Wenz leads Valkyries, Hamilton-Dixon paces Vikings at state meet

Freshman Toren Wenz capped an outstanding debut season and senior Noah Hamilton-Dixon closed his Bigfork cross country career in strong fashion Saturday as both led their teams at the MHSA Class A State Championships at the University of Montana Golf Course.

Wenz delivered one of the day’s top performances among freshmen statewide, finishing 16th overall in the girls’ race with a personal-best time of 20 minutes, 28 seconds. Her top-20 finish highlighted a solid showing for the Valkyries, who saw five runners post times under 26 minutes.

Junior Hadley Nollan followed in 57th place with a time of 22:23, while senior Shannon Woll (25:17), sophomore Colbie Sullivan (25:29, personal record), and junior Caton Fought (25:46) rounded out Bigfork’s scoring five. Seniors Ava Reynolds (26:13) and sophomore Naomi Elwell (27:12) completed the lineup, helping Bigfork demonstrate both depth and consistency in their season finale.

On the boys’ side, Hamilton-Dixon led the Vikings with a 23rd-place finish in 17:30, setting a new personal record to cap his senior campaign. Fellow senior Nic Gustavson crossed in 18:01 for 38th, giving Bigfork two runners in the top 40 of a competitive field.

Junior Otto Schurke finished in 19:24, while Fisher Sliter (20:20) and freshman Samuel Eslick (21:55, personal record) completed the team scoring. Freshmen Wyatt Hamilton (22:39) and sophomore Callen Ballard (22:49) rounded out the Bigfork boys’ effort.