Two Ferdas fight winds but post top performances Invitational

In another stretch before the bigger meets coming up this month and next, Whitefish track and field got tested once again last Saturday at the Bigfork Invitational.

The girls have placed second in back-to-back weeks. The weekend before last it was 23 1/2 points behind Class B Cut Bank for the top spot at the Columbia Falls Invitational. Last weekend nearly the same disparity, 23, but this time to Columbia Falls.

The Lady Bulldogs were led by sophomore Courtney Ferda, who became one of a handful of Montanans under 13 seconds in the 100 this year. She ran 12.9 and led freshman teammate Lauren Kuennen across the finish line in that race and the 200.

Freshman Ashley Ferda, in her second varsity meet, showed the chops that made her cousin Courtney a 9th-grade sensation by placing second in the 100 (16.7) and 300 (50.85) hurdles.

"The Columbia Falls Invitational was her first meet as she got to see life and the varsity level," said Bulldog head coach Derek Schulz. It obviously didn't take her long to get acclimated.

Erin Greiner was first in the triple jump, 34-7, and third in the 110 and 300 hurdles behind Ashley Ferda.

Porshce Erekson, a second and sixth in the discuss and shot put at the Columbia Falls Invite the week prior, was fourth in the discuss on Saturday, 83-4.

Whitefish edged out host Bigfork by one on a day more conducive to track than the windy, blustery conditions in Columbia Falls earlier this month.

"We got great weather. We competed well and found out where our weaknesses are and where some other teams strengths are, and now it's making adjustments from that," said Schulz.

Brooke Andrus of Bigfork just missed breaking 5:30 in the 1,600 (5:30.2) and did break 12 minutes in the 3,200, running eight laps in 11:59.2 to win by over a minute.

Columbia Falls girls got three victories from thrower Bekah Stoltz in winning the nine-team competition with 119 points.

Stoltz, who won Western A titles in the javelin, shot put and discuss last year, made the same sweep in the Bigfork meet. She threw the javelin 134-3, the discuss a state-best 137-8 and the shot put 37-5. Columbia Falls teammate Kim Pearce cleared 5-0 to win the high jump.

Bigfork was hosting an invitational for the first time in over 20 years. They tried to do it last year on their new all-weather track, but weather postponed the meet. It was rescheduled for later in the season but canceled when it was deemed to close to divisionals.

For the boys, Bulldog junior Chris Hicks claimed the top high jump (6-2) and long jump (21-7 1/4), and took second in the 400 and 110 hurdles. He lost the latter to another double winner on the day, Eureka's Justen Owen, who ran the 110s in 15.5 and the 300 hurdles in 41.8. Hicks had competed in the 110 hurdles for the first time ever in a competitive varsity meet and broke 16 seconds, 15.9.

"Chris got off a terrific long jump. We held him back from the triple jump thus his high jump improved, and running that time in the 110 was remarkable," said Schulz.

Whitefish was first and second in the pole vault. Senior Tim Ahler and R.C. Carter each cleared 13-0.

"Those are outstanding marks for this time of the year," said Schulz in assessing the pole vaulting efforts of Ahler and Carter.

At the Bulldogs opening meet at C-Falls, Ahler no-heighted in the pole vault, passing until 12 feet. He then missed three times. This time he made sure he climbed the sky.

Last Saturday Ahler started at a more tame height, 10 feet. Last year Ahler's personal best was 12-0. Whitefish's Carter did clear the same mark in Bigfork, but finished second on misses

As a team the Bulldogs finished fifth, Class B Thompson Falls was tops for the day. Whitefish racked up 63 points to the Bluehawks 120. Thompson Falls captured the team title at the Columbia Falls Invite the week before with 114 1/2.

Thompson Falls' Tony Kazmierczak won the 200 (23.3) and 400 (51.76) and placed a close second in the 100. He also anchored the Bluehawks' winning 4 x 400 relay.

Libby's Blaine Baker became the third Montana javelin thrower over 200 feet this spring, beating the first - Thompson Falls's Nate Bache. Baker threw 203-8, Bache 194-8 after going 205-7 in Columbia Falls on April 2nd. Bache, a junior, threw for Plains the past two years.

Both Whitefish boys and girls were at a non-scoring meet on Tuesday at Rawson Field in Kalispell. Saturday it's off to the Missoula Invitational for the first big meet of the young season.

The Bulldog girls, ignited by the efforts of Courtney Ferda and Erin Greiner, took 6th last year amongst 21 schools competing in Missoula.

Ferda was stellar in the sprints. She won the 100 (12.81) and 200 (26.62) and anchored the winning short relay 4 x 100, 50.9. Greiner, now a junior, placed in the 300 hurdles (50.53), the long jump (15-2) and the triple jump (32-9).

The boys were seventh last year in Missoula. A prom conflict cost Whitefish the afternoon services of star runners Cody Henning and Matt Helgath. Henning won the 100, 200, 400 and anchored the victorious 4 x 400 relay two years ago in Missoula. Helgath won the 800 (1:57:96) over Grady Costello of CMR High School in a cold, drenching rain before he departed.