Bigfork athletes defend their turf at home track meet
The Bigfork track and field team gave their hometown fans plenty to cheer about on Saturday as they hosted the Bigfork Invite.
The Bigfork boys placed second overall behind Whitefish, thanks in large part to key finishes by a number of juniors and underclassmen. Leading the way was junior Austin Savik, who had a dominant day in the hurdles. He claimed first place in the 110-meter hurdles with a personal best of 15.52 seconds and backed it up with a victory in the 300-meter hurdles, clocking in at 42.14 for a season best.
In the sprints, juniors Tayden West and Quinn Kerr helped Bigfork hold their own against some of the fastest athletes in western Montana. West finished seventh in the 100-meter dash with a season-best time of 11.86 seconds, just ahead of Kerr, who ran a personal best of 11.87. In the 200 meters, Kerr grabbed third with a PR of 24.00 seconds, followed closely by West in fourth at 24.05.
The Bigfork boys also showed well in the relays. The 4x100-meter squad of Kerr, West, Savik, and Noah Pandina raced to a second-place finish with a personal-best time of 46.28 seconds.
Distance standout Noah Hamilton-Dixon turned in a strong performance in the 3200 meters, placing third with a season-best time of 11:07.40. Senior Sam Ayers and sophomore Otto Schurke added points with sixth- and seventh-place finishes, respectively.
Field events were another bright spot for the Vikings. Junior Tamret Savik soared to victory in the triple jump with a massive personal best of 45 feet even. He also placed third in the high jump, clearing 6 feet, while Pandina and sophomore Alex Ochs added valuable points with matching jumps of 5’10” and 5’8”.
Junior Jack Lucke had a big day in the jumps as well, placing second in the triple jump (38’11.5”) and sixth in the long jump (18’4”). In the throws, senior Trent Scherfenburg delivered a third-place finish in the shot put with a personal best of 40’8” and placed eighth in the discus. Fellow senior Henry Carlson was close behind, taking ninth in the discus with a season best of 105’8”.
In the javelin, junior Treker Hickey placed sixth overall with a throw of 129 feet.
On the girls’ side, Bigfork placed fourth in a tight team race led by Ronan, Libby, and Whitefish. The Valkyries had plenty of strong individual performances, especially from their younger athletes.
Freshman Sofie Albiero led the way in the sprints with a sixth-place finish in the 100 meters, clocking a personal best of 14.05 seconds. Sophomore Olivia Carlson was just behind in eighth with a season-best time of 14.57.
Bigfork’s 4x100 relay team of Mickie Anderson, Carlson, Peyton Benson, and Lillie Soffia brought home a win with a season-best time of 55.27 seconds, narrowly edging Ronan and Whitefish in one of the day’s most exciting races. The 4x400 team also cracked the podium, placing third with a time of 4:56.07.
In the middle distances, sophomore Hadley Nollan placed third in the 800 meters, posting a personal-best 2:51.84.
Sophomore Millie Hall had a big day in the throws, finishing third in the shot put with a personal best of 30’10” and placing fifth in the discus. Senior Angela Farrier and senior Piper Lee contributed additional points in both the shot and javelin, while sophomore Madison Roland added a top-10 finish in the discus.
Junior Peyton Benson also landed a fourth-place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 29’6.5”, a season best.
The Bigfork track and field team hosted the Bigfork Invite to open the season on Saturday, April 5, 2025. (Steve Mitchell photo)