Young Vals pace Bigfork; Whittaker places at Top 10 meet

By FAITH MOLDAN / Bigfork Eagle

It was Bigfork's female underclassmen and newcomers who shined at the Russ Pilcher Top 10 meet and CTA Invitational.

Freshman Mallery Knoll placed at both meets, as did sophomore Kayla Carlson. Freshman Jen Egdorf placed at the CTA Invitational. Senior Alyssa Fierro, who is a first-year track athlete, placed as well. The Vals finished the CTA Invitational in Frenchtown with 46.5 team points and sixth place.

Carlson, Quinci Paine and Knoll competed in the Top 10 meet in Missoula on April 22. Carlson qualified to run both the 1,600-meter run and 3,200 at the Top 10 meet, but only ran the 1,600. Knoll ran both the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles. She also qualified for the 100-meter dash, but did not compete in it in Missoula. Knoll finished the 200 at the Bigfork Relays in a time of 27.1. Carlson ran a 5:31 1,600 at the same meet.

Knoll placed in both of her events at the Top 10 meet. She clocked a time of 16.1 seconds in the 100 hurdles and 47.0 in the 300 hurdles for sixth and third place, respectively. She and teammate Egdorf both placed in the 100-meter dash and 200 in Frenchtown. Knoll was third in the 100 in 13.29 seconds and Egdorf finished in 13.88 seconds for sixth place. Knoll was also third in the 200. She clocked a time of 26.94. Egdorf was sixth with her 28.39 finish. Rounding out Knoll's busy and successful week was a third-place finish in the 100 hurdles in Frenchtown. She placed third in 16.24 seconds.

Carlson did her part in the distance events last week. She placed fourth in the 1,600-meter run in Missoula with her time of 5:27.6. She finished the other two distance events — 800 and 3,200 — among the top six in Frenchtown. Carlson was third in the 800 with 2:31.23 and second in the 3,200 with 12:10.01.

Fierro recorded a personal best in the high jump at the CTA Invitational.

"She almost made it 5-2," Bigfork coach Jim Epperly said. "She just clicked it off." Fierro placed second with her jump of 5-0.

Bigfork's 400-meter relay team ran to a fourth-place finish at the CTA Invitational. The team finished in 52.85 seconds.

The Vals travel to the Archie Roe meet in Kalispell at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 3.

Bigfork's boys track and field team is making great strides — and leaps for that matter — as the season winds down.

Donny Tudahl, Garrett Pewe and Andrew Whittaker all competed in the Russ Pilcher Top 10 meet in Missoula on April 22. The meet marked the second consecutive year for Tudahl and Whittaker. Whittaker placed second in the 200-meter run. He finished in a time of 23.5 seconds, tieing with Bryce Carver of Dillon. The other Vikes did not place in their respective events — Tudahl qualified in discus and Pewe in the high jump.

Whittaker also placed in the 200, as well as the 100, on Saturday at the CTA Invitational in Frenchtown. He ran away with first place in both events. Whittaker clocked an 11.32 in the 100 and a 23.07 in the 200. Also placing for Bigfork was the Vikes' 400-meter relay team. Its 45.63 finish was good enough for fourth place. Bigfork was fifth of 12 teams at the meet with 49 team points.

While he came away empty-handed at the Top 10 meet, Tudahl placed in both discus and shot put in Frenchtown. He threw 147-6 for third place in discus and 42-8.5 for fourth in shot. His teammate Zac Bruer threw 41-7 and finished fifth.

"The shot put kids did well in Frenchtown," Bigfork coach Nate Hammond said. Four Vikes, including Tudahl, Bruer, Kenny Patrick and Garett Hibbs, finished the meet with personal bests.

Pewe also placed at the CTA Invitational. He finished second in the high jump with his 6-0 jump. He tied with Jeremiah Ishman of Stevensville. Pewe ran the 400-meter run in 53.88 seconds for third place.

"Garrett (Pewe) had a long week," Bigfork coach Jim Epperly said. "He did OK, but he can go much higher. He's a solid jumper, and is going to have to hit 6-2 to qualify for state."

Bigfork competed in a junior varsity meet in Whitefish on Tuesday, and will follow that meet up with two big meets — Archie Roe in Kalispell and Polson's ABC meet — before divisionals May 16-17. Archie Roe begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Legends Stadium.