Aaron Robinson, Scout Willcut, Ethan Larson & Drew Turner
School: Glacier
Class: Senior, Junior, Sophomore & Sophomore
Highlights: The Glacier boys short relay team won the Class AA state title in 41.96, the fastest time in Montana this season for all classes.
Scout and Aaron came into the track season as half of the reigning state championship short relay team. That left big shoes for Drew and Ethan to fill, and it wasn’t easy at first. When every half-second counts, it takes a considerable amount of work to mesh as a relay team. At the state meet, the crew clocked the fastest time in the state and a new school record. It was barely half a second off the all-class state record. Aaron also won the title in the 300 hurdles, was second in the 110 hurdles and fifth in the 200. Drew was second in the 200 and fourth in the 100. Scout was fourth in the 400 and Ethan was sixth in the 100.

Logan Morley
School: Bigfork
Class: Senior
Highlights: Logan swept the Class B distance races at state, winning the 800 in 1:57.14, the 1,600 in 4:18 and the 3,200 in 9:40.84. He also ran on the third-place long relay team (3:28.57).
At the very end of the state track meet in Bozeman, as the Bigfork boys were holding a third-place team trophy, it finally dawned on Logan, “Wow that was my last meet.” Four years and six state titles later, Logan has reached the end of his illustrious high school track career. Over the last few seasons, the Bigfork distance runner followed a rigorous year-round training regimen, logging hundreds of miles along the scenic trails near his family’s home in the Swan despite everything Mother Nature threw at him, and he emerged a champion. In the last four years, he carved half a minute off his 1,600-meter time and 40 seconds off his 3,200, evidence of his hard work and dedication. The thrill of racing and competitive spirit will lead him to Colorado State University-Pueblo, where he will continue his journey.
Nikki Krueger
School: Glacier
Class: Junior
Highlights: Nikki won the Class AA state championship in the discus with a throw of 128-feet, 9 inches. She also placed third in the shot put and helped the Glacier girls place second as a team.
Nikki grew up watching her older sister, Tessa, compete successfully in the throwing events in track, hoping to someday match her sibling’s skills. With Tessa’s guidance and a rigorous training regimen that went late into the night after practices, Nikki surpassed even her best expectations. In front of her whole family in Missoula, the junior thrower set a personal best and school record at the state meet en route to a championship. She also took third in the shot put. “(Tessa) was a huge inspiration for me this year. It was really nice talking to her and she helped me with a lot,” Nikki says.
Tanner Dana
School: Columbia Falls
Class: Senior
Highlights: Tanner ran a leg on the Class A state champion short relay team (43.45), placed second in the 200 (22.54), third in the 100 (11.20), fourth in the 400 (51.29) and ran on the second-place long relay team (3:26.44).
Tanner only started competing in track as a junior. “I thought it was useless working out for a sport that was only running,” he says. He surprised himself by how much he enjoyed it, and pretty soon he was regularly training at the high school track as soon as the snow melted. Hard work paid off; Tanner developed into one of the state’s top sprinters and brought home five medals in five events at the state meet in Bozeman. The short relay team set a new school record. “I was probably feeling every single emotion at the same time,” he says. Tanner’s leadership and performances helped Columbia Falls bring home a second-place team trophy. “It was a really cool experience,” he says.
Haile Norred
School: Bigfork
Class: Sophomore
Highlights: Haile placed third in the Class B 200 (26.74), third in the 400 (59.65), fifth in the 100 (13.09) and ran on the state-champion long relay team (4:09.28) and second-place short relay team (50.23).
In only two seasons of track, Haile has already collected two state titles in the relay and eight other all-state medals. For the three-sport athlete, track has become her favorite and her passion is reflected in relentless training, which extends into summers. Her preparation has helped Haile feel confident going into big meets, such as state. “I was kind of nervous but mostly I was excited for it,” she says. Following her successful sophomore campaign, she is motivated to add to her medal collection and write her name on a few school records.

Jake Perrin
School: Flathead
Class: Senior
Highlights: Jake set two all-class state records at the Class AA state meet in Missoula, winning the 1,600 in 4:12.06 and the 3,200 in 9:04.35.
If you’re a distance runner growing up in Kalispell, you have a first-rate list of accomplished athletes to stack up against. The same goes if you’re a runner in the Perrin family. Jake transcended the odds and expectations and carved out a legacy all his own. At the state meet in Missoula, Jake finished his prep career with the fastest 3,200 on Montana soil by a high school athlete while also rewriting the previous record by a whopping eight seconds. In the 1,600, he took the crown from another all-time great Brave, David Vidal, who held the previous mark for 15 years. “It’s pretty special. To think back on where I was,” he says. “And now I’ve made a name for myself.” Jake is continuing his running at Gonzaga next year.

Mary Baker
School: Columbia Falls
Class: Senior
Highlights: Mary placed fourth in the Class A 100 (13.02), fourth in the 100 hurdles (15.75), fourth in the long jump (15-4) and ran a leg on the state-championship short relay team.
Mary returned from an injury-prone junior year to excel for Columbia Falls and guide the Wildkats to a second-place team trophy. Competing at the state meet for only her second time, Mary ran a leg on the state-champion short rely team with Ashley Caffrey, Ellie Johnson and Kiara Burlage. She also ran personal-best times in the 100 and 100 hurdles, placing fourth in both events. If she wasn’t busy enough, she also competed in the long jump and hit 15-4, good enough for another fourth-place finish. It was a rewarding end to high school for a talented athlete who struggled with injuries the previous four years but worked hard to ensure senior year would be a memorable one.

Luke May
School: Whitefish
Class: Senior
Highlights: Luke won his third consecutive Class A state championship in the javelin (203-6).
Looking back on his high school career a few days before graduating and a few days after winning his third consecutive state championship in the javelin, Luke thought about the town he grew up in. “I’m blessed to grow up in a community like Whitefish. All of us are,” he says. “I was lucky to grow up with a bunch of guys who were interested in creating something special and memorable. And the community rallied behind us.” Luke and his classmates leave quite a legacy — a state championship in football and a renewed competitive edge that spreads throughout the high school. Bulldog pride thrives and one of Whitefish’s all-time great athletes has a lot to do with that. Now Luke is off to Minnesota where he will compete for the Golden Gophers in the javelin.

Kaitlin Wride
School: Flathead
Class: Sophomore
Highlights: Kaitlin placed fourth in the 1,600 with a time of 4:58.66 at the Class AA state track meet.
Any other year and Kaitlin would most likely be returning home a state champion. Her remarkable time of 4:58.66, especially for a sophomore, is exceptionally fast. Kaitlin just happens to be competing during a golden age for Montana distance running. Wride ran a personal best and placed fourth in the 1,600 at the state meet in Missoula in an historic race featuring the new all-class record holder, Billings Senior’s Christina Aragon, who ran 4:43.51. “There were a lot of fast girls and I was a little nervous, but I was also excited to see how I would do,” Kaitlin says. Unafraid of competition, Kaitlin trains year-round and has a noticeable mental toughness with the goal of “seeing where that takes me.”

Allie Schulz
School: Whitefish
Class: Senior
Highlights: Allie placed second in the 100 hurdles (15.40), fifth in the 100 (13.09) and ran on the third-place short relay team (50.61) and third-place long relay team (4:10.51).
Allie grew up in a track family, learning from her father, Derek, who is head coach at Whitefish, and her state-champion older sister Marlow. Allie made a name for herself these last four years as a distinctively talented multi-sport athlete, competing in volleyball and basketball. But track season is when she produced her favorite memories and finest moments, including this spring’s state meet where she brought home all-state medals in both relays and the 100 and 100 hurdles. Instead of worrying about the pressure of her final state meet, Allie listened to her father’s advice — “Have fun and go for it” — and she set personal bests in the hurdles and with the long relay team. Now Allie is off to Carroll College where she will continue competing in track.

Spencer Johnson
School: Glacier
Class: Senior
Highlights: Spencer placed second in the Class AA singles bracket and finished his season with a 20-3 record.
Spencer arrived at the tennis courts this spring as Glacier’s go-to veteran leader. He handled the new responsibility well, winning 20 of his 23 matches and placing second at the Class AA state tournament. He was 40-6 in sets this spring in only his second year playing singles. As a freshman he won the state championship in doubles with Britt Walton and as sophomore he placed fourth with Greg Jones. “In singles, you’re out there by yourself,” he says. “I like that it’s all on you.”

Anna Peterson & Katie Fyall
School: Whitefish
Class: Seniors
Highlights: Katie and Anna teamed up to win the Class A state tennis doubles championship and lead Whitefish to the team championship.
Watching Katie and Anna compete together in tennis doubles events, spectators might confuse the pair for sisters. Their chemistry is impeccable and their personalities blend together. That’s what happens when you’ve been best friends since kindergarten. The two girls grew up together in Whitefish and even picked up the sport of tennis together as freshmen. Naturally, they became doubles partners. They only lost one match this entire spring and upset the top-seeded doubles team at the state meet. In the final match, Whitefish had two doubles teams competing, Katie and Anna and Hannah Madsen and Heather Luedtke, and the Lady Bulldogs emerged with the first team state championship since 2004. Katie and Anna don’t have to worry about being too separated after high school; Katie is competing at North Idaho and Anna is studying up the road at Whitworth in Spokane.

Ali Williams
School: Glacier
Class: Senior
Highlights: Ali earned Class AA all-state honors after striking out 347 batters in 182 innings with a 0.62 ERA while hitting .455 with 22 RBI and 11 homers.
The consummate competitor, Ali pitched 42 innings in 48 hours at the Class AA state tournament, leading the Wolfpack to the championship game for the second year in a row. The season didn’t end the way Ali and her teammates hoped, placing second behind Great Falls CMR, but it was still yet another remarkable campaign for one of the all-time great softball players from Montana and the Glacier program, which has developed into a perennial contender. Ali ended her brilliant prep career with two perfect games this season and 347 strikeouts in 182 innings. Now Ali is off to Helena where she will no doubt continue to dominate for Carroll College.

Joseph Potkonjak
School: Bigfork
Class: Senior
Highlights: Joseph placed third at the Class B state golf tournament in Huntley and led the Bigfork boys team to its first team championship.
Down to the final nine holes of his prep career, Joseph kept his composure under pressure and closed out a 2-over 73 that put him in third place at the Class B state golf tournament at Pryor Creek Golf Club in Huntley. The score combined with his first day total of 68, which tied him for first place and was a personal best this season, and helped Bigfork win its first golf state championship as a team. “We were pretty excited,” Joseph says. “The front nine was rough for me (on the second day) but I just kept grinding.” Joseph is taking his talents to Carroll College next year where he will compete for the Fighting Saints.
More Stars
Track
Class AA Boys
Hunter Nicholson, Glacier, Sophomore, Sixth Place Triple Jump
Tadan Gilman, Glacier, Junior, Fourth Place Javelin
Jaden Anderson, Flathead, Junior, Sixth Place 800 / Sixth Place Long Relay
Trae Vasquez, Flathead, Sophomore, Sixth Place Short Relay / Sixth Place Long Relay
Cody Wiley, Flathead, Senior, Sixth Place Short Relay
Eric Reyna, Flathead, Sophomore, Sixth Place Short Relay
Bobby Lowry, Flathead, Sophomore, Sixth Place Short Relay / Sixth Place Long Relay
Dawson Rinehart, Flathead, Sophomore, Sixth Place Long Relay
Micah Bucy, Flathead, Junior, Fourth Place High Jump
Bram Booth, Flathead, Senior, Fifth Place Javelin
Josh McCracken, Flathead, Senior, Third Place Shot Put
Class AA Girls
Brynn McChesney, Glacier, Junior, State Champion Long Jump
Annie Hill, Glacier, Sophomore, Second Place 1600 / Second Place 3200 / Third Place 800 / Fourth Place Long Relay
Alyssa Wisher, Flathead, Junior, Sixth Place Javelin
Adrian Schnee, Glacier, Sophomore, Fourth Place Long Relay
Ahna Kreitinger, Glacier, Junior, Fourth Place Long Relay
Bailey Smith, Glacier, Junior, Fourth Place Long Relay
Abi Fiske, Glacier, Junior, Second Place Triple Jump
Courtney Mitchell, Glacier, Junior, Fifth Place Discus
Melanie Gassaway, Glacier, Senior, Sixth Place Discus
Katie Dixon, Glacier, Freshman, Fifth Place Javelin
Class A Boys
Sage Wanner, Columbia Falls, Junior, State Champion 3200 / Third Place 1600 / Second Place Long Relay
Braxton Reiten, Columbia Falls, Junior, Fifth Place 100 / State Champion Short Relay
Logan Stephens, Columbia Falls, Junior, State Champion Short Relay / Second Place Long Relay / Fifth Place Long Jump
Logan Kolodejchuk, Columbia Falls, Sophomore, State Champion Short Relay / Sixth Place Javelin
Charlie Martin, Columbia Falls, Senior, Second Place Long Relay
Kyler Burns, Columbia Falls, Senior, Fifth Place High Jump
Blake Arneson, Columbia Falls, Senior, Sixth Place Shot Put
Dakota Bridwell, Columbia Falls, Junior, Third Place Javelin
Jansen Anderson, Whitefish, Junior, Fifth Place 110 Hurdles
Matt Brewer, Whitefish, Senior, Fourth Place Pole Vault
Brian FauntLeRoy, Whitefish, Senior, Fifth Place Long Relay
Cole Ashby, Whitefish, Senior, Fifth Place Long Relay
Dylan Cardon, Whitefish, Senior, Fifth Place Long Relay
Tyler Cote, Whitefish, Junior, Fifth Place Long Relay
Class A Girls
Lydia Kryshak, Whitefish, Sophomore, Sixth Place 400 / Third Place Short Relay / Third Place Long Relay
Barrett Gray, Whitefish, Senior, Second Place 3200
Kate Doorn, Whitefish, Junior, Fifth Place High Jump
Makenna Benbrook, Whitefish, Senior, Sixth Place Shot Put
Emily Buckmaster, Whitefish, Freshman, Third Place Short Relay
Ellie DeWan, Whitefish, Sophomore, Third Place Short Relay / Third Place Long Relay
Emily Gunlikson, Whitefish, Freshman, Third Place Short Relay / Third Place Long Relay
Annie Robertson, Whitefish, Freshman, Third Place Long Relay
Kaitlyn Casazza, Columbia Falls, Junior, Second Place Long Relay / Third Place 300 Hurdles / Fifth Place 100 Hurdles
Ashley Caffrey, Columbia Falls, Senior, State Champion Short Relay / Sixth Place Pole Vault
Ellie Johnson, Columbia Falls, Senior, State Champion Short Relay / Second Place Long Relay / Sixth Place Long Jump / Sixth Place Discus / Fourth Place Javelin
Kiara Burlage, Columbia Falls, Senior, State Champion Short Relay / Second Place Long Relay
Jaclyn Bohmer, Columbia Falls, Senior, Fourth Place Triple Jump
Allyson Gimbel, Columbia Falls, Senior, Second Place Shot Put
Hannah Gedlaman, Columbia Falls, Sophomore, Second Place Long Relay
Class B Boys
Matt Farrier, Bigfork, Junior, Third Place 300 Hurdles / Sixth Place 400 / Third Place Long Relay
Slater Ream, Bigfork, Sophomore, Third Place Long Relay
Hugo Schyberg, Bigfork, Senior, Third Place Long Relay
Ross Coleman, Bigfork, Senior, Fourth Place Discus
Class B Girls
Mattison McAnally, Bigfork, Senior, State Champion Long Relay / Fifth Place 400 / Second Place Short Relay / Third Place 300 Hurdles
Jordan Nelson, Bigfork, Freshman, State Champion Long Relay / Second Place Short Relay
Alicia Kalenak, Bigfork, Freshman, State Champion Long Relay
Madison Gardner, Bigfork, Sophomore, Second Place Short Relay
Gabby Eaton, Bigfork, Junior, Fourth Place Pole Vault
Miranda Campbell, Bigfork, Senior, Third Place Discus
Tennis
Class A Girls
Hannah Madsen, Whitefish, Junior, Second Place Doubles
Heather Luedtke, Whitefish, Senior, Second Place Doubles
Emily Getts, Columbia Falls, Senior, Fourth Place Singles
Softball
Class AA
Jayden Russell, Flathead, Sophomore, All Conference Catcher
Erin McHugh, Glacier, Junior, All Conference Infielder
Abbie O’Brien, Flathead, Senior, All Conference Infielder
Kaitlin Torgerson, Flathead, Senior, All Conference Outfielder
Christina DuFour, Glacier, Junior, All Conference Outfielder
Alivia Atlee, Glacier, Sophomore, Honorable Mention Infielder
Kylee Meredith, Flathead, Junior, Honorable Mention
Anna Schrade, Glacier, Sophomore, Honorable Mention
Becca Knutson, Flathead, Junior, Honorable Mention
Class A
Samantha Collin, Columbia Falls, Senior, All State Catcher
K.J. Schweikert, Columbia Falls, Junior, All State Pitcher
Peyton Kehr, Columbia Falls, Junior, All State Outfielder
Katie Price, Columbia Falls, Senior, Second Team All Conference
Lottie Ellis, Columbia Falls, Senior, Second Team All Conference
Jordan Sletten, Whitefish, Senior, Second Team All Conference