Blue Hawks' Hyatt, Bucher in the mix at Archie Roe

This was a test and then some for the Thompson Falls Blue Hawks track and field teams.

The “big” boys and girls were there, including athletes from several Montana Class AA schools, all jockeying for times, distances and measurements with post-season tournaments getting underway this coming weekend.

It was a chance to see where you stand with many of the state’s top performers from all classes.

The Blue Hawks men’s team showed it had at least two competitors who belonged in the lofty field of events known as the Archie Roe Invitational held at Kalispell’s Legends Stadium on a blustery Montana spring day.

Long-distance runner William Hyatt, the T-Falls senior who has been dominating in the B-C events this year for the Blue Hawks, showed he belongs among the best when he finished in the Top 10 in both his race specialties, the 1600 meters run and the grueling 3200 meters endurance run.

Hyatt completed the eight laps around the stadium track that make up the 3200 meters event with a personal best time of 10 minutes, 16.6 seconds, good for sixth place in the star-studded field.

Sam Elis of Kalispell’s Glacier High won the race with a sparkling time of 9:30.89, while Finneas Colescott from Missoula Hellgate came in second at 9:32.70.

Earlier in the competition, Hyatt placed ninth in the 1600 meters run, recording another personal record time of 4:42.58. Colescott won the 1600 with a time of 4:24.83, just ahead of Elis’ second place time of 4:25.13.

Perhaps most promising for the Blue Hawks was multiple event competitor Ryan Bucher’s fifth place medal in the 400 meters race. The senior runner completed the l-lap sprint in 52:58, a PR time that was less than .30 seconds behind third place Jeremy Bockus of Browning and fourth place Randon Richman of Shelby.

Those two Blue Hawk performances help T Falls to a tenth place finish among the men’s teams with 13 points. Glacier won the team title with 122 points, while Hellgate was second at 86.

The Thompson Falls women’s team, which also finished tenth, was led by junior Chesney Lowe’s sixth place finish in the javelin with a PR throw of 111 feet. Lowe also finished tied for sixth with four other jumpers in the pole vault competition with an 8-6 effort.

Also placing in the Top 10 for the T Falls women was high jumper Hattie Neesvig, a sophomore who tied for seventh with a jump of 4-10. Erin Wilde of Whitefish won the high jump with a leap of 5-6.

Next up for the Thompson Falls tracksters is B District event this Saturday in Bigfork.