Polson and Ronan track athletes shine with strong finishes
With state just around the corner, the Nelson-Thomas ABC Meet on Saturday, May 10 gave Polson and Ronan athletes a prime opportunity to test themselves against top regional competition.
Polson’s Astin Brown continued to dominate in the throws, winning the varsity shot put with a massive throw of 60 feet, 4.5 inches. Brown added a third-place finish in the discus at 156-7, putting together one of the top combined throwing performances of the day.
On the track, Ronan’s Tayen Edmo and Wade Qualtier delivered a one-two punch in the varsity 400 meters, finishing first and second with personal-best times of 51.42 and 51.63 seconds, respectively. The pair doubled back in the 1600 meters, where Qualtier took the win in the long jump as well, sailing 20 feet, 4.75 inches to take top honors.
Polson’s distance ace David DiGiallonardo showed his range with a third-place finish in the 800 meters (2:01.56) and a runner-up spot in the 1600 meters (4:25.04), setting a personal best in the latter.
In junior varsity action, Ronan’s Mikel Fullmer sprinted to a win in the 100 meters, clocking a personal-best 12.17 seconds.
Polson also had success in the junior varsity sprints. August Brown soared to first place in the JV pole vault with a clearance of 10 feet. Teammate Case Cox added a fourth-place finish in the same event at 9 feet. In the JV 400 meters, Jesse Vail raced to second place in 56.93, trailing only Columbia Falls’ Willem Pedersen.
On the girls’ side, Polson’s Morgan Delaney had a standout showing, winning the varsity 1600 meters in 5:20.05 and finishing second in the 800 (2:27.16). Teammate Kimora Scott added a strong ninth-place finish in the 800 and took fifth in the 1600 with a time of 5:36.04.
In the varsity triple jump, Polson’s Keira Owen landed just outside the podium with a leap of 31-2.25, but her performance stood out in a highly competitive field.
The Ronan girls earned a bronze in the varsity 1600 meters, thanks to Mya Badger’s effort of 4:35.25. Ronan also placed third in the girls’ triple jump with Destiny Finley’s leap of 29-5. Notably, Emily Adams and Arinna Schall from Ronan went 9th and 8th, respectively, in the JV girls’ long jump.
In the unified 100 meters, Polson’s Rosie Edge earned a gold medal, crossing the line in a personal-best 23.68 seconds.
Polson’s boys capped the meet with a solid fifth-place finish in the varsity 4x400 relay. The quartet of Mac Campbell, DiGiallonardo, Lucian Sawyer, and Luke Horner posted a time of 3:42.42. Ronan’s girls’ JV 4x400 squad also made the podium, taking second in 4:56.35.
In field events, Ronan’s Isaac Rodriguez placed fourth in the JV shot put with a mark of 37-0.5. Polson’s Kyrin Doty was right behind in fifth at 36-9.25. In the discus, Polson’s Jarett Seifert earned a fourth-place finish in the JV division with a 103-1 toss.
Polson sophomore Morgan Delaney glides through the air in strong performance at the Nelson-Thomas ABC Meet (Kaleb Unger/Leader)