McMillan goes gold

FRENCHTOWN — It was all Ronan/Mission Maiden senior Sadie McMillan at the Frenchtown track and field meet on Tuesday, April 7.

McMillan’s dominance started with the 100-meter sprint where she took a gold medal with a time of 12.91 seconds. It was the first time she had run the particular event, known for her long-distance achievements in cross-country.

When the distances grew longer and hurdles were added, McMillan’s versatility overwhelmed the challengers and she kept earning gold medals for the team in black and orange.

She crushed the competition in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing in 16.11, then continued sailing high with another first-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles.

Perhaps McMillan did so well in the hurdles because she had been practicing for the high jump - she won that event as well with a 5-foot-2-inch jump, a personal best.

McMillan’s fifth title came with a little help from her friends. Sophomore Taylor Linse, senior Tabitha Carlson, junior Roslyn Hardy, sophomore Adessa Durglo, and McMillan all pulled their weight for a first-place finish in the 1600-meter relay.

It seems the competitors from Frenchtown, Stevensville, Hamilton, and Superior won’t soon forget the name “Sadie McMillan.”

Durglo was another key performer for the Maidens. Besides being a part of the gold medal relay team, she took second in the triple jump, third in the long jump, and tied for third in the high jump. She was also a member of the 400-meter relay team that raced its way to a third place finish. The other three girls on that lineup were Linse, Carlson and Hardy.

Carlson was the sole Maiden to place in the pole vault and took fourth with a 7-foot jump and finished fourth in 100-meter hurdles in her first time competing in the event.

In the 3200-meter race, two Maidens placed. Christina Williams took third with a 14:11 finish and just behind her for fifth was Rose Bear Don’t Walk, who ran it in 14:18.

Maiden Jenny Larsson made an impression at the meet with a sixth place finish in the long jump and a tie for fifth place in the high jump. Ronan’s Julia Meeks placed fifth in the 300 hurdles.

Twyla Hogge placed third in the shot put with a 27-foot-2-inch launch.   

Overall Ronan Maiden head coach Crystal Pitts was pleased with the way her athletes performed, especially considering the absence of key returnerning seniors Kelsey Cable and Lisa Larsson who were on a Biology field trip at the time of the meet.

“The returners posted marks close to where they finished last year in May, and that is exciting,” Pitts said.

Pitts added that a lot of rookies to the track program performed well at the meet and are on their way to setting  season goals for themselves.

Ronan competes next on April 18 at the Missoula County Meet.