Benedict wins triple jump title; Vals place at state track meet

Trent Makela for the Bigfork Eagle — Roland Benedict gets airborne during the Class A State Track and Field Meet in Bozeman. He placed in both the long jump and triple jump at the meet.

| May 29, 2008 11:00 PM

By FAITH MOLDAN/Bigfork Eagle

Another year, another state track championship for a Bigfork Viking.

Roland Benedict, a first-year track and field athlete, took home the Class A State triple jump championship with his jump of 43-10 3/4. He also placed fifth in the long jump. Benedict recorded a jump of 20-8 in that event. His jump was an improvement on his divisional jump by a little less than a foot. Benedict improved his triple jump by three inches at the state meet.

"He had potential," Bigfork coach Sue Loeffler said of Benedict. "He just jumped real well even though the conditions weren't good. He's a competitor."

Bigfork's 100-meter dash state champion from last year, Andrew Whittaker, placed in the 200-meter dash but failed to place and repeat as champ in the 100.

"He didn't really have the best start," Loeffler said of the 100. "It wasn't by lack of trying."

Whittaker finished the 200 in third place with his 22.92. He was also part of the boys 400-meter relay team with Travis Knoll, Brad Bell and Stevan Hibbs. Together the Vikes won fourth place with their 44.87 finish. He clocked an 11.11 in the 100-meter finals at the Northwestern A Divisional Meet in Whitefish, while finishing the 200 in 22.61 there.

Also placing for the Vikes was second-year state qualifier Donny Tudahl. He threw the discus 146-9, which was good enough for third place.

While Bigfork loses Benedict, Whittaker, Bell and Hibbs to graduation this year, the Vikes look to return a solid group of young athletes next spring.

"We're actually pretty young overall," Loeffler said. "We lose some good seniors."

At Bozeman High

Class A

Boys

Team scores - 1. Lewistown 33.5; 2. Whitefish 31; 3. Laurel 28; 4. Libby 22; 5. Frenchtown 20; 6. Havre 17; 7. Billings Central 10; 8. Anaconda 8; 9. Hamilton 7; 10. Dillon 6; 10. Belgrade 6; 10. Hardin 6; 10. Polson 6; 14. Browning 5; 15. Corvallis 4; 15. Glendive 4; 17. Bigfork 2; 18. Butte Central 1.5

Individual results

400

1. Zack Rowan, Libby, 49.55; 2. Seth Marshall, Laurel, 49.56; 3. David Beery, Belgrade, 50.19; 4. Myles Jessop, Corvallis, 50.57; 5. Logan Mossey, 50.93.

800

1. Patrick Casey, Laurel, 1;55.31; 2. Logan Mossey, Lewistown, 1:57.39; 3. Logan Torgison, Polson, 1:57.62; 4. Caleb Bentley, Lewistown, 1:58.00; 5. Ben Jessop, Hamilton, 1:59.31; 6. Wyatt Lawrence, Hamilton, 2:00.26.

3,200

1. Patrick Casey, Laurel, 9:46.80; 2. Drew Coco, Whitefish, 9:57.22; 3. Logun Norris, Dillon, 10:05.02; 4. Caleb Bentley, Lewistown, 10:07.26; 5. Ben Jessop, Hamilton, 10:16.36; 6. Dylan DesRosier, Browning, 10:20.44.

300 hurdles

1. Jason Mudrow, Havre, 40.86; 2. Nick Kozub, Lewistown, 41.01; 3. Darin Olyete, Hardin, 41.60; 4. Matt Block, Frenchtown, 41.77; 5. Colton Dyer, Lewistown, 42.01; 6. Allen McCarty, Hamilton, 42.03.

Long jump

1. Aaron Tkachyk, Whitefish, 21-8.5; 2. Tyler Wilde, Frenchtown, 21-3; 3. Seth Wright, Libby, 21-2; 4. Derek Ohs, Glendive, 21-0; 5. Roland Benedict, Bigfork, 20-8.5; 6. Willie Roche, Whitefish, 20-8.25.

High jump

1. Colt Idol, Whitefish, 6-8.25; 2. Matt Block, Frenchtown, 6-2; 3. Seth Wright, Libby, 6-2; 4. Keithon Walter, Lewistown, 6-2; 5. Pat Burt, Butte Central, 6-2; 6. Nick Kozub, Lewistown, 6-2.

Shot put

1. Casey McMillian, Billings Central, 55-1/75; 2. Joe Raymond, Anaconda, 47-10; 3. Robert The Boy, Havre, 47-8; 4. Willy Wells, Browning, 47-7.5; 5. Kevin McDowell, Whitefish, 46-7; 6. Grayson Winsor, Havre, 46-1.5.

State A

Boys

Team scores - 1. Whitefish 51; 2. Corvallis 50; 3. Laurel 44; 4. Lewistown 38.5; 5. Belgrade 38; 6. Libby 34; 7. Bigfork 28; 8. Frenchtown 27; 9. Hamilton 25; 9. Havre 25; 11. Glendive 22; 12. Billings Central 20; 13. Anaconda 18; 13. Hardin 18; 15. Polson 15; 16. Ronan/St. Ignatius 10; 17. Dillon 9; 17. Columbia Falls 9; 19. Browning 8; 20. Sidney 4; 21. Stevensville 2; 22. Butte Central 1.5; 23. Miles City 1.

100 - 1. Derek Ohs, Glendive, 11.14; 2. David Beery, Belgrade, 11.26; 3. Ryan Huppert, Billings Central, 11.29; 4. Kole Olsen, Laurel, 11.32; 5. Scott Palmer, Columbia Falls, 11.4; 6. Jonny Dilworth, Frenchtown, 11.41.

110 hurdles - 1. Slater Powell, Corvallis, 14.83; 2. Jason Mudrow, Havre, 15.1; 3. Darin Olyete, Hardin, 15.68; 4. Cody Doyle, Polson, 15.76; 5. Jamie Engledrum, Ronan/St. Ignatius, 15.79; 6. Nick Kozub, Lewistown, 15.83.

1600 relay - 1. Belgrade, 3:27.84; 2. Corvallis, 3:29.27; 3. Whitefish, 3:29.73; 4. Libby, 3:30.67; 5. Hamilton, 3:31.65; 6. Laurel, 3:34.24.

1600 - 1. Patrick Casey, Laurel, 4:27.27; 2. Drew Coco, Whitefish, 4:28.76; 3. Ben Jessop, Hamilton, 4:34.04; 4. Caleb Bentley, Lewistown, 4:34.63; 5. Logun Norris, Dillon, 4:36.83; 6. Logan Torgison, Polson, 4:38.16.

200 - 1. David Beery, Belgrade, 22.67; 2. Derek Ohs, Glendive, 22.84; 3. Andrew Whittaker, Bigfork, 22.92; 4. Ryan Huppert, Billings Central, 22.96; 5. Ryan Turley, Hamilton, 23.13; 6. Kole Olsen, Laurel, 23.14.

400 relay - 1. Corvallis, 44.08; 2. Hamilton, 44.65; 3. Whitefish, 44.81; 4. Bigfork, 44.87; 5. Columbia Falls, 45.04; 6. Dillon, 45.05.

Discus - 1. Dalton Sybrant, Corvallis, 152-6; 2. Chris Jessop, Corvallis, 150-4; 3. Donny Tudahl, Bigfork, 146-9; 4. Nigel Anselmi, Belgrade, 142-11; 5. Nathan Klug, Columbia Falls, 140-2; 6. Willy Wells, Browning, 138-9.

Javelin - 1. Sean Funston, Anaconda, 171-6; 2. Adam Skogen, Ronan/St. Ignatius, 169-9; 3. Tristan Costa, Hardin, 163-4; 4. Brock Picard, Polson, 162-11; 5. Steven Brennen, Columbia Falls, 154-10; 6. Nick Love, Miles City, 154-4.

Triple Jump - 1. Roland Benedict, Bigfork, 43-10.75; 2. Seth Wright, Libby, 43-7.25; 3. Tyler Wilde, Frenchtown, 43-5.25; 4. Brady Sunheim, Sidney, 42-1.75; 5. Isaac Hunter, Stevensville, 41-3.5; 6. Austin Robbins, Columbia Falls, 41-0.

State A

Boys

Team scores - 1. Whitefish 59; 2. Corvallis 56; 3. Laurel 44; 4. Lewistown 38.5; 5. Belgrade 38; 6. Libby 34; 7. Bigfork 28; 7. Hardin 28; 9. Frenchtown 27; 10. Hamilton 25; 10. Havre 25; 12. Glendive 22; 13. Polson 21; 14. Billings Central 20; 15. Anaconda 18; 16. Ronan/St. Ignatius 10; 17. Dillon 9; 17. Columbia Falls 9; 19. Browning 8; 20. Sidney 4; 21. Stevensville 2; 22. Miles City 2; 23. Butte Central 1.5.

1600 relay - 1. Belgrade, 3:27.84; 2. Corvallis, 3:29.27; 3. Whitefish, 3:29.73; 4. Libby, 3:30.67; 5. Hamilton, 3:31.65; 6. Laurel, 3:34.24.

400 relay - 1. Corvallis, 44.08; 2. Hamilton, 44.65; 3. Whitefish, 44.81; 4. Bigfork, 44.87; 5. Columbia Falls, 45.04; 6. Dillon, 45.05.

Pole Vault - 1. Jake Bowman, Hardin, 14-9; 2. Kaleb Prestegaard, Whtiefish, 13-6; 3. Austin Byron, Corvallis, 13-6; 4. Ryan Kelley, Polson, 13-6; 5. Ty Fouty, Polson, 13-0; 6. John Kassner, Miles City, 12-6.???????????Although it was their first year competing at the Class A State Track and Field Meet, Mallery Knoll and Kayla Carlson remained calm and placed in four events for the Valkyries.A freshman and sophomore, respectively, Knoll and Carlson combined to earn Bigfork 20 team points at the meet.Carlson placed in two distance runs. She notched fourth place in the 1,600-meter run and third in the 3,200. She clocked times of 5:21.87 and 11:54.68 in the events.Knoll was fourth in the 100-meter dash and third in the 300-meter hurdles. She finished the 100 in 13.13 and the hurdles in 47.03.Also competing in the 100-meter dash was Jill Hamilton. Bigfork coach Sue Loeffler said she and Jen Egdorf ran well in the 100 and 200-meter dash. Knoll, Hamilton and Egdorf, along with Hattie Bowen ran the 400-meter relay for the Vals. A bad handoff kept them out of the finals despite a good rest of the race. The relay team finished the Northwestern Divisional Track Meet in a time of 51.87."They're a great bunch of kids on and off the track. It was fun coaching them," Loeffler said of the entire track and field team. "When it came to practice they were ready to work and when it came to meets they were ready to compete."GirlsTeam scores - 1. Belgrade 22; 2. Polson 21; 3. Frenchtown 20; 4. Miles City 18; 4. Lewistown 18; 6. Whitefish 16; 7. Hardin 14; 8. Corvallis 10; 8. Livingston 10; 10. Billings Central 6; 10. Laurel 6; 12. Columbia Falls 5; 12. Glendive 5; 14. Dillon 5; 14. Bigfork 4; 14. Libby 4; 17. Sidney 2; 18. Ronan/St. Ignatius 1.Individual results4001. Whitney Henderson, Corvallis, 58.34; 2. Nicole Davey, Polson, 58.88; 3. Justine Simons, Laurel, 1:00.00; 4. Mariah Litton, Billings Central, 1:00.09; 5. Gio Raffatto, Sidney, 1:00.19; 6. Breanne Kelley, Polson, 1:01.03.1,6001. Heather Haug, Livingston, 5:16.80; 2. Brook Rodgers, Lewistown, 5;19.16; 3. Lauren Kuennen, Whitefish, 5:21.00; 4. Kayla Carlson, Bigfork, 5:21.87; 5. MacKenzie Maki, Miles City; 6. Nocona Frame, Glendive, 5:40.24.High jump1. Tasha Huset, Frenchtown, 5-3; 2. Jamie Greany, Belgrade, 5-2; 3. Emily Stoltz, Columbia Falls, 5-0; 3. Lillian Temple, Glendive, 5-0; 3. Charis Hugs, Hardin, 5-0; 6. Sadie McMillan, Ronan/St. Ignatius, 5-0.Long jump1. Charis Hugs, Hardin, 16-0.5; 2. Jennifer Hartman, Miles City, 15-10.25; 3. Christa Redcrow, Polson, 15-8; 4. Kenzie Allen, Lewistown, 15-6.5; 5. Maggie Powell, Billings Central, 15-4; 6. Jylisa Fields, Columbia Falls, 15-3.5.Javelin1. Ashley Ferda, Whitefish, 125-3; 2. Nycole Devers, Belgrade, 124-11; 3. Josie Sweeney, Lewistown, 124-2; 4. Stephany Kluver, Libby, 119-3; 5. Abbi Hoerning, Dillon, 118-0; 6. Maggie Warren, Dillon, 115-11.Shot put1. Chelsea Bagnell, Frenchtown, 37-6; 2. Jami Kittelmann, Miles City, 36-10; 3. Brittney Harvey, Belgrade, 36-7; 4. Loni Havlovick, Polson, 35-7.5; 5. Natasha Lafferty, Polson, 34-2.5; 6. Ellie Fjeseth, Dillon, 32-10.5.GirlsTeam scores - 1. Belgrade 66; 2. Polson 65; 3. Corvallis 39; 4. Miles City 34; 5. Billings Central 33; 6. Livingston 30; 7. Lewistown 27; 7. Laurel 27; 9. Frenchtown 26; 10. Whitefish 24; 11. Glendive 23; 11. Hamilton 23; 13. Bigfork 20; 14. Hardin 18; 15. Stevensville 14; 16. Dillon 9; 17. Columbia Falls 7; 18. Libby 6; 19. Sidney 4; 20. Ronan/St. Ignatius 1.100 - 1. Whitney Henderson, Corvallis, 12.66; 2. Justine Simons, Laurel, 12.75; 3. Mariah Litton, Billings Central, 12.87; 4. Mallery Knoll, Bigfork, 13.13; 5. Emily Pilcher, Dillon, 13.18; 6. Jackie Dringle, Belgrade, 13.19.100 hurdles - 1. Kirsten Haas, Belgrade, 15.49; 2. Paige Squire, Corvallis, 15.72; 3. Breanne Kelley, Polson, 15.89; 4. Ashley Cooper, Laurel, 16.24; 5. Emily Stoltz, Columbia Falls, 16.30; 6. Ashley Freda, Whitefish, 16.45.1600 relay - 1. Polson, 4:04.73; 2. Hamilton, 4:07.57; 3. Belgrade, 4:12.29; 4. Billings Central, 4:12.33; 5. Sidney, 4:14.41; 6. Corvallis, 4:15.61.200 - 1. Whitney Henderson, Corvallis, 25.61; 2. Justine Simons, Laurel, 25.84; 3. Mariah Litton, Billings Central, 26.27; 4. Ashley Skillestad, Glendive, 26.63; 5. Breanne Kelley, Polson, 26.67; 6. Jackie Dringle, Belgrade, 26.81.300 hurdles - 1. Nicole Davey, Polson, 45.18; 2. Kirsten Haas, Belgrade, 45.49; 3. Mallery Knoll, Bigfork, 47.03; 4. Breanne Kelley, Polson, 47.42; 5. Michelle Jones, Hamilton, 47.46; 6. Mariah Litton, Billings Central, 47.69.3200 - 1. Heather Haug, Livingston, 11:44.55; 2. Brook Rodgers, Lewistown, 11:45.25; 3. Kayla Carlson, Bigfork, 11:54.68; 4. Nocona Frame, Glendive, 11:58.56; 5. Mackenzie Maki, Miles City, 12:06.95; 6. Franki Romano, Hamilton, 12:16.84.400 relay - 1. Belgrade, 50.49; 2. Polson, 50.61; 3. Billings Central, 50.69; 4. Hamilton, 50.88; 5. Dillon, 51.15; 6. Laurel, 51.21.800 - 1. Heather Haug, Livingston, 2:19.30; 2. Misha Trotter, Hamilton, 2:20.38; 3. Lauren Kuennen, Whitefish, 2:22.40; 4. Mackenzie Maki, Miles City, 2:23.08; 5. Jackie Elliott, Billings Central, 2:24.32; 6. Leann Quinlan, Lewistown, 2:24.99.Discus - 1. Jami Kittelmann, Miles City, 120-11; 2. Brittney Harvey, Belgrade, 117-10; 3. Jennifer Brown, Frenchtown, 115-5; 4. Loni Havlovick, Polson, 112-11; 5. Kelsie Ray, Billings Central, 101-5; 6. Abbi Hoerning, Dillon, 99-10.Triple jump - 1. Lillian Temple, Glendive, 33-11.25; 2. Brekka Johnson, Stevensville, 33-3; 3. Jessi Brunett, Stevensville, 32-5.5; 4. Charis Hugs, Hardin, 32-4; 5. Shantell McLinden, Libby, 32-2; 6. Heather Melcer, Whitefish, 32-1.5.GIRLSTeam scores - Polson 75, Belgrade 66, Corvallis 43, Miles City 34, Billings Central 33, Livingston 30, Lewistown 28, Laurel 27, Frenchtown 26, Whitefish 24, Glendive 23, Hamilton 23, Bigfork 20, Sidney 20, Hardin 18, Stevensville 14, Dillon 9, Columbia Falls 7, Libby 6, Ronan-St. Ignatius 1.Pole vault - 1, Mykayla Fink, Sid, 10-6; 2, Nicole Davey, Pol, 10-0; 3, Vanessa Bawden, Sid, 10-0; 4, Melissa Cousins, Cor, 9-6; 5, Tara Johnson, Pol, 9-6; Caitlin Fox, Lew, 9-6.