Bigfork track hit midseason marks at Iceberg Invite
Bigfork athletes made their presence felt at the Columbia Falls Iceberg Invite on April 17 with personal records in nearly every discipline, highlighting a deep and balanced team effort as the Vikings and Valkyries ramp up for the final stretch of the track season.
Junior Tayden West led Bigfork in the 100 meters, clocking 11.92 for sixth place in a tightly packed final. Sophomore Quinn Kerr continued his rise in the 200 meters, placing sixth with a time of 23.56, while Austin Savik added a third-place finish in the 400 meters with a personal-best 52.47. West also returned in the 400 to take fifth (53.65 PR).
Bigfork’s sprint relay team of Kerr, West, Savik, and Noah Pandina posted a strong fourth-place time of 44.96 in the 4x100-meter relay, just half a second behind the event-winning Columbia Falls squad.
Senior Sean Cotman contributed a fourth-place finish in the 800 meters (2:05.59 season best), showing versatility in the mid-distance event.
Distance depth
Bigfork's distance crew also delivered. Junior Noah Hamilton-Dixon ran a season-best 10:51.39 to place third in the 3200 meters. He was followed by Otto Schurke (7th, 12:10.67) and Sam Ayers (8th, 12:17.96), giving the Vikings a strong showing in the long-distance event.
In the 800, Bigfork athletes placed well among a crowded field with Cotman’s fourth-place finish and freshman Hadley Nollan placing 10th on the girls side with a PR of 2:47.30.
Viking score in field events
Bigfork’s field athletes contributed critical points throughout the meet. Junior Treven Hall placed seventh in the discus with a 119-1.5 throw. In the high jump, Pandina tied for third by clearing 5-8, while Savik also cleared 5-8 to tie for fifth.
In the long jump, junior Jack Lucke recorded a personal-best 18-9 to place fifth, while junior Lance Peterson vaulted 10 feet to finish seventh in the pole vault.
Valkyries stack up PRs
Freshman Sofie Albiero continues to impress, placing seventh in the girls 200 meters with a personal-best 28.11. Albiero also anchored Bigfork’s 4x100 relay, which finished second with a time of 54.37, alongside teammates Peyton Benson, Olivia Carlson, and Somer Campos. The mark was a season best for the relay squad.
Sophomore Mickie Anderson ran a PR of 18.88 in the 100-meter hurdles to finish seventh. Bigfork also scored in the discus with senior Aspen Britt placing ninth, continuing a solid season for Bigfork’s throwers.
In the triple jump, Chantry Krack (also listed under Whitefish for jumps) posted a mark of 31-1 to finish sixth. Junior Shannon Woll cleared 7-6 in the pole vault for seventh.