Stoltz, Hislop earn wins in Time Trials

By JOE SOVA / Hungry Horse News

Emily Stoltz and Colyne Hislop were event winners and a number of other Columbia Falls High School thinclads placed in the Flathead Time Trials to open the season on Tuesday at Legends Stadium. There were no team scores recorded at the meet on a day when it was dry, but cold.

Stoltz and Wildkat teammate Ketti Wilhelm went 1-2 in the pole vault. Both cleared 8 feet, 6 inches. Stoltz was first due to fewer misses. Stoltz added a fifth-place finish in the 100-meter intermediate hurdles; her time was 17.64. Wilhelm placed sixth in the high jump at 4-10.

Hislop earned first place in the triple jump. Her best leap was 31 feet, 7 inches. Teammate Alyssa Ladenburg was third at 30-11.

Ashli Fairbank ran to second place in the 800 meters. Her time was 2:37.76.

CFHS head coach Jamie Heinz singled out Sophia Lewis-Peterson, a sophomore who competed in the 100, 200 and the relays.

"It's a nice surprise to have her," Heinz said.

Chase Fairbank was the top individual finisher for the Wildcat boys at the Flathead Time Trials. The senior cleared 6-2 to place second in the high jump.

John Woody, Dean Phillips, Stephen Baumgartner and Scott Palmer teamed for second place in the 4x100 relay. Their time was 45.77.

"I was very happy," Heinz said, indicating that the three hand-offs in the race were "fairly clean."

The Cats had two place winners in the 800, as Shawn Whitman was fourth in 2:09.96 and Patric Jessat placed sixth in 2:11.86. Tripp Gimbel also ran well, according to Heinz.

"I'm very happy with our distance crew. Those boys, they really showed up, they did some good things," the coach said.

Austin Roberts earned fourth place in the triple jump with an effort of 38-11.

"Overall, as a team, I'm very excited where our team was yesterday," Heinz said. "I saw some good things. All in all, I'm very, very happy. They have a starting point, a feel for competition and something to build on from there."

The CFHS junior varsity athletes, and a few varsity thinclads, compete in the Bigfork Invitational on Saturday. The remainder of the varsity teams enter the big Missoula County Invitational, also Saturday.