Tough competition at the MPCS Invitational

By JOE SOVA / Hungry Horse News

Columbia Falls track and field athletes got a good taste of very tough competition at the MPCS Invitational on Saturday in Missoula.

The Wildkat girls finished in 10th place, scoring 23.5 points, while the CFHS boys were 12th with 15 points.

Flathead took the boys title with 119.5 points. Missoula Big Sky was second with 87, Great Falls Russell third (67.5) and Hamilton fourth (45). Polson was seventh and Whitefish 10th. Big Sky was the girls champion, scoring 122 points. Then came Missoula Helgate (89), Russell (67.5) and Glacier (60). Polson was fifth and Whitefish eighth.

Ketti Wilhelm led the Wildkat girls, earning second place in the pole vault — clearing 9 feet, 6 inches. Teammate Emily Stoltz was fifth at 9 feet. Stoltz was fourth in the high jump at 4-10. Jylisa Fields was fifth in the long jump at 15-1 1/2. Colyne Hislop came in eighth for a point in the triple jump.

CFHS coach Jamie Heinz said the girls 4x100 relay team place seventh, improving its time by a full second.

"I'm surprised and pleased by that," Heinz said.

Steve Brennan and Chase Fairbank earned fourth-place finishes in Missoula. Brennan had a personal best of more than 167 feet in the javelin, placing fourth. Fairbank was fourth in the high jump, clearing 6 feet. Kyle Howell was sixth at 5-10. Nathan Klug continues to throw well in the discus, coming in seventh with a toss of more than 140 feet.

The Wildcat 4x400 relay team of Brennan, John Woody, Patric Jessat and Shawn Whitman improved their time. Heinz said Jessat also ran well in the 1,600.

According to Heinz, the MPCS Invitational is usually a tougher meet than state.

"It's good for these kids to see that level of competition," the coach said. "It's great competition with lots of pressure. It shows where they need to be."

A few varsity athletes as well as the junior varsity thinclads competed Saturday at the Bigfork Invitational.

The Cat boys scored 11 points. Austin Robbins placed third in the triple jump (38-2). Brandon Calvert was fourth in the pole vault (11-6). Kaleb Johnson came in sixth in the 400 (55.85).

Sophia Lewis-Peterson scored the only point for the Kat girls at Bigfork. She was sixth in the 200 (29.08).

CFHS athletes competed in the Bigfork Relays on Tuesday, a non-scoring meet. Results were determined by the efforts of three teammates in each event.

The girls won the sprint, pole vault and discus relays, and the boys won high jump. The Cat boys were second in three events — the two-mile sprint and discus.

The Libby Invitational is featured on Saturday, then select CFHS athletes enter the invitation-only Top Ten Meet next Tuesday in Missoula. Fairbank and Klug should be in their events, and possibly Fields, Wilhelm and Stoltz.

"There are a lot of kids on the bubble," Heinz said.