The Great Falls High and C.M. Russell High girls’ track and field teams are set to host the Optimist Club Invitational on Saturday, April 25, at Memorial Stadium.
The annual meet serves as a midseason state-meet preview of sorts as the top athletes from across Class AA all come together to see how the field is stacking up head-to-head.
The meet begins at 11:15 a.m. with pole vault, long jump, javelin and shot put, while the 100-meter hurdles kick off the running events at noon. For a full schedule, visit the Optimist Meet page at athletic.net.
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Here’s a look at the top competitors in each event heading into the Optimist, as well as where Great Falls athletes stack up.
*Numbers in parentheses next to the event indicate AA automatic state-qualifying marks
1. Emery Peel, Billings Senior, 12.18; 2. Quinlyn Simmons, Helena High, 12.37; 3. Carleigh Mahn, Billings West, 12.47; 4. Nora Allen, Billings West, 12.61; 5. Isabella Donaghey, Gallatin, 12.62.
1. Carleigh Mann, Billings West, 25.53; 2. Emery Peel, Billings Senior, 25.63; 3. Cora Carahassen, Billings Senior, 25.95; 4. Quinlyn Simmons, Helena High, 26.01; 5. Nora Allen, Billings West, 26.02.
1. Aliyah Vogel, Billings West, 58.81; 2. Emery Peel, Billings Senior, 58.94; 3. Leah Roberts, Billings Skyview, 1:00.60; 5. Nya Myers, Missoula Big Sky, 1:00.81.
1. Hazel Cooper, Gallatin, 2:16.34; 2. Aliyah Vogel, Billings West, 2:18.75; 3. Phoebe Maixner, Bozeman High, 2:19.42; 4. Kylee Neil, Bozeman High, 2:20.71; 5. Dacia Benkelman, 2:22.28.
1. Ada Thiel, Glacier, 4:53.63; 2. Phoebe Maixner, Bozeman High, 5:15.62; 3. Lauren Bissen, Glacier, 5:15.98; 4. Dacia Benkelman, Glacier, 5:18.73; 5. Hazel Cooper, Gallatin, 5:19.13.
1. Phoebe Maixner, Bozeman High, 10:56.82; 2. Lauren Bissen, Glacier, 10:59.91; 3. Kylee Neil, Bozeman High, 11:16.50; 4. Reed Stromberg, Missoula Hellgate, 11:27.40; 5. Jane Allen, Billings West, 11:40.32.
1. Bristol Lenz, Flathead, 14.95; 2. Anita Black, Gallatin, 15.40; 3. Scarlet Harris, Great Falls High, 15.45; 4. Aizalyn Flaten, Gallatin, 15.66; Paisley Johnson, Missoula Hellgate, 15.71.
-Scarlet Harris, GFH: The junior was second in the event at the state meet last season (15.39) and has a personal best in her career of 15.14, which she ran as a freshman.
1. Aizalyn Flaten, Gallatin, 45.37; 2. Nya Myers, Missoula Big Sky, 45.99; 3. June Lay, Helena Capital, 46.92; 4. Paisley Johnson, Missoula Hellgate, 46.95; 5. Addison Brisendine, Glacier, 47.55.
-Aizalyn Flaten, Gallatin: Flaten, who was an All-State cross-country runner for CMR as a freshman and sophomore and was sixth at state last year in the triple jump while attending Great Falls High, was All-State (third, 46.59) in the event for the Rustlers as a freshman.
-Harris, GFH: Harris just missed the state podium last year in seventh. Her career-best time in the 300 came last year at the Optimist (45.58). She is just off the state-qualifying time this year at 48.62.
1. Billings West, 48.54; 2. Billings Senior, 49.23; 3. Big Sky, 49.33; 4. Helena High, 49.54; 5. Flathead, 49.87.
1. Billings West, 4:03.22; 2. Billings Senior, 4:07.62; 3. Gallatin, 4:09.73; 4. Glacier, 4:10.41; 5. Flathead, 4:14.17.