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Chasing Gold: 2015 State Track Preview

Track and field season hits the home stretch at this weekend’s championship meets in Kalispell

By Dillon Tabish
The 40th annual Archie Roe track and field meet at Legends Stadium in Kalispell on May 2, 2015. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

The track and field state championship meet returns to Kalispell this weekend with athletes from a combined 54 schools slated to compete in the two-day event. At Legends Stadium May 22-23, the meet will feature competitors from Class AA and B vying for individual and team trophies in their respective divisions. It’s only the second time that Kalispell will be hosting the state finale and first since 2009.


 

The 40th annual Archie Roe track and field meet at Legends Stadium in Kalispell on May 2, 2015. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Legends Stadium will host the Class AA and Class B state championship track meets May 22-23. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

State Track Storylines: Breaking Down the Championship Events

In each of the 17 track and field events, there are exciting plot lines worth following this weekend. Here’s a breakdown of each event and the field of contenders. »»» READ MORE


 

Neil Eliason, pictured at Legends Stadium on May 12, 2015. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Neil Eliason, pictured at Legends Stadium on May 12, 2015. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

The Godfather of Girls Track in Montana 

Neil Eliason established a pioneering girls track program in Kalispell in the early 1960s, paving the way for other teams and helping the sport become officially sanctioned

By Dillon Tabish

Montana created its flagship high school sport — track and field — in 1904. But for the first half century, it was exclusively for boys. »»» READ MORE


The 1907 Flathead County High School track team, which won the school’s first state championship. Caption for old track photo: Clockwise from top left, coach C.H. Scherf, Denney, Steele, Hodgson, Davis, manager Crone and Calbick. Courtesy Flathead High School
The 1907 Flathead County High School track team, which won the school’s first state championship. Clockwise from top left, coach C.H. Scherf, Denney, Steele, Hodgson, Davis, manager Crone and Calbick. Courtesy Flathead High School

Track Tradition Runs Deep in Kalispell

The rich history of track and field in the Flathead Valley is rooted in the early 20th century, when an upstart team of athletes ventured to Missoula for the inaugural Interscholastic meet

By Dillon Tabish

In the spring of 1904, three young men departed Kalispell, surrounded by a crowd of cheering students, and journeyed south to Missoula. The boys rode a horse and buggy at 4 a.m. to the docks at Demersville and boarded a steamboat that glided across Flathead Lake to Polson. From there, they enjoyed the luxury of a stagecoach before being dropped off at the campus of the modern University of Montana. »»» READ MORE


Josh Sandry competes in the high jump during the 40th annual Archie Roe track and field meet at Legends Stadium in Kalispell on May 2, 2015. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Josh Sandry competes in the high jump during the 40th annual Archie Roe track and field meet at Legends Stadium in Kalispell on May 2, 2015. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

State Records

A breakdown of the all-class, Class AA and Class B track and field state records.

»»» READ MORE