Columbia Falls sending bus load to state track meet
Ben Windauer will be going to state in several events, including the 110-meter hurdles. (Jeremy Weber photo)
Tanner Gove will be going to state in the Javelin for the Wildcats after finishing fourth at divisionals this weekend. (Jeremy Weber photo)
Wildkat 400-meter relay runners LaKia Hill and Alexis Purcell, along with Paige Burger and Josie Windauer, will be going to state. (Jeremy Weber photo)
Flora Jarvis will be running the 100-meter hurdles at state after finishing fourth at divisionals this weekend. (Jeremy Weber photo)
Columbia Falls will be well represented at the Class A state track meet in Laurel this weekend as 17 boys and 12 girls earned spots at the meet with their performances at the divisional in Polson.
Parker Greene and Ben Windauer had the top finishes for the Wildcats in Polson over the weekend as Green won the discus with a toss of 143 feet, 9 inches and Windauer won the pole vault after clearing 13 feet, 6 inches.
Austin Green was second in the pole vault, as he also cleared 13 feet, 6 inches, and the 400-meter relay team of Drew Morgan, Daniel Henjum, Logan Kolodejchuk and Kaedan Clewein was also second, just 0.18 seconds behind Corvallis and 0.01 second ahead of Polson.
Morgan will be busy in Laurel this weekend as he will also compete in the 200 and 400-meters, the 1,600-meter relay and the javelin. Windauer will also be busy as well, along with pole vault, he will be competing in the 300 and 110-meter hurdles and javelin.
Other Wildcats making their way to state include Tucker Salmonsen (800, 1,600 relay), Joe Lamb (3,200, 1,600), Seth Umbriaco (3,200), Zackary Pletcher (300 hurdles, 1,600 relay), Isaac Balla (triple jump), Chance Adams (triple jump, long jump), Tanner Gove (javelin), Gabe Knudsen (1,600), Richard Role (1,600) and Easton Sempf (1,600 relay).
Overall, the Cats finished second at the meet, behind Corvallis.
On the girls side, Angellica Street continued her dominance of the javelin, beating the next-closest competitor by nearly 23 feet to win with a toss of 142 feet, 8.5 inches. Street also qualified for state in the discus and shot put.
Other top performers for the Kats included Tallia Sova, who was third in the shot put and also qualified in discus and javelin, and Josie Windauer, who was third in the pole vault and also qualified in the 200, mile relay and 400 relay.
Joining them at state will be Genevieve Delorme (800, 1,600 relay), Alexis Purcell (1,600 relay, 400 relay), LaKia Hill (1,600 relay, 400 relay, long jump), Stella Bistodeau (high jump), Raina Crowell (pole vault), Paige Burger (triple jump, 400 relay), Raychel Hoerner (triple jump, long jump), Flora Jarvis (100 hurdles) and Kiara Brown (shot).