The two fastest seniors walking the halls of Flathead High School have a chance to end their prep careers in style, on a track located four blocks from campus.

Ben Bliven and Alivia Rinehart are so fast that they’re going to compete collegiately, both at the University of Montana. They’re fast enough to go unbeaten in their specialty events this season, with one big meet left: The State AA championships Friday and Saturday at Legends Stadium. 

“In my opinion we have the best facility in the state,” said Rinehart, who will run the 200-meter dash and the 100- and 300-meter hurdles. “Not a lot of parking, but I just like it here. It’s my happy place. A lot of people don’t like competing here and I do, so I like that aspect of it. Gives me a little edge I guess.” 

It hasn’t been needed in a spring where she owns AA’s fastest times in two of her races: 25.13 seconds in the 200 and 14.40 in the high hurdles. Her time of 44.54 in the 300s is second to the 44.07 run by Madilyn Todorovich of Helena.  

Both girls have run — and won —– the race four times while never matching up this season. Their showdown at roughly 12:30 p.m. on Saturday would be one of many things to watch at Legends. 

Rinehart noted her dad David was a high school hurdler and her mom Lisa, did ballet. “Strong legs, I guess,” she said, but that’s not the only thing that dropped her 100-meter hurdles times into the 14s early in the 2024 season. 

“I wasn’t able to three-step until my junior year, which if you know anything about hurdling, you’re not going to be competitive unless you’re a three-stepper,” she said. “That made a big difference, and also just getting faster in general, I think.” 

She was strong enough to go 8-1 in the 200 meters as a junior, culminating in a state title at the State AA meet in Great Falls. She was third in both hurdles races, and colleges noticed: She talked to West Point, Idaho and North Dakota before deciding on UM.  

Bliven went on two visits, to UM and Montana State, and the Grizzlies won out. 

“I could have gone on more but I just kind of ran out of time,” he said, though he noted it was stressful, finding the right mix where he could compete and like the programs available. 

“Seeing the great improvement at UM and just the environment there was definitely a deciding factor,” he said. 

Bliven runs the 100, 200 and 400 for the Braves, as well as the relays, and the triple jump. He owns the fifth-fastest 100 time in AA, 10.86 seconds, but has yet to lose in eight finals. He cruised through the 200 in a divisional-record 21.80 last week, winning the event for an 11th straight time. 

Last year he was third in the 200 and in the 100 — well a false-start in the trials could have set him up for a bad weekend. 

“About that,” he said Tuesday. “Obviously it got me motivated, right? I think that’s part of the reason I had a really good 200 prelim and we had good relays. I was just super frustrated from the false start. 

“Then taking second (Flathead was runner-up to Gallatin for the boys team title) - it was a big reason for us to get reapplied and have a good season this year. It’s our last chance together.” 

The Braves have a puncher’s chance at the AA title thanks mainly to Bliven, junior Will Hollensteiner — a five-event guy — and seniors Lane Chivers and Kasen Kastner.  

“We are in a lot of events and we’re all going to have to rack up a lot of points,” Bliven said. “But it’s just sustain yourself for two days, focus on what’s important and pay attention to the details in certain races.”

    Flathead's Ben Bliven took first place in the boys 100 meter dash at the Kalispell Time Trials at Legends Stadium on Tuesday, April 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider