Track and field teams show promise midway through the season

The Trotters track and field team continued their winning ways, taking first place at the Seeley Invitational on April 20 in Missoula. The girls dominated the competition with strong showings from multiple athletes across a wide array of events. Demonstrating the depth of the talent on the team, top finishes were scored in distance, sprint, throwing and jumping events.

Carley VonHeeder won the javelin with a heaving throw of 113 feet 5 inches. In another strong performance, Leah Thompson won the shot put with a toss of 34 feet six inches and the discus with a lob of 113 feet five inches.

In sprinting events, Hailey Phillips placed second in the 200 meters and third in the 100-meter hurdles. Nicole Rehbein came in sixth in the 200-meter and the 100-meter dash.

In jumping events, Hailey Phillips came in second in the long jump and in her first attempt in competition at the triple jump placed second.

In distance events, the girl’s 1600-meter relay came in second while Felicia Earhart placed second in the 800 meter and 3200 meter races. Demi Horton came in second in the 1600-meter race.

Head Coach Denise Montgomery said, “The boys all improved and are getting stronger. We just need to stay healthy.”

For the Horsemen, Ben Gorham placed second in the shot put with a heave of 44 feet three inches. Wyatt Winebrenner came in fourth in the discus with a throw of 129 feet six and a half inches. In distance events, Russell Kujala came in sixth in the 3200-meter race.

“We continue to see improvement in both teams which is what we want to see,” said Montgomery.

The next meet for Plains track and field is the prestigious, invite only Western Montana Top 10 Meet in Missoula on April 23. Nine athletes from Plains qualified in 11 events. Ben Gorham for the Horsemen and Leah Thompson, Kayla Holmes, Felicia Earhart, Carley VonHeeder, Hailey Phillips, Shannon Diamond, Corle Morefield and Nicole Rehbein will represent the Trotters in Missoula.