Happy Friday (the 13th), Beacon readers! Lauren Frick here, and it’s been a busy couple of weeks in the sports world here in the valley and beyond. Between local high school teams excelling at state tournaments and Team USA athletes with Flathead Valley ties gracing the Olympic and Paralympic podiums, there’s been no rest for the weary. In case you’ve missed any of the action, here’s a little roundup wrapped up in your Daily Roundup.
Starting things off with a new sports news nugget, former Whitefish High School standout Ada Qunell (pictured above) this weekend will put a bow on a historic 14-year swimming career as she participates in her fourth and final NCAA Division II National Championships.
One of the most accomplished swimmers in Montana Class A history, Qunell rewrote Whitefish High School’s record books, setting all the individual records and two of the three relay records. She became one of four swimmers in Montana history to four-peat in an individual event when she accomplished the feat in the 200 Individual Medley.
Following her time in Whitefish, Qunell moved on to NCAA Division II Colorado Mesa University, where she picked up right where she left off in her high school career. Qunell currently holds individual records in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly for the Mavericks, as well as four relay records, including the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle and the 400 medley relays.
As Qunell works her way through the national championship meet this week — which runs from March 10-14 in Evansville, Indiana — she’ll be in familiar territory (or in this case, water). Qunell is a four-time NCAA National Champion (200 and 400 free relay and 2x in the 400 medley relay) and a 16-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Champion, including four individual titles (200 free and 3x in the 100 free).
Speaking of Whitefish High School, here’s a little update on how the valley’s teams are faring in the Class A girls basketball state tournament this weekend. Both Bigfork and Whitefish dropped their opening games on Thursday to the east’s top seeds, Billings Central and Havre. Luckily, the Valkyries and Bulldogs are still fighting and will play today to keep their hardware chances alive. Bigfork will face off with Hardin and Whitefish will go toe-to-toe with Laurel Friday afternoon, both with a chance to make it to the tournament’s final day.
Elsewhere in the world (Italy, specifically), the Paralympics are winding down, but not before Kalispell resident Brenna Huckabygot herself on the podium. On Friday, Huckaby captured bronze in her final event at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Paralympic Games: Banked Slalom – Lower Limb 2 Impaired.
That podium finish brought Huckaby’s total medal count to five across three Winter Paralympic Games, including three gold medals, cementing her as the most decorated Paralympic snowboarder in history alongside France’s Cécile Hernandez.
Now get out there and enjoy all this fresh powder (and maybe even channel your inner Brenna Huckaby). But first, here’s the rest of today’s Daily Roundup.
Flathead Valley Primed for Several Competitive GOP Primaries
The county Republican central committee plans to endorse candidates in local legislative races again as campaigning ramps up. Democrats have also fielded candidates in each of the area’s legislative races, a feat the local chair called “a sign of growing energy.”
Blackfeet Community College Instructor Awarded Grant to Study Long-COVID
A science instructor and pre-nursing advisor with more than 20 years of experience in the field of health, Dianna Arnoux-Whiteman will survey community members to determine the long-lasting impacts of the coronavirus on the Blackfeet Nation
Ballot Initiative to Restrict ‘Dark Money’ in Montana Elections Advances
Backers say it’s a loophole around the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which says corporate money in politics is protected as free speech
Sisters Leah and Chloe Smith founded Rising Appalachia on their back porch in Georgia, playing simple fiddle and banjo melodies and leaning into their families’ rich musical traditions. Now they have become a globally recognized Americana and world folk ensemble, celebrating a unique blend of Southern-rooted music, storytelling, and community. The band features David Brown (bass, guitar), Duncan Wickel (fiddle, cello), and Biko Casini (percussion), and infuses music with a unique tapestry of Appalachian, Irish and traditional influence but stays connected to simple songwriting.
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