Alivia Rinehart is for real and so are the Flathead Braves.

Rinehart set one all-class record and two AA marks while the Flathead boys surged to their first team title since 2015 Saturday, at the State AA track and field championships at Legends Stadium. 

A certain home track advantage seemed to be in place: Glacier’s boys claimed third place hardware; Rinehart was a blur in her “happy place;” and Flathead’s guys shook off a tough break — Ben Bliven’s hamstring injury — behind Will Hollensteiner, Lane Chivers and more. 

“It’s amazing,” said Hollensteiner, a junior who added titles in the 200 and 300 hurdles to his open 400 win on Friday. “To be able to get this one for the seniors is great.” 

The team race came down to the final event, the 1,600-meter relay. The Braves needed to stay within one place of Helena High, and had to do it without Bliven, who was hurt while finishing second — for the first time this season, by two one-hundredths of a second — in the 100 meters. 

“He felt it about 20 meters from the end,” Chivers said of Bliven, who still crossed in 11.01 seconds. “He was able to finish the race and wanted to stay in the 200 to test it out, but it just didn’t happen.” 

Bliven gingerly finished the 200, and by then coach Dan Hodge had decided he needed to rework the long relay. Hodge went with senior Cameron Wells, who ran the first leg; Chivers moved from first leg to third. 

Helena led the first lap, and was four places ahead of Flathead when Chivers took the baton from Kasen Kastner.  

“Had a little bit of work to do,” Chivers said, but his 49.5-second split moved the Braves up from sixth to third. Then came Hollensteiner, who had Helena’s anchor in sight. His split, according to Hodge: a blistering 45.93 seconds.  

He passed Helena’s Henry Sund on the back straightaway and then, incredibly, kept closing the rest of what had been a 50-meter gap with Missoula Big Sky anchor Adam Guajardo. 

“Going into the last 50, I could kind of see him giving out, and I still had something left,” Hollensteiner said. He shot into the lead as a stunned Guajardo fell to the track at the finish. 

Flathead finished with 88 points to 81 for Helena.  

Hollensteiner, who set the all-class record in the 400 (47.22) on Friday, won the 200 in 21.94 and the 300 hurdles in 37.94. Running second in the latter was Chivers, at 38.21. He also led the triple jump for a good part of that event, going 46 feet, 10.25 inches. 

Butte standout Sam Henderson got 47-1.5 on his final jump to take that win. 

A year ago the Braves were in range of a state title but fell short. That filled them with resolve this season, including Bliven — a favorite in the 100 and 200. He’ll run again, for the University of Montana; Chivers felt Bliven’s story was more about a tough Saturday, “When in reality he was the No. 1 guy for us all year.” 

Glacier had 56.5 points, getting a second place from Owen Thiel in the 1,600 and 14 points besides. Belgrade’s Wilson Schmidt, who won Friday’s 800 while Thiel won the 3,200, won Saturday’s showdown. 

Rinehart started her day by going over the 100-meter hurdles in 14.06 seconds. That broke the 12-year-old all-class record of 14.11.  

“That one’s been a long time coming,” Rinehart said. “I’ve been running those since sixth grade and finally had everything click. I’ve been practicing like that for weeks. And it finally all came together.” 

She didn’t slow down much after that. She lowered the Class AA mark in the 300 hurdles to 42.07, beating Helena standout Madilyn Todorovich and taking Sentinel burner Liz Harper off the record books; then she zipped through the 200 meters in 24.54.  

There is still Vicki Sturm’s 24.4 on the books, run at the English distance in 1980; but Rinehart was still well under the 24.75 run by Billings West’s Jaden Wolff in 2022. 

Through the day she repeated a mantra: “You’re not competing against anyone else, you’re competing for the state record.”  

Then she picked up three. 

“I’m so excited,” she said. “It’s crazy. I told myself I was going to do it and I did it. How often does that really happen?” 

Gallatin, with Isabel Ross and Hazel Cooper going 1-2 in the 1,600, won the girls team title with 100 points. Helena was next with 83; Todorovich added a triple jump victory to her three wins from Friday. 

Billings West won the long relay to vault past Glacier and Missoula Hellgate and into third with 56 points. Hellgate and Glacier had 51 each. The Wolfpack’s Lauren Bissen followed up her 3,200 win from Friday with a third in the 1,600 on Saturday. 

Billings Skyview’s Rae Smart completed the throwing triple in stunning fashion: Her win in the javelin came with an all-class record throw (with the newer javelin) of 162-11. 

State AA 

Saturday at Legends Stadium 

BOYS 

Team scores — Flathead 88; Helena 81; Glacier 56.5; Helena Capital 47; Missoula Big Sky 43; Gallatin 40; Billings West 34.5; Belgrade 33; Butte 25; Billings Skyview and Missoula Sentinel, 18; Missoula Hellgate 14; Billings Senior and Bozeman, 10; Great Falls 7; Great Falls CMR 2. 

100 — 1, Jaxon Allery, Snt, 10.99; 2, Ben Bliven, Fla, 11.01; 3, Cooper Nelson, Cap, 11.13; 4, Calvin Paczkowski, BW, 11.15; 5, Parker Link, Hgt, 11.19; 6, Caleb Conver, BW, 11.21. 

200 — 1, William Hollensteiner, Fla, 21.94; 2, Cooper Nelson, Cap, 22.24; 3, Luck Ruch, Hel, 22.29; 4, Louis Kamps, Gal, 22.55; 5, Travis Ryland-Davis, Hel, 22.63; Cooper Pelc, Gla, 22.63. 

1,600 — 1, Wilson Schmidt, Bel, 4:12.60; 2, Owen Thiel, Gla, 4:13.60; 3, Elliot Stimpson, Hel, 4:15.24; 4, Taylor Neil, Boz, 4:15.25; 5, Henry Sund, Hel, 4;16.33; 6, Kye McAbee, BW, 4:18.09. 

110 hurdles — 1, Corbin Weltzien, Hgt, 14.41; 2, Kellan Kreuger, MBS, 14.59; 3, Cormack Batt, MBS, 14.74; 4, Cooper Pelc, Gla, 14.79; 5, Ethan Anderson, Gla, 15.11; 6, Sam Henderson, Butte, 15.12. 

300 hurdles — 1, William Hollensteiner, Fla, 37.94; 2, Lane Chivers, Fla, 38.21; 3, Merek Mihelish, Cap, 38.55; 4, Cormack Batt, MBS, 39.55; 5, Kellan Krueger, MBS, 39.59; 6, Mark Ahner, Gla, 40.04. 

1,600 relay — 1, Flathead (Cameron Wells, Kasen Kastner, Lane Chivers, William Hollensteiner) 3:19.76; 2, Big Sky 3:19.94; 3, Helena 3:22.11; 4, Helena Capital 3:23.75; 5, Billings West 3:24.16; 6, Billings West 3:24.16. 

Discus — 1, Matt Ludwig, BW, 169-2; 2, Riley McGrath, Gal, 168-10; 3, Jack Murray, Gal, 168-10; 4, Merek Fisher, Sky, 158-6; 5, Dylan Smith, Gla, 158-2; 6, Colter DeVoss, GFH, 146-10. 

Triple jump — 1, Sam Henderson, Butte, 47-1.5; 2, William Hollensteiner, Fla, 46-10.25; 3, Dylan Garcia, BW, 45-7; 4, Cooper Pelc, Gla, 45-4; 5, TGevin Keller, BS, 44-1; 6, Porter Gibbs, MBS, 43-10.5. 

GIRLS 

Team scores — Gallatin 100; Helena 83; Billings West 56; Glacier and Missoula Hellgate, 51; Flathead 35; Billings Skyview 32; Billings Senior 23; Bozeman 21; Missoula Big Sky 20; Great Falls 16; Belgrade and Great Falls CMR, 12; Missoula Sentinel 8; Butte 6; Helena Capital 1. 

100 — 1, Sofia Szollosi, Hgt, 12.38; 2, Quinlyn Sikmmons, Hle, 12.53; 3, Isabella Donaghey, Gal, 12.54; 4, Alayna Hurd, BW, 12.60; 5, Scotland Jones, Boz, 12.69; 6, Every Peel, BSR, 12.71. 

200 — 1, Alivia Rinehart, Fla, 24.54 (AA record: old record 24.75, Jaden Wolff, Billings West, 2022); 2, Sofia Szollosi, Hgt, 25.16; 3, isabella Donaghey, Gal, 25.24; 4, Scotland Jones, Boz, 25.51; 5, Anneliese Bessette, Hgt, 25.80; 6, Demry Boyd, BW, 25.84. 

1,600 — 1, Isabel Ross, Gal, 4:53.60; 2, Hazel Cooper, Gal, 4:57.05; 3, Lauren Bissen, Gla, 5:02.88; 4, Gia Petrini, Hgt, 5:06.01; 5, Claire Rutherford, Gal, 5:06.95; 6, Kylee Neil, Boz, 5:07.03. 

100 hurdles — 1, Alivia Rinehart, Fla, 14.06 (all-class record: old record 14.11, Morgan Sulser, Billings Senior, 2013); 2, Scarlet Harris, GFH, 15.39; 3, Isabella Grutsch, MBS, 15.67; 4, Anita Black, Gal, 15.71; 5, Brynn Wiening, Bel, 15.78; 6, Gracelee Banna, MBS, 15.78. 

300 hurdles —1, Alivia Rinehart, Fla, 42.07 (AA record: old record 42.87, Liz Harper, Missoula Sentinel, 2013); 2, Madilyn Todorovich, Hel, 44.66; 3, Delainey Engen, BW, 45.47; 4, Hazel Bishop, Hel, 45.61; 5, Nya Meyers, MBS, 45.65; 6, Carmen Eddy, Gla, 45.89. 

1,600 relay — 1, Billings West (Alex Bonini, Demry Boyd, Delainey Engen, Aliyah Vogel) 3:57.34; 2, Gallatin 3:58.43; 3, Billings Senior 3:59.69; 4, Helena 4:01.93; 5, Glacier 4:03.60; 6, Missoula Big Sky 4:07.28. 

Discus — 1, Rae Smart, Sky, 127-5; 2, Brooklen Kopp, Hgt, 118-3; 3, Sarah Morrison, BW, 115-6; 4, Reagan McCalmon, CMR, 113-2; 5, Rylee Bigelow, Gla, 112-0; 6, Laktynn Johnson, BW, 110-10. 

Javelin — 1, Rae Smart, Sky, 162-11 (all-class record: old record 156-3, Alysa Keller, Billings West, 2023); 2, Elsa Johnson, BW, 14-4; 3, Brityn Stewart, Butte, 127-2; 4, Ava Dierolf, Gal, 124-3; 5, Kate Breeding, Gal, 122-8; 6, Charlotte Osler, Gla, 120-0. 

Triple jump — 1, Madilyn Todorovich, Hel, 36-8.5; 2, Gabby Alec-Rebolledo, MBS, 36-8.5; 3, Mikayla Champlin, BSR, 35-6.5; 4, Rachel Brannan, Gla, 35-2.5; 5, Britton Heiuser, Hel, 34-11.5; 6, Aizalyn Haten, GFH, 34-10. 

    Flathead's Alivia Rinehart clears a hurdle en route to a first place finish in the girls 100 meter hurdles at the Class AA state track and field meet at Legends Stadium on Saturday, May 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier's Rachel Brannan competes in the girls triple jump at the Class AA state track and field meet at Legends Stadium on Saturday, May 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Flathead's Ben Bliven sprints to a second-place finish in the boys 100 meter run at the Class AA state track and field meet at Legends Stadium on Saturday, May 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier's Rylee Bigelow took fifth place in the girls discus at the Class AA state track and field meet at Legends Stadium on Saturday, May 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Flathead's Alivia Rinehart celebrates with Gallatin's Anita Black after Rinehart's first-place finish in the girls 100 meter hurdles at the Class AA state track and field meet at Legends Stadium on Saturday, May 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Flathead's Will Hollensteiner took second place in the boys triple jump at the Class AA state track and field meet at Legends Stadium on Saturday, May 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier's Owen Thiel took second place in the boys 1600 meter run at the Class AA state track and field meet at Legends Stadium on Saturday, May 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Flathead's Alivia Rinehart sprints to a first-place finish in the girls 200 meter run at the Class AA state track and field meet at Legends Stadium on Saturday, May 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier's Lauren Bissen took third place in the girls 1600 meter run at the Class AA state track and field meet at Legends Stadium on Saturday, May 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Flathead's Will Hollensteiner sprints to a first-place finish in the boys 200 meter run at the Class AA state track and field meet at Legends Stadium on Saturday, May 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier's Cooper Pelc took fourth place in the boys triple jump at the Class AA state track and field meet at Legends Stadium on Saturday, May 24. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider