Several local track athletes shined one last time before the season ends at the state meets this weekend.
Glacier junior Todd Ogden, the two-time defending state champion in the javelin, broke the Western AA divisional record with a throw of 201-5. The previous divisional record was 191-10 set by Missoula Big Sky’s Chris Farro in 2007. Ogden’s toss was the best in the state so far. The AA state record is 205-6, set by Chris Reno in 2005.
Flathead senior Zach Perrin won both the 1,600-meter race and the 800 and did not run in the 3,200. He just missed setting records in both; his 1,600 time of 4:17.2, which was hand-timed due to electronic timing malfunction, was three seconds shy of Mike Houlihan of Butte’s 1977 mark, 4:14.2; and Perrin’s 800 time of 1:54.56 was less than a second off David Vidal’s 2000 mark of 1:54.28.
Perrin is the defending state champ in the 1,600 and 3,200 and holds the top times in the state in all three distance events. Glacier senior Troy Fraley won the divisional 3,200 in 9:21.62 and is a top contender in all three distance races.
Glacier senior Kyle Griffith won the divisional long jump and triple jump titles. As the reigning title holder in the long jump, Griffith will vie for repeat success against Flathead senior Matthew Tokarz, who holds the top marks in both jumping events.
Glacier placed second as a team at the Western AA divisional and Flathead was seventh. Billings West won the boys state team title last spring and Glacier was second.
The AA state meet is May 24-25.
Bravettes Hit Stride
Senior Kwyn Johnson won her third straight divisional triple jump title to help the Bravettes claim their second team championship in a row last weekend in Helena.
Johnson maintained her role as the state leader with a winning leap of 36-10.75. Flathead stacked up 112.5 points to edge second-place Helena High, 97, for the Western AA trophy. Johnson will try to win her second state title in a row this weekend in Bozeman. Last spring in Butte she jumped 38-4.75 to break the Class AA triple jump record. Johnson has the top jump in Montana this spring, ahead of Glacier’s Leah Cook, 36-7.75. Cook placed second at the divisional.
Flathead’s Dani Davis won the divisional 100; Briana Patyk had the best high jump; Jaclyn Rauthe won the long jump; and the 400 relay team clocked 48.86, breaking the divisional record held by the 2003 Bravettes, 49.26.
The Glacier girls placed fourth as a team with 72.5 points.
The Class AA state meet is May 24-25 in Bozeman. Billings Senior is the defending champ. Flathead placed third last year and Glacier was ninth.
Whitefish Cruises to Divisional Track Titles
The Schulz sisters paced the Whitefish girls to divisional glory while Logan Harwood snatched four individual titles and led the Bulldogs to their own team title.
Junior Marlow Schulz won the 400 and 100 at the Northwestern A divisional track meet in Whitefish last weekend. She also ran on the winning long relay team with Ella Kobelt, Phoebe Guercio and Sarah Craven. Schulz’s freshman sister, Allie, won the 200 and 100 hurdles. Sarah Latcham won the 800 and Whitefish won the team title.
Harwood won divisional titles in the 100, 200, 400, 800 and ran on the winning short relay team with Sean Foley, Iaian Cameron and Jed Nagler. Jace Kalbfleisch won the 1,600 and 3,200. Keaton Grove won both hurdles races.
At the state meet in Laurel this weekend, the Whitefish squads will try to unseat Corvallis as the reigning boys and girls champions.
Morley Breaks Records at Divisionals
Bigfork sophomore Makena Morley broke both the 1,600 and 3,200 records at the Western B divisional in Missoula. Morley won the 3,200 in 10:42.29, surpassing the old mark of 10:53.36, set by Caitlin Stone of Seeley-Swan in 2008. Morley won the 1,600 in 4:59.5, breaking another of Stone’s records, 5:02.63.
Morley, who also won the divisional 800, will square off against senior Chiara Warner of Broadwater/Townsend for the distance titles at the state meet in Bozeman this weekend.