Hicks places in five events, Missoula Invite a bright spot

Some sunshine comes our way, but then again, it's spring in Montana so don't hold your breath.

However, there was some favorable track weather last Saturday as both Whitefish boys and girls track teams competed amongst nearly 1000 athletes from nearly 30 schools at the Missoula County Public School (MCPS)/Montana Club Invitational at Big Sky High School in Missoula.

"We finally did get some decent weather and it was a lot of fun for our kids and coaches alike," said head coach Derek Schulz.

Schulz likened the Missoula Invite to a state meet with a high level of competition for Montana track at one venue.

The Flathead boys and girls were tops for the afternoon. The Braves eclipsed the century mark, 107 points, while West Valley of Spokane was second with 74. The Bravettes nearly reached 100 at 94. Host Missoula Big Sky was runner-up, 88.5.

The Bulldog boys were the second highest placing Class A school (8th overall) behind Stevensville.

Whitefish junior Chris Hicks competed and placed in all five events he entered. In just his second competitive run in the 110 hurdles ever, Hicks was second, 15.74. He was third in the high jump, 6-4, fourth in the long and triple jump, 21-0 / 43-7, and fifth in the 400, 52.87.

"Hicks was big for us scoring 28 of our 31 team points," said Schulz.

The other Bulldog to place was Tim Ahler in the pole vault. He was sixth, 12-6.

Last year in Missoula the Bulldogs were 7th (34 total team points) thanks in part to a conflict with prom.

Two noticeable absences were that of Cody Henning and Matt Helgath.

"We would've had a shot at it last year with those two there no doubt," Schulz said. Last Saturday the girls were paced by Courtney and Ashley Ferda. The sophomore and fresh woman were second and third in their respective events. Courtney was runner-up in the 200, 26.53 and third in the 100, 12.90. Ashley was second in the 300 hurdles, 48.45 and third in the 100 hurdles, 16.44.

"Both Ferdas were impressive. Ashley had an outstanding time in the 300 hurdles at this point of the season," said Schulz.

Emily English and Erin Greiner picked up points for Whitefish with a fifth in the 100 hurdles, English, and a sixth in the 300 hurdles, Greiner. Greiner also was third in the triple jump, 34-1/2. The Bulldogs were seventh in the 4 x 400 relay, 4:27.87.

"She (Erin Greiner) ran her fastest time ever in the 300 hurdles. She is really running well," said Schulz.

The girls were also the second highest placing Class A school (4th overall - 47.5 points) behind Anaconda.

"Anaconda is a very good girls team and we got to see them this early in the season and they got to see us too," said Schulz perhaps pointing toward another head-to-head battle at state in May.

The girls were not equipped with a full squad last Saturday in Missoula. Sophomores Libbie Anderson and Marnie Hale have been out due to injury etc. and are looking to get back in the flow.

"That's one of the big advantages of competing in a big meet like Missoula, to see where you're weak and strong for that matter," said Schulz. "Getting those girls back is a fun aspect of coaching…finding ways to maximize your talent and point scoring potential."

The girls were sixth last year at the same meet.

There were some impressive performances of note by other Flathead-area athletes last Saturday.

Bravette and University of Oregon bound Zoe Nelson won the 800 and 3,200-meter runs as she scored 20 of her team's 94 points. Fellow Bravette Sarah Griffith won the triple jump, 34-5 1/2 while Flathead Brave Riley Gravelle cleared 14-0 in the pole vault.

Columbia Falls' Bekah Stoltz won the shot put, 38-6 and discuss, 131-10. She was fourth in the javelin too. Bigfork's Brooke Andrus won the 1,600, 5:19.99. There were seven double winners overall last Saturday.

More Bulldog track from last week. On Tuesday, Whitefish was a part of the 9-team Tom Gilman Invitational - a non-scoring meet at Legends Stadium (a.k.a Rawson Field in Kalispell).

The girls were second in the 4 x 100 relay, 53.47. Emily English was third in the 110 hurdles, 17.04. Tayler Bertelsen - fourth in the javelin, 96-7. In the 400, Courtney Ferda was first, 1:03.12. Lauren Kuennen was fourth, 1:06.21. Carmel Johnston was fourth in the pole vault as she jumped seven feet while Ashley Ferda and Erin Greiner were third and fifth respectively in the 300 hurdles.

Chris Hicks was the fastest in the 800, 2:04.84. Senior Philip Bertelsen fifth in the javelin and the 4 x 400 relay team was fifth, 3:50.23.

Whitefish track was in Bigfork earlier this week for a relay meet then it's to Libby Saturday for the Libby Invitational.

Last year the Bigfork relay got rained out while at Libby the boys nearly reached 200 points tallying 199 1/2 in cruising to the team title. The girls were third at Libby in '04 when freshman Courtney Ferda established a new track record in the 200, 27.14.

Coach Schulz wanted to mention the youth track program, in its third year at Whitefish, began on Monday of this week and will take place on four consecutive Mondays through its conclusion.

"We have over 38 of our kids (current kids in the Whitefish track program) on-deck to volunteer their time and coach."