MISSOULA — A pair of Missoula jumpers are taking their talents to high-level NCAA Division I schools outside of Montana to continue their college track and field careers.
Missoula Sentinel's Ava Kellenberg and Missoula Hellgate's Alix Mund both recently announced commitments to compete at the next level. Kellenberg will compete at UCLA while Mund is headed to Boise State.
Kellenberg announced her commitment to the Bruins on Monday night while Mund made her commitment to the Broncos back in December.
Both athletes excelled at the triple jump this past season as juniors. Kellenberg, now a senior at Sentinel, won the triple jump state title at the State AA track and field championships last May with a leap of 39 feet, 4.75 inches. That mark is just below the all-class record of 39 feet, 9.25 inches set in 2019 by another former Spartan in Lauren Heggen, who currently competes at the University of Washington.
Kellenberg also took second in the long jump last season with a leap of 18 feet, 9.75 inches, as she placed only behind Helena High's Logan Todorovich who recently committed to Baylor.
Mund, now a senior at Hellgate, finished third in the triple jump at the state meet with a mark of 37 feet, 3.5 inches. She also placed seventh in the long jump at 16 feet, 11 inches and ran a leg on Hellgate's 400-relay team that took fourth at state.
Both athletes are primed to have big seasons as seniors now with their commitments decided. Both have also been multi-time all-state placers in their careers in Montana. Kellenberg placed sixth in the long and high jumps as a sophomore in 2022 and took fourth in the triple jump while running a leg on Sentinel's fourth-place 400-relay team, and as a freshman in 2021 placed fifth in the triple jump. Mund, meanwhile, placed sixth in the triple jump as a freshman in 2021 and was seventh in the long jump.
Both multi-sport athletes, Kellenberg has been a key asset on the Spartans' volleyball team while Mund has been a fixture for the Knights in their girls soccer and basketball programs.
