Track team improving as season progresses
<p>Wildcat Markie Reiten competes in the long jump at the Flathead Time Trials last week.</p>
The Columbia Falls track teams are beginning to find their form in this early season. The team competed in the non-scoring Flathead Time Trials in Kalispell on April 12 and traveled either to the Bigfork Invitational for a tune-up or the Missoula Invitational on April 14.
At Flathead, Derrick Williams easily won the 800 meters with a time of 1:59.25 and the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:27.33. James Ratzlaff took fifth in the 1,600 with a 5:00.73.
Luke Kazlauskas was fifth in the 400, clocking 53.72, and Trevor Wobschall was fifth in the 110 meter hurdles at 16.75.
In the long jump, Markie Reiten placed sixth with a leap of 19-3.25. Daniel Jones won the discus with a throw of 143-3 and took second in the shot put at 46-10.
On the girls side, Cedar Jordt took fifth in the 400 with a time of 1:09.71. Jinise Osborne placed fourth in the 1,600 at 5:49.87.
Cortney White took fourth in the high jump with a leap of 4-5, and Ashton Barta was fifth in the pole vault with a 7-0 effort. Hope Burlage placed third in the javelin with a 101-3 throw.
Williams is nursing an injury and didn’t compete in Missoula.
Coach Jamie Heinz said he’s happy with where the team is this early in the season. Anthony Correa will compete for the first time this week. The speedy Correa was coming off pneumonia he contracted during the basketball season.
The team also has a host of long jumpers in Kazlauskas, Reiten, Mark Hader and Josiah Osborne. Osborne took third in Missoula in the long jump with a 20-9. Jones was second in the shot put with a 49-4.
On the girls side, Heinz said the young team is showing progress.
“We’re developing that younger group of girls,” he said. “They did very well in Missoula.”
Jinise Osborne took sixth in the 3,200 in Missoula with a time of 12:31.43, showing her versatility in the long-distance runs.
At Bigfork, Samantha Mundel placed second in the 3,200 with a time of 12:33. Burlage took second in the javelin with a throw of 102-07 and sixth in the long jump with a 14-01.
On the boys side, Tanner Purdy was sixth in Bigfork in the 100 with a time of 11.79. Zayne Brunz was sixth in the 3,200 with a time of 11:35.38. Hader was fifth in the long jump with a 19-02, and Reiten was sixth with a 18-09.50. Reiten also took fifth in the triple jump with a 39-05.25. Travis Province took sixth with 38-11.25.
The teams traveled to Libby on Tuesday after presstime for a dual and will compete in the Libby Invitational on Saturday.