Thompson Falls boys and girls 2nd at Libby meet

Some names in local high school track are recurring at the top as the season gets in gear following a slew of weather related postponements in March and early April.

And as mid-season nears in the 2023 track battles, it appears several local athletes are putting themselves in place to be contenders on the divisional and state level.

This past Saturday’s Libby Invitational event at Logger Stadium featured several Sanders County athletes who are building impressive resumes.

Thompson Falls’ boys and girls teams placed second in both categories, led by seniors who had solid performances last year as well.

The T-Falls girls finished second to Eureka in the team standings, while the Blue Hawks boys came in second as a team behind host Libby, which piled up 170 points on the day.

"This was a successful meet for our team, said Thompson Falls track coach Trenna Ferris. "We had another Blue Hawk lady, Ellie Baxter, qualify for state, with Ellie meeting the mark for the 3200 run."

Ferris noted all eight women placed in the events in Ronan while 10 of the 14 men also placed.

"We look forward to getting back into the swing of things and continue to prepare for post season," Ferris added. "We are trying to get all the kinks worked out and are solidifying where athletes belong. It's getting to be that time where we start narrowing down the events athletes are trying, start really analyzing technique, and continue to refine our skills."

Plains Horsemen and Trotters also had strong showings, with both teams finishing fourth in the team competition.

Both Sanders teams had multiple event winners along the way.

The T-Falls boys were led by senior Breck Ferris, who won the long jump and ran the anchor leg on the Blue Hawks winning 4X100 meter relay team. Ferris also added a pair of second place finishes, in the 200 meter sprint and the high jump events, to go with his third place showing in the 100 meter sprint.

Thompson Falls girls, meanwhile, got another strong performance from senior standout Ellie Baxter, who is headed to Carroll College on a basketball scholarship next year.

Baxter won both the 1600 meter and 3200 meter runs, finishing ahead of junior teammate Faith Palmer in both events. Baxter was also third in the 400 meter run.

Plains boys’ got a big dose of team points from senior hurdler Mason Elliot, who won both the 110 meter and 300 meter hurdle competitions, and was the anchor on Plains' second place 4X400 meter relay team.

Trotters sophomore Alexis Deming also had another big meet, winning both the shot put and discus events. Deming won the shot put with a throw of 33 feet, three-quarters inch, more than five feet further than runner-up Milynn Lucey of Eureka.

Deming then dominated the discus competition with a personal best throw of 116-1, 27 feet better than second place Lucey.

Noxon, a class C school, got a first place effort from senior Emily Brown, who won the girls’ javelin competition with a personal best throw of 119-1. T Falls senior Chesney Lowe was second in the javelin at 103-2. Brown added a second place showing in the 400 meter run, completing the one lap event with a personal record time of 1:03.05.

Lowe won the girls’ long jump event with a personal best leap of 15-6, while teammate Katelyn Subatch, a freshman, was fifth. Lowe added a second place medal as anchor on the Lady Hawks 4X100 meter relay squad, while Subatch was fourth in the high jump for the Trotters.

Plains also got a first place finish from senior Alexis Helterline in the girls 800 meter run.

The Horsemen received a solid effort from junior Joseph Martin, who was second in the triple jump, fourth at 800 meters, and ran legs on the Plains’ second place 4X400 and third place 4X100 relay teams.

The meets other big point getter was Thompson Falls junior Cael Thilmony, who won the 3200 meter run and was fourth in the 1600 meter competition. He was also tenth in the 400 meter run.

Blue Hawks sophomore Bryson LeCoure added to the T Falls totals via a leg on the winning boys 4X400 relay team and a second place finish in the boys javelin event with a toss of 144-8.

Plains sophomore Caleb Lakko continued his impressive Spring with a third-place finish in the discus via a personal record throw of 111-7. Lakko also finished sixth in the shot put and javelin competitions.

Most of the area’s track and field teams will be in action tonight (Tuesday, April 18) at the Thompson Falls Invitational. They will all take part Saturday in the Seeley-Swan Invitational, hosted by Big Sky High School in Missoula.