Lake County track stars shine under the lights in Corvallis
CORVALLIS – Two Lake County counterparts met at the Sapphire Twilight Track Meet on Friday night in Corvallis and both Polson and Charlo showcased strong performances.
A bevy of athletes took home top positions in individual events Saturday. Leading the field were Charlo’s Tra Ludeman and Tyler Delaney, along with Polson stars Anna DiGiallonardo, Claudia Hewston, Riley Sampson and Will Davey.
The Charlo Vikings finished second and the Polson Pirates finished fourth in the highly competitive track meet. Charlo’s Ludeman stood out from the pack, finishing first in the highly celebrated 100-meter dash. Ludeman also placed first in the 110-meter hurdle and was the last leg of Charlo’s first-place finish in the 400-meter relay.
Aspen Runkel and Rachel Hoyt led the way for the Lady Vikings. Runkel impressed with two second-place finishes in the 100 and 300-meter hurdles, while Hoyt would finish third in both the 100-meter hurdles and the high jump.
The Lady Vikings tied for third with 70 points. The Corvallis girls team would be in complete control on their home turf, totaling 239 points and coming away with a first place finish. The Charlo Vikings posted 111 points, good enough for a second-place finish on the boys side.
On the track at the same time as Charlo were the Polson Pirates and Lady Pirates.
Polson’s Anna DiGiallonardo again electrified in the 100-meters. DiGiallonardo’s time of 12.90 was good enough for first place and was 27 hundredths of a second faster than her 100-meter time from a week ago in Missoula. DiGiallonardo would also finish second in the long jump.
Fellow Lady Pirate Claudia Hewston also stood out for Polson. Hewston finished first in the 400 and second in the 800-meters. Between Hewston and DiGiallonardo’s first and second place finishes in the 100, 400 and 800-meter runs, the Lady Pirates are quickly becoming one of the fastest teams on the track.
The Polson girls would finish with 87 points and a second place finish.
The Pirates also gave a strong performance Saturday, finishing fourth with 87 points. Polson’s strong performance came because of the emergence of Jonah Kasnitz. Kasnitz placed fourth in the 100 and 200-meter dash, events in which the Pirates have had a hard time placing.
Senior Will Davey had his strongest performance on the track this year, finishing first in the long jump and third in the 300-meter hurdles.
Polson’s Riley Sampson, to no surprise, finished first again in the shot put. The senior has solidified himself as one of the top performers in the state in that event.
Flathead Triangular in Kalispell on Thursday, while Polson will compete at the ARM in Whitefish on Saturday.