Troy's Leighty medals, Pierce beats personal record at state
Hunter Leighty poses for a shot upon his return from state track meet in Kalispell Saturday. (Paul Sievers/The Western News)
Troy senior Hunter Leighty was the only placer for the Troy High School track and field team at the State Class B Track Meet last weekend, but it was a good day for junior Ella Pierce as well.
Leighty placed second in the 400 meter dash, setting a new personal record of 49.48 seconds.
Leighty had said he wanted to break the Troy school record, 49.2 seconds. Though he didn’t quite beat that record, he still cut almost three and a half seconds off his time from the Eureka Invitational on April 6.
Leighty also placed sixth in the 200 meter dash with a new personal record of 22.65 seconds. He took fifth in the 100 meter dash with 11.48 seconds.
Pierce came in seventh in the high jump, tied with nine other competitors at 4 feet, 10 inches. The winner of the event had 5 feet, 3 inches, but the three nearest competitors to her only reached 5 feet.
Pierce came into the season nursing an injury from the basketball season.
Yet, by April 20 at the Seeley-Swan Invitational, Pierce had reached 4 feet, 8 inches, her previous personal best from her sophomore year.
But, in echoes of last season, Pierce could not seem to get past that height, which she had jumped consistently for the latter half of last season.
Reaching that new personal record was the culmination of months of effort.
State Class B
Track Meet
May 23 through May 25
Boys
100m dash: 1. Casey Gunlikson (Sweet Grass County) 10.87a; 2. Austin Hernandez (Huntley Project) 11.17a; 3. Kameron Rauser (Broadwater) 11.26a; 4. Ryder Meyer (Fairfield) 11.37a; 5. Hunter Leighty (Troy) 11.48a.
200m dash: 1. Casey Gunlikson (Sweet Grass County) 21.8a (PR); 2. Austin Hernandez (Huntley Project) 21.94a (PR); 3. Kameron Rauser (Broadwater) 22.27a (PR); 4. ; ( (PR))Hunter Mahan (Loyola-Sacred Heart) 22.34a (PR); 5. Ryder Meyer (Fairfield) 22.59a (PR); 6. Hunter Leighty (Troy) 22.65a (PR).
400m dash: 1. Kameron Rauser (Broadwater) 49.19a (PR); 2. Hunter Leighty (Troy) 49.48a (PR).
Girls
High jump: 1. Mya Fourstar (Wolf Point) 5-03 (PR); 2. Kallie Zinne (Joliet) 5-00; 2. Abby Juve (Wolf Point) 5-00 (PR); 4. Jolee Gotfredson (Colstrip) 5-00 (PR); 5. Canzas HisBadHorse (Colstrip) 4-10; 6. Afton Brander (St Ignatius) 4-10; 6. Jody Detlaff (Thompson Falls) 4-10; 6. Madeline Severson (Manhattan) 4-10; 7. Ella Pierce (Troy) 4-10 (PR).