BHS ready for first track meet Saturday

This year's Bigfork track and field program is packing a one-two punch, with the girls bringing the successful past and the boys holding down their side with the numbers.

Just 14 of the 42 athletes out for this year's team are girls, but they make up for it with experienced runners like Mallery Knoll and Kayla Carlson and seasoned field participants like Caitlin Charlebois and Quinci Paine.

"We're looking pretty good," said Sue Loeffler, Bigfork High School head track and field coach. "I feel they've worked really hard these first two weeks."

Last year Carlson was the Northwest A Divisional Champion in the 800-meter, 1600-meter and 3200-meter. Knoll won the divisional title in the 300-meter hurdles, took second in the 100-meter and 200-meter and placed third in the 100-meter hurdles. Knoll was also a member of the team's 400-meter relay team and 1600-meter relay team at last year's divisionals, both of which placed fifth. Carlson and Paine were also part of the long-relay team. Charlebois earned fourth in the pole vault at divisionals, in what was her first season ever participating on BHS' track and field team.

At last year's Class A State Meet, Carlson was able to place in all three of the distance races. She was the 3200 champion and placed second in the 800 and third in the 1600. Knoll placed third in the 100 and 300-hurdles. The girls 400-meter relay team with Charlebois and Knoll, as well as fellow junior returner Jenna Egdorf and 2009 graduate Roxy Thurman took sixth place. The 1600-meter relay team placed sixth at state.

There are very few changes to this year's roster for the girls and they will compete in mostly the same events as well. The girls team will be without Taylor Peck, who is undergoing ACL surgery today, following a knee injury during the Valkyries' trip to the Western B Divisional Tournament. Senior Lena Olson will also be missing as she continues to heal from her scoliosis surgery, which she had in September. The team is gaining one senior, Charlee Edwards, who participated in track her freshman and sophomore years but played tennis last year.

The boys team has an increase in participants, especially among the upperclassmen. Senior Derek Minemyer has returned to the team after missing last season to play select soccer. He will be competing in the pole vault, 100, 200 and short relay.

Also new to the program this year are Ben Sandry and Carter Sorensen, who are working on the jumping events at this point but may also be incorporated into some track events as well. Christian Ker had intended to partake in this year's program, but due to his reoccurring knee injury he incurred prior to the basketball season he has been unable to do so.

"My jumpers have been looking real good," Loeffler said. "We're going to have more areas covered than I have in the past."

Keenan Evans, who is one of seven senior boys on the team, and Travis Knoll made up half of last year's 400-relay team for Bigfork, which placed third at divisionals. Knoll also earned third place at divisionals last year in the 100.

Although none of the returning Bigfork boys placed at last year's state meet, Loeffler has plenty of new talent to work with this season.

"My sprinters, Keenan Evans, Derek Minemyer, Travis Knoll and Ian Lorang, have been working really hard," Loeffler said. "I've been really impressed with their work ethic."

In addition to the new athletes to the program, Loeffler has some new coaching help as well. David Creamer is the new throwing coach and Chris Adamcyk has signed on to help the distance runners. Returning assistant coaches include Clayton Woll, Jim Epperly, Ross Loeffler, Wayne Loeffler and Jessica Johnson.

While catching the newcomers up to speed, the coaching staff will also have to help the athletes prepare for their new competition as they enter their first season in Class B.

The Bigfork team will still participate in the same meets that it always has, but this year their times will be compared to athletes from Class B schools rather than Class A.

"I think that some of the athletes we will see in B are going to be tougher than what we saw in A," Sue Loeffler said.

Bigfork will also have to adjust to the Class B post-season meet format, which includes a one-day district meet prior to the divisional meet.

"That will be a big change for us to have to go through districts," Loeffler said. "That changes your conditioning as well because you have another meet you have to qualify for and it is just a one-day event so the multi-event athletes have to cram a lot in. It makes it tough."

Bigfork is hosting this year's district meet May 15. The divisional meet is May 21 to 22 in Big Sky and state will be held May 28 to 29 in Laurel.

Schools are broken down into the same districts and divisions for track as they are for volleyball and basketball. Therefore, Bigfork is in District 7B with Eureka, Plains, Mission, Thompson Falls and Troy. District 7B makes up one half of the Western B Division. The other district is 6B, which includes Darby, Florence-Carlton, Loyola Sacred Heart of Missoula, Deer Lodge, Superior and Valley Christian of Missoula.

One advantage Bigfork's track program may find in the switch to Class B is that six athletes from each event of the Western B Divisional Meet will qualify for state. In Northwest A only five participants advanced to state.

Although there is an increase in slots for Bigfork to jockey for this year, their division still has fewer spots at state than the southern division, which is given eight because it encompasses more schools.

The Northern Division has two more schools that the Western Division, but it is also given six spots at state for each event.

The Bigfork track team will participate in its first meet Saturday, April 10, in Columbia Falls. The Vikes and Vals host their invitational meet April 17.