Vals win ninth straight Western B title, Vikes earn fourth in a row

The Vikes and Vals took different paths to Western B Divisional track titles in Missoula over the weekend, the Valkyries making it look easy while the Vikings needed every point to repeat as champions.

The Valkyries used five individual titles and their depth to more than double up their next closest competitor, gaining 163 points to earn their ninth-straight Western B Divisional Championship.

Loyola was a distant second with 81 points while Thompson Falls was third with 73.

The Vikings also earned six individual titles and won the 4X100 relay to grab 122 points, edging out Loyola’s 119 and Florence-Carlton’s 117.

Inga Turner helped lead the Vals with a first-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 16 feet, 7 inches while also taking second in the 110 hurdles (16.17 seconds) and third in the high jump (4 feet, 10 inches).

Emma Pouwer earned point in four events for the Vals, taking first in the 200 with a new PR of 27.50 seconds while also finishing second in the 200 and long jump and earning fourth in the high jump.

Scout Nadeau won the shot put with a toss of 39 feet, 7.5 inches and was second in discus with a PR throw of 114 feet.

Maddi Chappuis also had a strong showing the field events, winning the triple jump with a leap of 32 feet, 5.75 inches, taking second in javelin with a toss of 116 feet, 1 inch and finishing fourth in the shot put with a put of 34 feet, 7.5 inches.

Zoey Albert had Bigfork’s other first-place finish, earning the javelin title with a toss of 118 feet, 3 inches.

Also for the Vals, Ione Plummer was third in the 100 and fourth in the 200.

Paeten Gunlock was 7th in the 400 and 8th in the 200.

Danika Bucklin earned sixth in the 400 while Afton Lambrecht was third in the 800 and eighth in the 400.

Claire Jensen was second in the 1,600 and Erika Dowling was fifth in the 3,200 and sixth in the mile.

Braeden Gunlock was third in the 300 hurdles and fifth in the long jump and 100 hurdles.

Chloe Norred took sixth in the 300 hurdles and ninth in the long jump while Delcy Stewart was 8th in the discus and ninth in the shot put.

Callie Gembala was fifth in the discus and eighth in the javelin and triple jump while Zoe Guffin took sixth in the javelin, Shannon Woll was sixth in the pole vault and Angela Farrier was eighth in the pole vault.

The 4X100 relay team of Bucklin, Pouwer, Plummer and Lambrecht took second, as did the 4X400 team of Bucklin, Lambrecht, Braeden Gunlock and Paeten Gunlock.

Jack Jensen and Wyatt Johnson each earned a pair of divisional titles for the Vikings, Jensen’s coming in the 800 and 1,600-meter races and Johnson’s coming in the 110 and 300 hurdles.

Johnson’s times of 15.34 seconds in the 110 hurdles and 41.24 seconds in the 300 hurdles were both new PRs.

Joseph Farrier earned first in the javelin with a new PR of 154 feet, 1 inch and also set a new PR to take sixth in discus. Farrier also earned seventh in the 100 meter dash.

Levi Peterson took the divisional title in the triple jump with a PR leap of 44 feet, 2.25 inches, used a PR of 20 feet, 7 inches to take second in the long jump and was seventh in the high jump.

Also for the Vikings, Maddox Mater was third in the 400 and eighth in the 200 while Tayden West took fifth in the pole vault and ninth in the 200.

Sean Cotman was sixth in the 800 and Noah Hamilton-Dixon was fifth in the 3,200 and 11th in the 1,600.

Colton Ballard took eighth in the 3,200, Isak Epperly was second in the 110 hurdles (just one tenth of a second behind Johnson) and Dale Relyea was seventh in the shot put.

Lance Peterson was seventh in the pole vault and ninth in the 110 and 300 hurdles while Austin Savik took 4th in the 300 hurdles and 10th in the 110 hurdles.

Abe Ochs took eighth in discus and 10th in shot put, Tristen Herd was second in pole vault and seventh in javelin and Tamret Savik was fifth in triple jump and eighth in high jump.

Noah Pandina was 12th in the long jump and Wyatt Barnes took fourth in the triple jump.

The 4X400 relay team of Johnson, Jensen, Farrier and Maddox took first with a time of 3:34.71 while the 4X100 team of Levi Peterson, Johnson, West and Farrier was third.