Plains track team piles up top-5 finishes

The Plains High School boys track team has emerged at the later part of the season with some top-tier contenders to make an impact at next week’s Western Class B-C Divisional Meet May 17-18 at Frenchtown High School.

The Horsemen runners boasted of so many top-five finishes at Western 14-C Districts last week they could have multiple individual contenders qualify for the Class C state championship on May 25-26 in Great Falls.

Horsemen participant Brandon Managhan found himself in the top-five again and this time challenged some of Western Montana’s elite athletes in the process of his top-five finishes.

Managhan finished in the top-five of the 100-meter dash, the high jump, and the long jump. Managhan challenged one of Western Montana’s most decorated athletes in Charlo High School’s Landers Smith and nearly defeated him.

Smith bested Managhan by one second in the 100-meter dash, recording a winning time of 12.04 seconds. Managhan finished second with a time of 12.05 seconds.

Managhan bested his teammate Sinjin LaDeaux in the high jump, clearing a mark of 6 feet to capture first place. LaDeaux finished second clearing a distance of 5 feet, 8 inches.

LaDeaux bested Managhan in the long jump, finishing second to Noxon’s Levi Brubaker, who won the contest clearing a distance of 20 feet, 00.75 inches. LaDeaux finished second recording a distance of 19 feet, 8.50 inches and Managhan finished third with a distance of 19 feet, 5 inches. Horsemen teammate Conrad Vanderwall finished fourth with a distance of 17 feet, 8.50 inches.

LaDeaux also finished second in the triple jump with a distance of 39 feet, 1.25 inches and fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.52 seconds.

Conrad Vanderwall was another member of the Horsemen that made an impact. Vanderwall had four top-five finishes at District.

Vanderwall finished third and recorded a personal record in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.23 seconds and had yet another personal record in the 300-meter dash recording a time of 47.66 seconds.

Vanderwall finished fourth in the long jump with a distance of 17 feet, 8.5 inches and fourth in the triple jump recording a distance of 37 feet, another personal record.

Vanderwall was a member of the 4X400 relay team that finished third with a time of 4 minutes, 21.30 seconds. The relay team consisted of Vanderwall, Gavin Regalado, Justice Olmos, and A.J. Jermyn.

Olmos showcased his distance-running ability by finishing fourth in the 3,200-meter run recording a time of 14 minutes, 1.60 seconds, a personal record.

The 4X100 relay team of LaDeaux, Managhan, Regalado and Malachi Paulsen finished second recording a time of 47.56 seconds. They finished second to the Charlo Vikings’ speedsters that included Garett Vaughan, Brock Tomlin, Toby Odom and Landers Smith with a time of 46.35 seconds.

For the first time this season, Charlie Rehbein finished in the top five at discus. Rehbein placed fourth throwing 94 feet, 11 inches.

Malachi Paulsen finished second in the javelin finals recording a throw of 130 feet, 2 inches. Noxon’s Aaron Raynor set a personal record placing first in the jav with a throw of 130 feet, 9.50 inches.

Like several of the previous seasons, the Trotters have boasted some of the top-notch athletes that will most likely compete for hardware at State and also have several participants vying for State slots at the MHSA Class AA-C State track meet May 25-26in Great Falls.

Trotters’ participant Mariah Smith finished with two top-five finishes and top-five finishes as a team in the Western 14-C District Race.

Smith finished second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 30.21 seconds and finished second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1 minute, 5.92 seconds.

Smith again showcased her speed as a member of the 4X100 and 4X400 meter relay. Smith, who teamed up with Trotters Cree Lulack, Audrey Brown and Rachel McNulty placed second in the 4X100 meter relay with a time of 56.49 seconds and recorded a time of 4 minutes, 39.90 seconds in the 4X400 with the same Trotters’ team members.

Cree Lulack and Audrey Brown also showcased their ability to run. Lulack recorded a time of 1 minute, 8.78 seconds in the 400-meter dash to finish fifth and Brown finished third in the 800-meter dash with a time of 2 minutes, 55.84 seconds, a personal record.

Lulack also placed in the top-five in the 100-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles. Lilac finished fourth with a time of 19.04 seconds, just ahead of her teammate Lindsay Laws, who finished fifth with a time of 19.07 seconds.

Lulack then proceeded to capture first in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 51.66 seconds.

The Trotters are well known around the western portion of the state for their throwers. Their top tier throwers Jessica Thompson, who doubles as a softball player, and Kira Altmiller, both took this competition off and that allowed Lindsay Laws to showcase her ability to throw.

Laws finished third in the shot put recording a personal record of 28 feet, 11.50 inches and she finished fourth in the discus setting another personal record with a throw of 84 feet, 4.50 inches.

Deriyan Sheehan finished fifth in the discus with a throw of 80 feet, 3.50 inches.

Laws also captured first place in javelin recording a throw of 115 feet, 5 inches. Other Plains competitors that finished in the top five included Kylee Altmiller, who placed third and recorded a personal record with a throw of 99 feet, 6.50 inches. Brown finished fourth with a throw of 94 feet, 4 inches.

Kylie Altmiller placed second in the long jump with a distance of o 14 feet, 4 inches and fourth in triple jump recording a distance of 29 feet, 1.50 inches. McNulty finished fifth in long jump with a distance of 12 feet, 10 inches and fifth in triple jump with a distance of 28 feet, 8 inches.