Ronan, Arlee athletes shine at Bigfork Invite
The Ronan Chiefs and Arlee Scarlets turned in strong performances at the Bigfork Invitational track and field meet, held Saturday, April 5, with several athletes notching personal bests and climbing the podium against a deep field of competition from across northwest Montana.
On the boys' side, Ronan placed fifth overall behind standout efforts in both track and field events, while the Ronan girls dominated the competition and claimed first place in the team standings.
Leading the way for the Ronan boys was senior Masyn Wayman, who unleashed a personal-best throw of 133 feet, 6 inches in the discus to finish second overall. In the javelin, Koda King, also a senior, placed fourth with a season-best toss of 133 feet, 2 inches.
In the hurdles, senior Wade Qualtier turned in a strong runner-up finish in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 42.99, while teammate Blyth Bolman took third in the 110-meter hurdles with a season-best 17.61.
Sophomore Siouxpixm Qualtier soared to first place in the pole vault, clearing 11 feet, 6 inches, and also placed ninth in the long jump with a leap of 17 feet, 11 inches.
In middle distance, sophomore William Normandeau placed fifth in the 800 meters, clocking a season-best 2:10.19, and Devon Bigmedicine, a junior, had an impressive meet, finishing fourth in the 3200 meters and seventh in the 1600 meters, both with season-best times.
Arlee athletes continued to develop in multiple events. Sophomore Dustone Cyrus had a big day, placing fourth in the 110-meter hurdles and fifth in the long jump. In the field, junior Eli O’Neill launched the shot put 40 feet, 7 inches for fourth place and finished fourth again in the discus with a throw of 115 feet, 6 inches.
Sophomore Trevor Van Maanen showed distance grit for Arlee, taking sixth in the 1600 meters with a PR of 5:01.96, and tenth in the 800 meters.
In jumps, junior Dean Moran and sophomore Keelan Dupuis placed sixth and tenth, respectively, in the triple jump, while Dupuis also earned a top-10 finish in the 110 hurdles.
The Ronan girls were led by a group of veterans and underclassmen who piled up points across the board to win the team title at the meet. Senior Destiny Finley finished second in the triple jump with a leap of 30 feet, 0.5 inches and added a runner-up finish in the 300-meter hurdles with a PR of 55.49.
Senior Lauryn Buhr was a triple threat, placing seventh in the 100 meters, anchoring relays, and finishing third in pole vault at 8 feet. She also helped the 4x100 relay team — Alexis Finley, Destiny Finley, Sophia Torgison, and Buhr — place second with a time of 55.35 seconds, and the 4x400 relay team also finished second.
Junior Maddy Illig tied for fourth in the high jump and placed third in the long jump with a mark of 13 feet, 8.5 inches.
In the throws, junior Angie Adams had a stellar meet, placing fourth in the shot put (30’2”) and sixth in the discus (83’3.5”), both season bests.
Junior Maddie Duffey placed fourth in the 800 meters with a time of 3:01.94, while freshman Alexis Finley added a top-10 finish in the 100 meters.
Arlee’s girls were highlighted by sophomore Lily Adams, who soared to second in the long jump with a personal-best 14 feet, 1 inch, while freshman Gracie Haynes took fifth in the 100-meter hurdles and 10th in the 200 meters. In the field, sophomore Karma Tibbetts tied for fifth in the pole vault at 7’6”, while junior Chantry Krack placed third in the triple jump.