MISSOULA — The Swede Dahlberg Invitational and Great Falls Optimist Club Women’s Track Meet annually provide a glimpse at Class AA’s statewide picture, as both meets feature top athletes from both the eastern and western sides of Montana.
The boys competed at the Dahlberg in Butte last Friday while the girls competed at the Optimist in Great Falls on Saturday. Both meets brought stellar competition, resulting in some new top marks for the spring.
At the Swede Dahlberg Invitational, Ryan Harrington of Great Falls continued his assault on the Bison record books, out-kicking Bozeman standout Nathan Neil for a win the 800-meter run. Harrington’s 1:54.03 time is the fastest in Montana this spring and set the new school record, breaking Todd Barbour’s mark of 1:54.71 set in 1989. Harrington also has the school record in the 3,200.
In addition to his 800 win at the Dahlberg, Harrington also won the 1,600, edging Missoula Sentinel’s Quinn Newman with a time of 4:25.34.
But the race in Butte with the biggest effect on the performance lists was the 400-meter run, where the boys ran four of the five fastest times in Montana. Kalispell Flathead sophomore William Hollensteiner won with a personal- and state-best time of 48.48 seconds, defeating Great Falls CMR’s Jackson Tarver (49.74), Helena Capital’s Peyton Nelson (50.49) and Belgrade’s Wilson Schmidt (50.50).
Also at the Swede Dahlberg Invitational:
- Flathead won the team title, scoring 73 points to second-place Capital’s 71. The Braves won the 1,600-meter relay in 3:27.50.
- Kalispell Glacier junior Ethan Anderson ran the state’s fastest time in the 110-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line with a personal-best time of 14.33 seconds to pull past an impressive field.
- Aiden Krause, a senior at Glacier, PR'd in the shot put with a throw of 55-07½. The event saw seven boys throw at least 50 feet.
- Krause, who will compete in college at North Dakota State, also won the discus with a throw of 191-03. Danny Sirmon of Missoula Sentinel placed second with a mark of 180-04.
The increased competition at the Great Falls Optimist Club Women’s Track Meet brought out the best from the Class AA girls. They set the state’s top marks in seven events on Saturday.
In the 1,600-meter run, Bozeman Gallatin junior Claire Rutherford paced a field that ran six of Montana’s 10 fastest times this spring. Rutherford won with a time of 5:07.58, and Bozeman’s Kylee Neil (5:10.53), Gallatin’s Isabel Ross (5:12.89), Missoula Hellgate’s Gia Petrini (5:14.60) and Jamison Molloy (5:16.44), and Gallatin’s Hazel Cooper (5:19.94) each ran times that rank in the top 10 in Montana this spring.
The girls also set this spring’s fastest times in the 200 (Alivia Rinehart, Flathead, 25.47), 800 (Sophia Miller, Hellgate, 2:15.44), 100 hurdles (Rinehart, 15.03), 1,600 relay (Hellgate, 4:04.96), long jump (Logan Todorovich, Helena, 19-00) and triple jump (Ava Kellenberg, Sentinel, 38-05¼).
Rinehart’s times in the 200 and 100 hurdles were both personal-best marks, and she also PR'd with a time of 45.97 seconds to win the 300-meter hurdles. Todorovich was also a multiple-event winner, clearing 5-05 to win the high jump.
Laurel’s Kaitlyn Dantic and Havre’s Kaydance Reiter sprinted to a photo finish in the 100-meter dash at the Gold Strike Invitational in Laurel, with Dantic getting the victory with a new state-best time of 12.31 seconds. Reiter crossed the line in 12.34. Those two swapped places on the podium in the 200, with Reiter clocking a 25.90 to beat Dantic’s 26.07.
Havre won the girls team title with 121 points, while Laurel was second with 110 and Huntley Project third with 102. The Blue Ponies stacked up individual wins in the 800 (Ashlyn Ford, 2:26.37), 3,200 (Hailey Gingery, 12:38.35), 100 hurdles (Kyanna Jarvis, 16.45), 400 relay (50.38), long jump (Macee May, 16-05¾) and triple jump (May, 33-05¼).
Laurel’s Maggie Hills marked a throw of 43-08 in the shot put to set the top distance in the state this spring.
On the boys side, Laurel cruised to the team win, racking up 169.5 points. Red Lodge was second with 81.
Cameron McAllister (100, 11.06), Carter Gage (110 hurdles, 16.21; pole vault, 12-06), Cody Dennis (high jump, 6-00) and Bridger Burrows (triple jump, 43-10) each notched individual wins of the Locomotives. Laurel also won the 400 relay (43.69).
Peyton Summers of Wolf Point jumped to the top of Class B’s performance list in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at the Sidney Invitational. The senior won the 1,600 in 4:28.92 and the 3,200 in 9:35.25. Both times are personal bests.
Circle’s Donovan Gibbs and Glendive’s Kohbe Smith also won multiple events at the Sidney Invitational, which featured 17 teams. Gibbs won the 110 hurdles (16.68), high jump (6-00) and triple jump (45-00), while Smith won the 100 (11.48) and long jump (22-02 1/2).
For the girls, Mia Handran of Scobey and Mallory Tommerup of Plentywood each won two events. Handran won the 400 in 1:02.13 and the 800 in 2:24.60, and Tommerup won the long jump with a mark of 17-07½ and the triple jump with a mark of 35-05. Tommerup’s long jump is the best in Class C this spring.
Elsewhere …
- Florence’s Isaac Bates became the first Class B boy to hit the state qualifying standard in the 400-meter run with a time of 51.24 seconds at the SSHS Invite in Missoula.
- Alexis Deming of Plains threw 39-07½ in the shot put and 124-07 in the discus at the SSHS Invite. Those are both the best marks in Class C this spring.
- Also at the SSHS Invite, Taevyn Beaudin of Valley Christian cleared 10-06 in the pole vault. Beaudin leads Class C by two feet and is the only vaulter in the class to hit the state qualifying standard.
- Taylee Chirrick improved her times in the 400 and 800. The Roberts senior ran a 57.31 400 at the Manhattan Christian Invitational and a 2:19.03 800 at the Beartooth Invite. Both times lead Class C. Chirrick also leads Class C in the 300 hurdles and has hit the qualifying standard in the 100, 200 and triple jump.
- White Sulphur Springs’ Natalie Fisher threw Class C’s best shot put at the Manhattan Christian Invitational, marking a throw of 37-11½.
- The Harlowton-Ryegate boys clocked Class C’s fastest times in both the 400- and 1,600-meter relays at the Manhattan Christian Invitational. The Engineers ran the 400 in 44.94 seconds and the 1,600 in 3:36.88. They’re the only Class C team to hit the state qualifying standard in the 1,600 relay.
(Note: Results are compiled from athletic.net.)
