Bulldogs pace themselves in early meets

The Whitefish boys track team took four first-place finishes at a track meet in Kalispell on Tuesday and managed to place second in three other events.

"It's a serious meet, but it's not a scoring meet," said Bulldog head coach Derek Schulz. "It's an opportunity to get another chance to compete."

Bulldog senior Chris Hicks took firsts in the long jump, with 20 feet 5 1/2 inches, as well as the triple jump, with a leap of 45 feet 1/2 inches.

Cody Idol placed first in the 100 meter, at 12.11 seconds, and a close second in the long jump, at 20 feet 3 1/2 inches.

Also taking a first-place finish at the meet was Cort Rogers, topping 13 feet in the pole vault. He was followed in rank by teammate R.C. Carter, who also cleared 13 feet.

The Bulldogs placed second in the 400 relay and the 1,600 relay, a step behind the Flathead runners in both races.

Bjorn Peterson finished fourth in the 110 hurdles, at 16.87 seconds. Drew Coco finished fifth in the 1,600, at 5:05:34, and Mike McCracken's shot put throw of 47 feet 2 1/2 inches was enough to get him a fourth-place finish in that event.

Schulz said he is looking for his team to improve in every event with the hope of placing athletes in each category at the divisional meet at the end of the season. But for right now, the Bulldogs are pacing themselves.

"To peak today is not what we're looking for," he said, noting that while this invite was important for training purposes, more important meets lie further into the season.

At the Bigfork Invitational on Saturday, Whitefish High School senior Taylor Ferda broke a school record in the 110-meter hurdles, with a time of 14.64 seconds. The old record of 14.66 seconds was held by his older brother, Tucker Ferda.

"That's a very, very good time for this point in the season," Schulz said. "It's great that he comes into the season in such good condition. Hopefully we can keep him healthy and keep him going."

Overall, the boys finished in third place with 62 points, behind Polson, 94, and Ronan, with 124.

"We did really well," Schulz said. "We were pretty short-handed when you look at total numbers for our team."

Whitefish also got first-place finishes out of their 400-meter relay team. The strongest event for the Bulldogs at the meet was the pole vault, where Carter and Rogers placed in the first and second spots. Rogers also finished fifth in the 110 hurdles and fourth in the high jump.

Whitefish senior Bjorn Peterson took third in the 300 hurdles, at 44.02, and finished sixth in the 110 hurdles.

On the girls team, Erin Greiner ran to a first-place finish in the 100 hurdles at the Kalispell meet with a time of 17.81 and she also placed third in the 300 hurdles at the Flathead meet on Tuesday afternoon.

In tow for the Bulldogs was Carmel Johnston, who vaulted to a first-place finish with a leap of nine feet.

"We've got great pole vault coaches in Rob Carter and Bill Brist," said Schulz. "That shows with Carmel — she's a real competitor."

The girls 400 relay team, comprised of Ashey Ferda, Carly Lengstorf, Laura Kuennen and Courtney Ferda, ran to a second-place finish with a time of 52.34.

Ashley Ferda notched a second-place finish in the 300 hurdles as well, with a time of 49.84, while Courtney Ferda finished fourth in the 100 with a time of 13.74

At the Bigfork meet on Sunday, the Bulldogs were able to come away with five first-place finishes.

Johnston's first-place pole vault of 8 feet 6 inches at the Bigfork Invite was the only non-running event where the Bulldogs placed.

In the same fashion as the Kalispell meet, the 'Dogs were strong in the sprints.

Ashley Ferda took first place in the 100 hurdles, with a time of 16.80, and Courtney Ferda took first place in the 100 and the 200, with times of 13.20 and 27.63 respectively.

Schulz attributed Courtney's first-place performances to her smooth stride.

"She ran really relaxed," Schulz said.

At this point in the season, Schulz is making sure his athletes are in good shape for the rest of the season.

"We have to be really careful for what we allow kids to compete in," he said.

As with the boys team, he's looking to get more point scorers in each of the events, from the runs to the jumps to the throws.

"That's really what makes a difference in track and field.

"You can be rewarded from your depth if you have that."

The Bulldogs head to the Missoula Invitational on Saturday to compete with schools from around the state.