Montana Class AA girls track and field leaders ahead of Optimist Invite

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.

Montana Class AA Girls Track and Field Leaders (as of April 23)

*Numbers in parentheses next to the event indicate AA automatic state-qualifying marks

100 (13.00)

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.

200 (26.70)

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.

400 (1:01.00)

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.

800 (2:24.00)

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.

1600 (5:23.00)

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.

3200 (11:50.00)

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.

100 hurdles (16.30)

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.

300 hurdles (48.50)

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.

4×100 relay (50.60)

1. Billings West, 48.54; 2. Billings Senior, 49.23; 3. Big Sky, 49.33; 4. Helena High, 49.54; 5. Flathead, 49.87.

4×400 (4:12.00)

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.

Shot put (35’3”)

1. Kate Breeding, Gallatin, 43-01; 2. Mena Kamps, Gallatin, 38-00; 3. Fayth Smith, Billings Senior, 37-07; 4. Allie Krueger, Glacier, 37-01; 5. Brittyn Boyce, Billings West, 35-10.

Discus (113’)

1. Brittyn Boyce, Billings West, 131-04; 2. Rylee Bigelow, Glacier, 125-08; 3. Laktynn Johnson, Billings West, 123-08; 4. Lowe LeFeber, Bozeman High, 121-10; 5. Brooklyn Kopp, Hellgate, 121-08.

Javelin (113’)

1. Elsa Johnson, Billings West, 137-08; 2. Kate Breeding, Gallatin, 132-08; 3. Remi Osler, Glacier, 124-02; 4. Kaelyn Saari, Helena Capital, 119-01; 5. Lucy Holloway, Glacier, 118-05.

-Aila Wood, GFH: The senior is ranked seventh in the event this season and has qualified for state (114-09).

High jump (5’2”)

1. Elly Reed, Hellgate, 5-06; 2. Kate Lindsay, Gallatin, 5-04; T3. (All 5-02) Tayah Osier, CMR; Hayden Wiening, Belgrade; Ruby Roscoe, Hellgate, Brooklyn Metcalf, Billings West; Paisley Johnson, Hellgate.

-Osier, CMR: The junior, also a volleyball star for the Rustlers, was a state-qualifier in the event last year and was eighth.

Pole vault (10’)

1. Addison Smith, Great Falls High, 12-00; 2. Naomi Lee, Sentinel, 11-06; T3. Nevaeh Varner, Billings West; Knoelle Ferguson, Helena Capital, 11-00; T5. Madison Armeding, Big Sky; Clara Randall, Billings West, 10-00.

-Smith, GFH: The senior was second at state last season at 11-03 when competing for CMR and has cleared 12-00 twice this season.

Long jump (16’6”)

1. Calla Sprecher, Bozeman High, 18-04; 2. Kate Lindsay, Gallatin, 17-06.5; 3. Zeila Wagner, Glacier, 17-03; Aizalyn Flaten, Gallatin, 17-02; 5. Tayah Osier, CMR, 17-01.5

Harris and Osier: Harris was All-State in the long last year in sixth at 16-11.25 and has a personal best of 17-04.5. She is ranked ninth this spring at 16-11.5 and has qualified for state. Osier was a state qualifier in the event as a sophomore.

Triple jump (34’)

1. Calla Sprecher, Bozeman High, 36-07.5; 2. Gabby Alec-Rebolledo, Big Sky, 36-06; 3. Aizalyn Flaten, Gallatin, 36-05; 4. Teagan Hegdal, CMR, 34-09.5; 5. Rachel Brannan, Glacier, 34-08.25.

Hegdal, CMR: The sophomore is coming off a freshman year in which she qualified for state in both the long and triple jumps.