Plains track competes at Archie Roe

KALISPELL – The Horsemen and Trotters of the Plains Track and Field team spent the weekend competing against a wide field of competition in Kalispell. 

The Archie Roe Invitational took place on Saturday, May 10, featuring schools from throughout western Montana. 

The Trotters followed up their success at the Sanders County Meet with a big day in Kalispell, finishing in fourth place with a team score of 59 points.

The Horsemen placed tenth with a cumulative score of 12 points. 

Both teams had to shift gears after the smaller county meet with both boys and girls competitions featuring a deep field of competitors. 

Plains Head Coach Denise Montgomery noted the size of the competition at the Archie Roe meet. 

“There must have been over 1,000 athletes,” Montgomery said. 

Fresh off of her victories at the county meet, sprinter Nicole Rehbein had another big day in Kalispell.

Rehbein finished third in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.90, while placing second in the 200-meter dash, clocking in at 27.20. Shannon Dimond of Plains finished fifth in the 200-meter competition, with a time of 28.29.

The Trotters also found success in the distance competitions. Kimberly Earhart placed fourth in the 1,600-meter run, finishing with a time of 5:37.24. Earhart also competed in the javelin, where she finished in third with a throw of 122. 

The relays were another high point for the Trotters. Having won both relays at the Sanders County meet, the Plains girls placed fifth in the 400-meter relay, with a team time of 53.62. In the 1,600-meter relay the Trotters came in sixth, clocking in their team time at 4:33.02.

The Trotters did not disappoint in the throwing events at the Archie Roe Invitational, leaving their coach impressed. 

“Our throwers continue to do a great job for us,” Montgomery said. 

Leah Thompson kept up her success in the discus event, throwing a 128-6, giving her a comfortable lead over the field and a first place finish on the day. Her teammate, Kayla Holmes, also had a good day at the meet, throwing a 115 to land her in fourth place.

In the javelin throw, Carley VonHeeder of Plains brought home first place with a throw of 131-8. 

As was the case at the county meet, thrower Ben Gorham led the Horsemen with yet another impressive performance in his events. 

A second place finish in the shot put event highlighted Gorham’s day. Gorham posted a final throw of 47-10 to finish in the top two of the competition. 

Gorham also performed well for the Horsemen in the discus-throwing event, where his performance of 143-11 landed him in fourth place. 

Coach Montgomery noted the Archie Roe Invitational was an important day for Plains Track and Field because it is the only meet all year where freshmen compete at their own level, giving them a chance to gain experience against kids their own age. 

Next Saturday Plains will head to Bigfork for District competition.