Athletes excel at Western B/C Divisional Track Championships
Athletes from Mission, Arlee, Charlo and Two Eagle River delivered strong performances at the Western B/C Divisional Track and Field Championships held May 16-17 at MCPS Stadium in Missoula, collecting top-six finishes across a wide range of events and earning qualifications to the upcoming state meet.
Mission’s distance standout Harlon Leishman led the way with a pair of standout runs. Leishman captured the Western B divisional title in the 3200 meters, clocking in at 10:09.67, and added a fifth-place finish in the 1600 meters at 4:37.34. His teammate Iyezk Umphrey also had a productive weekend, placing sixth in the triple jump (39-11.50) and seventh in the long jump (20-01.25). Lex LaFrombois added to Mission’s medal count with a fourth-place finish in the high jump (5-10.00) and an eighth in long jump (19-09.50).
Arlee’s Trevor Van Maanen impressed in the mid-distance events, grabbing fifth in the 800 meters (2:07.38). In the field events, Eli O’Neill finished fourth in the shot put (42-09.00) and fourth in the javelin (142-04) to round out a strong performance. Bridger Smith also placed sixth in the javelin (126-01).
On the women’s side for Arlee, freshman Gracie Haynes had a breakthrough showing in the 300-meter hurdles, placing sixth overall with a time of 51.40. In the triple jump, Karma Tibbetts soared to sixth place with a mark of 31-03.25.
Charlo saw multiple top finishes across both boys and girls' competition. On the boys’ side, Karson Cox placed fifth in the long jump (19-00.00) and matched that with a fifth in the triple jump (39-08.50).
In the girl's competition, Charlo’s Leah Cahoon and Jubilee Cole both cleared 4-06 in high jump, good for fifth. Olivia Carnell tied for third with a 7-06.00, while Cole cleared 7-00.00 for seventh.
The Vikings also had a strong showing in horizontal jumps. Jaylynn Buxbaum placed fourth in triple jump (32-02.50), followed by Jubilee Cole in sixth (31-09.00) and Madison Harris in seventh (31-03.75).