 100 and 200 last spring, while finishing just behind Maughan in the 400. Reuter also placed fourth in the triple jump, ran on Savage's sixth-place 400-meter relay team and finished ninth in the long jump. Reuter is a rising star in eastern Montana.
Returning 2021 state champions are listed below. If you notice an error or omission, please email sports@ktvh.com. The State AA and A track and field meets will be held in Butte on May 27-28 while the State B and C meets will be in Great Falls on May 27-28 as well. For state qualifying standards for all classifications, click here.
Boys
Team
AA - Missoula Sentinel
A - Hamilton
B - Jefferson
C - Fort Benton
100
B - Ridger Palma, Missoula Loyola, 11.45
200
B - Ridger Palma, Missoula Loyola, 22.60
400
C - Owen Hoag, Seeley-Swan, 50.10
800
A - Colter Kirkland, Hamilton, 1:56.85
1,600
A - Colter Kirkland, Hamilton, 4:29.05
3,200
A - Lane Cole, Hamilton, 9:49.00
110 hurdles
AA - Zac Crews, Missoula Sentinel, 14.95
A - Treyton Anderson, Dillon, 15.02
B - Braden Morris, Jefferson, 15.33
300 hurdles
AA - Drew Klumph, Missoula Sentinel, 40.20
A - Treyton Anderson, Dillon, 39.91
B - Joey Visser, Jefferson, 39.85
400 relay
AA - Butte, 42.65
A - Laurel, 42.79
B - Missoula Loyola, 43.77
C - Simms, 44.12
1,600 relay
AA - Butte, 3:26.16
A - Hardin, 3:25.33
B - Manhattan, 3:29.00
C - Fort Benton, 3:31.04
Long jump
A - Jakob Webinger, Laurel, 20-09 ¼
B - Colby Martinez, Columbus, 21-04
Triple jump
A - Gabe Menicke, Whitefish, 44-03
B - Bauer Seewald, Cut Bank, 42-00 ¼
High jump
C - Jasiah Hambira, Lustre Christian, 6-03
Pole Vault
A - Carter Bartz, Livingston, 13-06
Shot put
AA - Josh Goleman, Helena, 49-10 ½
A - Talon Holmquist, Whitefish, 52-03 ½
C - Walker McDonald, Seeley-Swan, 52-08 ¼
Discus
AA - Layne Cooney, Missoula Hellgate, 152-08
A - Callahan Hoffman, Dillon, 147-07
C - Walker McDonald, Seeley-Swan, 156-09
Javelin
AA - Zac Crews, Missoula Sentinel, 176-08
A - Kellan Beller, Stevensville, 169-07
C - Cameron Brusven, Plentywood, 172-03
Girls
Team
AA - Missoula Sentinel
A - Laurel
B - Big Timber
C - Seeley-Swan
100
AA - Jaeden Wolff, Billings West, 12.27
A - Brooke Zetooney, Whitefish, 12.65
B - Alyssa Boshart, Big Timber, 12.90
C - Brooke Reuter, Savage, 12.78
200
AA - Odessa Zentz, Helena, 25.12
C - Brooke Reuter, Savage, 25.51
400
AA - Odessa Zentz, Helena, 57.21
C - Sariah Maughan, Seeley-Swan, 58.32
800
AA - Odessa Zentz, Helena, 2:12.55
A - Carly Cook, Laurel, 2:19.28
B - Kelsey Plymale, Columbus, 2:22.64
C - Sariah Maughan, Seeley-Swan, 2:14.86
1,600
B - Emma Stolte, Townsend, 5:17.47
C - Lindsey Paulson, Belt, 5:13.98
3,200
AA - Kensey May, Missoula Hellgate, 10:47.19
C - Annie Kaul, Plentywood, 11:50.12
100 hurdles
AA - Brooke Stayner, Missoula Sentinel, 14.71
A - Rileigh McGree, Butte Central, 15.74
B - Macee Murphy, Huntley Project, 15.73
300 hurdles
AA - Brooke Stayner, Missoula Sentinel, 43.94
A - Rileigh McGree, Butte Central, 46.09
B - Havyn Vandenacre, Townsend, 46.15
400 relay
AA - Billings West
A - Whitefish
B - Big Timber
C - Seeley-Swan
1,600 relay
AA - Bilings West
A - Laurel
B - Bigfork
C - Seeley-Swan
Long jump
AA - Brooke Stayner, Missoula Sentinel, 18-07
A - Rileigh McGree, Butte Central, 17-08 ¾
B - Jasmyn Murphy, Three Forks, 17-00 ¼
Triple jump
A - Ainsley Shipman, Dillon, 36-08
High jump
AA - Hannah Schonhoff, Bozeman, 5-07
B - Emily Cooley, Big Timber, 5-04
C - Teagan Erickson, Saco, 5-04
Pole Vault
B - Breauna Erickson, Conrad, 10-00
C - Teigan Taylor, Fairview, 10-06
Shot put
B - Jamie Whitedirt, Colstrip, 42-10
Discus
AA - Alison Jenkins, Billings Skyview, 120-03
Javelin
A - Ella Moodry, Butte Central, 125-10
B - Sadie Grove, Choteau, 123-04
C - Sorren Reese, Superior, 128-03
