Eureka track invite moves to Libby, weather follows
Libby senior Tanner Wood throws the javelin at the Eureka Invitational hosted at Libby High School, April 7. (Ben Kibbey/The Western News)
Troy juniors Hunter Jordan and Michael Beers clear hurdles in the 110m at the Eureka Invitational hosted at Libby High School, April 7. (Ben Kibbey/The Western News)
With snow falling all around, Libby junior Bella Hollingsworth runs to second place in the 100m hurdles at the Eureka Invitational hosted at Libby High School, April 7. (Ben Kibbey/The Western News)
The annual Eureka Track and Field Invitational set for April 6 was moved to Libby after a weather cancellation, but the weather wasn’t going to let them get away that easily.
By 2 p.m., snow accumulation forced Libby Head Coach Jim May to make the call and end the meet with about a third of the events finished.
With the Libby Invitational only a week away, May acknowledged that putting on an event of that size is a sizeable undertaking, especially on short notice. But, with such a short season, one canceled invite would be a big chunk out of competition for the athletes.
“It is a lot of work, but it’s worth it,” May said. “In track, your weekend is your weekend, so we were more than happy to help out. We get along with the Eureka coaches. We’ve helped them, they help us.”
Troy Head Coach Neil Newton said competing in the cold — with many events being held in falling snow before things were shut down — is an exercise in mental toughness. But, the athletes didn’t seem to mind much.
“The kids did well. I didn’t hear any complaints,” he said. “These track meets are the ones they always remember.”
May said he would have liked to be able to keep going, as well as many Libby athletes performed. He noted that senior Shannon Reny qualified for state in shot put, and junior Emma Gruber took first place in hurdles and long jump, with a personal record in long jump.
“We had a great start,” he said. “We had a great week of practice and the kids were ready to go.
It was a good half meet.”
Newton said that junior Tyler Gromley improved his personal record in Javelin, but he wasn’t sure as the meet wound down how many personal records the day would bring for Troy.
“It’s just an exercise in mental toughness, but there’s a lot of smiles, a lot of kids havin’ fun,” he said.
BOYS
100m: 1. Jay Beagle (Libby) 11.83 (PR), 2. Cole Walker (Libby) 12.09 (SR), 3. Brandon Managhan (Plains) 12.22 (PR), 4. Hunter Leighty (Troy) 12.25, 5. Gavin Strom (Libby) 12.37
Also for Libby: 7. Eli Smith 12.45 (SR), 10. Colten Clemons 12.55 (PR), 11. Keilan Rausch 12.76 (PR), 16. Kaleb Lindgren 12.93 (SR), 18. Tyler Serna 13.38 (SR), 27.Ethan Broden 14.82, 28. David Hawkins 15.05
Also for Troy: 13. Ricki Fisher 12.87 (PR), 20. Hunter Jordan 13.59 (PR)
1,600m: 1. Alex Lowe (Eureka) 5:08.91 (SR), 2. John Cheroske (Libby) 5:11.27 (PR), 3. Hunter Steele (Eureka) 5:11.64 (SR), 4. Colt Crawford (Arlee) 5:15.93 (PR) 5. Jared Webley (Noxon) 5:37.86 (PR)
110m Hurdles: 1. Chet McCully (Eureka) 16.09 (PR), 2. Edison VanVleet (Noxon) 18.93 (PR), 3. Michael Beers (Troy) 21.91 (PR) 4. Hunter Jordan (Troy) 22.94 (PR)
Javelin, 800g Finals: 1. Mason Davis (Eureka) 154-06, 2. Cory Chaney (Eureka) 141-01 (PR), 3. Rusty Stuart (Plains) 140-00 (PR), 4. Jakeb Kindel (Eureka) 134-06, 5. Jeff Offenbecher (Libby) 133-03 (SR)
Also for Libby: 6. Tanner Wood 126-02 (SR), 9. Cyrus Sweedman 113-10 (SR)
Also for Troy: 10. Tyler Gromley (Troy) 110-07 (PR)
Pole Vault: 1. Chet McCully (Eureka) 10-06 (SR), 2. Ethan Beck (Libby) 10-00 (PR), 3. John Cheroske (Libby) 8-06 (PR), 4. AJ Pacella (Eureka) 8-00, 4. Eli Neill (Eureka) 8-00.00 (PR), 4. Tyler Serna (Libby) 8-00 (PR)
Triple Jump Finals: 1. Levi Brubaker (Noxon) 39-10.25, 2. Brandon Managhan (Plains) 39-04.75 (PR), 3. Colten Clemons (Libby) 38-10.75 (PR), 4. Keith Johnson (Libby) 38-10, 5. Sinjin LaDeaux (Plains) 38-02.25,
Also for Libby: 6. Logan Christensen 36-09.25, 9. Ethan Beck 35-06.75,
GIRLS
100m: 1. Emily Mossburg (Libby) 13.68 (SR), 2. Sidney Stevenson (Libby) 13.82 (SR), 3. Olivia Gilliam/Smith (Libby) 14.46 (PR), 4. Alivia Hill (Noxon) 14.63, 5. Emma Gruber (Libby) 14.72
Also for Libby: 6. Brittany Browning 14.85 (SR), 7. Jaycee Thornock 15.06, 10. Bridget Pena 15.84, 12. Savanna Sanderson 16.63 (PR), 15. Morgan Williams 18.33 (PR)
Also for Troy: 9. Lizzy Morkeburg 15.80,
1,600m: 1. Mckay Guckenberg (Eureka) 6:02.28 (SR), 2. Lauren Thorstenson (Libby) 6:02.52 (SR), 3. Michelle Leonard (Eureka) 6:45.31 (SR), 4. Halona LaFleur (Libby) 6:51.22, 5. Phalyn Fickas (Noxon) 6:56.00 (SR)
100m Hurdles: 1. Emma Gruber (Libby) 17.40 (SR), 2. Isabella Hollingsworth (Libby) 18.60 (SR), 3. Ella Pierce (Troy) 19.71 (SR), 4. Cree Lulack (Plains) 20.08 (SR), 5. Saige Koetter (Arlee) 20.85 (SR)
Shot Put - 4kg Finals: 1. Jessica Thompson (Plains) 39-04.75 (PR), 2. Shannon Reny (Libby) 35-06 (PR), 3. Kara Altmiller (Plains) 32-00 (PR) 4. Peyton Lammerding (Arlee) 31-08.5, 5. Delaney Weltz (Noxon) 29-05.25 (PR)
High Jump: 1. Emily Mossburg (Libby) 4-10, 2. Ella Pierce (Troy) 4-04.00 (SR)
Pole Vault: 1. Elizabeth Pacella (Eureka) 7-06 (SR), 2. Isabella Hollingsworth (Libby) 6-06 (SR)
Long Jump Finals: 1. Emma Gruber (Libby) 15-01.5 (PR), 2. Elizabeth Pacella (Eureka) 14-10, 3. Jaycee Thornock (Libby) 14-00 (PR), 4. Brittany Browning (Libby) 13-10 (PR), 5. Olivia Gilliam/Smith (Libby) 13-09.5