MISSOULA — Huntley Project junior Avery Gerdes is already a two-time state champion in both the 400- and 800-meter runs.
Though she hasn’t yet run the 800 this season, the Red Devils’ standout is picking up where she left off in the 400. She clocked a personal-best time of 57.40 seconds at the Billings Central Invite last week to secure the fastest time in the state so far this spring.
Gerdes leads Class B in the 200 (25.68 seconds), as well, and has hit the state-qualifying marks in the 100, triple jump and high jump. In helping Huntley Project to the Class B state team championship last spring, Gerdes also won the triple jump title and placed second in both the 200 and high jump.
List:2025 Montana high school track and field state qualifiers — April 21
She wasn’t the only small-school athlete to impress last week, though, as Seeley-Swan’s Lillian Boyd heaved a discus throw of 139 feet, 8 inches Friday at the SSHS Track Meet, where she competed against reigning Class B champion Alexis Deming of Plains.
Boyd got the best of Deming, who placed second with a throw of 128-04, at the meet, as the 139-08 throw is a 10-foot personal best for Boyd. She now leads the state in the event.
The SSHS Track Meet featured 22 Class B and C teams from central and western Montana, with Florence’s boys winning the team title and Shelby and Chester-Joplin-Inverness tying for the girls title.
Isaac Bates had a strong day for the Florence boys, sweeping the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes in 11.28, 22.86 and 51.55 seconds, respectively. His times in the 100 and 200 are the fastest in Class B this season.
Also at the SSHS meet, Valley Christian’s Brayden McCoy ran Class C’s fastest 200 (22.77), and Hot Springs’ David Chapman ran Class C’s fastest 110 hurdles (15.73).
While the SSHS meet was taking place in Missoula, the Sidney Invitational hosted 20 teams on the other side of the state. The Glasgow boys and Miles City girls won the team titles.
Khye Gamas (400), Kyler Holinde (1,600) and Tavin Boland (long jump) won individual events for the Scotties, while Javon Dutton (400), Peyton Frame (800 and 1,600) and Perri Sloan (100 hurdles) were champions for the Cowgirls.
Class AA athletes, meanwhile, participated in their annual 16-team showcases — the Great Falls Optimist Club girls meet and the Harry ‘Swede’ Dahlberg Invitational boys meet in Butte. The Gallatin girls won the team trophy in Great Falls, and Kalispell Glacier and Helena Capital tied for the boys title in Butte.
At the Optimist, Helena star Madilyn Todorovich continued her strong season, winning the 300 hurdles and long jump with state-best marks. Todorovich went 18 feet, 6½ inches in the long jump, easily surpassing the 18-foot mark for the first time in her career. Her 44.71-second time in the 300 hurdles is her fastest this season and less than .5 seconds off her personal best.
Three other girls achieved state- and personal-best marks at the Optimist, as well: Gallatin’s Hazel Cooper in the 1,600 (5:07.66), Kalispell Flathead’s Alivia Rinehart in the 100 hurdles (14.61) and Billings Skyview’s Rae Smart in the shot put (45-06½).
Hazel Bishop of Helena High also PR’d in the 400 with a time of 57.83 seconds, which leads Class AA.
At the Dahlberg in Butte, hometown standout Sam Henderson had another dominant performance in the triple jump. After recently becoming the first boy this season to break the 47-foot barrier, the senior popped off a jump of 48-00¼. He’s just the fourth Montana jumper in the past 20 years to hit 48 feet, according to Athletic.net.
Henderson earlier in the week also cleared 6-5 in the high jump, joining Ledge Conner of Corvallis at the top of the state leaderboard.
Also at the Dahlberg, Belgrade junior Wilson Schmidt blazed to a 1:52.98 time in the 800 meters, and Tyler Crum of Helena Capital threw 176-01 in the javelin. For Wilson, it was his first time running the race this season, but it’s already the top mark in the state. Crum’s javelin mark is the best in Class AA.
Finally in Class A, Polson’s Astin Brown and Columbia Falls’ Lane Voermans set new state-best marks in the shot put and discus, respectively, at the Columbia Falls Iceberg Invitational. Brown had been aiming for a 60-foot shot put, and he got it with a 61-02½. Voermans, meanwhile, marked a personal-best discus throw of 172-02.
Hamilton pole vaulter Aubrey Korst went over 12-3 at the Sapphire Twilight Meet, giving her a new PR and improving her state-best mark.
Three Corvallis boys also set Class A-best marks at the Sapphire Twilight Meet: Solomon Morgan in the 200 (22.42), Jack Davidson in the 1,600 (4:28.15) and Conner in the high jump (6-5). The Blue Devils also ran Class A’s fastest 400-meter relay at 43.46 seconds.
Elsewhere …
- Laurel jumper Bridger Burrows won the long jump (21-05) and triple jump (45-11¾) at the Laurel Iron Horse, setting the top Class A marks in both.
- Kaydance Reiter of Havre and Blythe Armstrong of Lewistown ran Class A’s fastest times in the 100 and 100 hurdles, respectively, at the Golden Eagle Invitational. Reiter clocked a 12.27 in the 100, while Armstrong went 16.14 in the 100 hurdles.
- Three Class C girls at the Golden Eagle Invitational set the top marks in their classification: Fort Benton’s Etta Wicks in the 100 (12.58), Whitewater’s Shelbi LaBrie in the 3,200 (11:55.81) and White Sulphur Springs’ Natalie Fisher in the shot put (36-09¾).
- Joliet’s Cori Coombe posted a new fastest 100 in Class B, as well, crossing the finish line in 12.45 seconds at the Beartooth Invite.
- Red Lodge’s Kougar Kappel (50.84 in the 400), Columbus’ Cain Hanson (40.42 in the 300 hurdles) and Joliet’s Kaden Juhnke (176-01 in the javelin) also set new Class B bests at the Beartooth Invite.
- Manhattan Christian senior Christian Triemstra recorded Class C’s best 400 (51.16) and triple jump (42-11) at his home invite on Saturday. He’s the only Class C boy to have hit the qualifying standard in the triple jump.
Note: All marks are compiled from Athletic.net, the official database of Montana High School Association track and field results.
