Hollensteiner, Savik shine at Mini-Invite

The Kalispell Mini-Invite more or less is the kickoff of track and field season for the Flathead Braves and Bravettes.  

The Braves’ William Hollensteiner was in midseason form.

Hollensteiner won the 200, 400 and long jump while Flathead outscored eight other schools to win the boys team crown with 187.75 points. Glacier was a tight second at 180.25, and Bigfork was next at 101.5. 

Glacier won the girls team title in equally narrow fashion, scoring 171.5 points to Flathead’s 164. Whitefish piled up a shade over 106 for third. 

Hollensteiner could be expected to pile up some wins, but setting a personal record in the long jump this early the season — he marked 23 feet, 8 eight inches, well ahead of Bigfork’s Tamret Savik, who also hit his PR of 21-10 — is unexpected. 

Hollensteiner won the 200 in 21.92 seconds, and the 400 in 47.72. His PR in the 200 is 21.90 from last May. 

Savik, meanwhile, turned around and set another PR in the triple jump of 47-4, winning the event by over five feet. He also won the high jump Tuesday, on a day of nice performances by the Vikings.  

Robert Merchant (PR of 11.02) led a 1-2-3 Bigfork finish with Quinn Kerr and Tayden West in the boys 100 meters, for example; Merchant ran a very fast 22.29 in the 200. West and Kerry were third and fifth, with Glacier freshman Kyle West in between in that event. 

Flathead’s Carson Thorne hit a PR while winning the 800 in 2:08.25; he also hit a PR in the 1,600 while finishing second to Glacier standout Owen Thiel. Thiel won in 4:25.95.. 

Glacier claimed four of the top five spots in the shot put, which Jesse Baines won; Will Astle won the discus for the Wolfpack and teammate Beau Carroll led a 1-3-4 Glacier finish in the javelin. 

Another PR came from Eureka pole vaulter Josh Lambertsen, whose winning height was 13-0. 

Glacier used depth to pile up the girls points, though Dacie Benkelman and Ada Thiel went 1-2 in the 800, Benkelman winning in 2:22.28. 

Lauren Bissen won the 1,600 for the Pack, and Glacier’s Addison Brisendine and Clara Ahner went 1-2 in the 300-meter hurdles. 

The Wolfpack made more noise in the field events: Allie Krueger won the shot put and was second in the discus; Remi Osler was second in the javelin, behind Whitefish’s Sol Holmquist.  

The Whitefish Bulldogs, the defending State A girls champs, also saw freshman Avery Orme zip through the 100 meters in 12.84. Polson’s Amelia Stene, who won the 400 Tuesday, was second at 13.03. 

Flathead’s Julia Kay, a senior in her first year of track and field, won the 200 (26.83) and was second in the 100 Tuesday. The Bravettes’ Bristol Lenz won a tight 100-meters hurdles race in 15.84, .03 faster than Whitefish standout Ginger Berland. 

Freshman Addison Oyler cleared 5-0 to lead a 1-2 Flathead finish (with Kay) in the high jump. 

More PRs: Browning senior Teslin Trombley marked 35-9 to win the triple jump; Columbia Falls sophomore Peyton Ross won the long jump at 16-10.5; Eureka’s Kricket Bridges gave the Lions a pole vault sweep by clearing 9-0. 

Libby sophomore Capri Farmer ran a PR of 11:14.54 to win the 3,200; she was also second to Bissen in the 1,600. 

Full results can be found at athletic.net.