Track peaks in time for districts

The Bigfork track and field team finished out its regular season last week by competing in the Archie Roe Invitational in Kalispell on Saturday and used the meet to achieve some personal bests and try some new events.

"Some of my younger kids really shined," said Sue Loeffler, Bigfork High School head track and field coach. "They improved a lot and that was neat to see, especially this time of year. Ian Lorang and Ryan Hayes earned times that were better than they have had all season and our boy throwers are improving leaps and bounds."

Senior Keenan Evans had another big meet as he picked up first place in the 100-meter with a time of 11.32. His time of 23.17 in the 200-meter put him in a tie for fourth place with Spencer Hale of Missoula Hellgate.

"He's getting ready," Loeffler said. "He is improving each week."

The boys' 400-meter relay team boasted a time of 45.19 for which it earned fifth place.

Senior Kayla Carlson completed her sweep of the distance races she ran in this season with a win the 1600-meter in a time of 5:27.41 and the 3200-meter in a time of 11:32.27.

Overall, the Bigfork girls placed seventh out of the 15 teams that participated in the meet, most of which were Class A and Class AA schools.

Mallery Knoll earned fifth place in the 100-meter hurdles with her time of 16.33, which is her best time of the season.

"We're so close with her," Loeffler said. "The sixth hurdle keeps wreaking havoc on her. She'll get it though."

Knoll earned fourth place in the 300-hurdles in 48.57.

Quinci Paine placed fifth in the 400-meter in 1:03.59. Paine also ran the 200-meter for the first time, and, though she didn't place in the event, Loeffler said she liked what she saw from the Bigfork junior.

"She did real well and she's got more in her once she learns how to run it better," Loeffler said.

Also trying the 200-meter, as well as the 100-meter, for the first time was Bigfork's Jenna Egdorf, who Loeffler also said did well in the events for her first time out.

Loeffler switched up the order in the girls' short relay for the first time all season and the girls earned their best time of the season 52.04, which was good enough for fifth place.

The Bigfork girls didn't run in the 1600-meter relay.

"The meet was dragging on pretty long and the weather was starting to get worse," Loeffler said.

"I have a few kids that are starting to get colds and I can't have them getting sick right now so we decided to just pack up and go home."

Districts

The team will move into postseason play this week. Bigfork will host the District 7B Track Meet on Saturday. Events start at 11 a.m on the high school track.

Participants must place in the top six in an event to advance to divisionals in that event.

That means that those athletes who usually compete in different events at different meets will have to compete in all of their events at the one-day district meet in order to qualify to advance to divisionals, which will be May 21 and 22 in Big Sky. Carlson will be one of Bigfork's athletes who will have the biggest challenge with this as she attempts to qualify in the 3200-meter, 1600-meter and 800-meter, especially since the latter two are ran fairly close together.

Carlson usually runs a leg of the 1600-meter relay for Bigfork, but Loeffler plans to have either Caitlin Charlebois or Egdorf step in for her for this meet to alleviate some of her workload that day.