A pair of Sanders County athletes are rising to the top of the charts in Western Montana track circles, according to the recent Top 8 and Top 10 meets in Missoula last week.

Heading the list is Noxon senior Cade VanVleet who finished first in the top 10 rankings in the shot put with his personal record heave of 54 feet.

That toss pushed VanVleet, who is headed to Montana Tech on a track and academic scholarship this fall, to the top of the shot put rankings by nearly a foot and a half. His recent throw pushed him past Whitefish senior Talon Holmquist who has a second place toss of 52-8.

He also leaps ahead of regional B-C rival Walker McDonald of Seeley, who was leading the local list with a 51-4 throw.

“VanVleet can throw 48 feet plus just standing there, without the windup,” said St. Regis track coach Jesse Allan. “He is really strong and with technique he is going to be really good”.

In the javelin throw, Superior’s Sorren Reese, who is not listed in the recent Top 8 or Top 10 rankings, would be second this year with her throw of 125-9 from this past weekend. Only Mya Winkler of Hamilton has thrown farther with a recorded throw of 126-10.

Also on the women’s javelin list is Thompson Falls thrower Chesney Lowe, who made the list at number eight with her PR toss of 111 feet. That would tie her with Hot Springs’ Katelyn Christensen who has also thrown 111 feet.