It’s all starting to come together for the Hot Springs track and field teams, who hosted the 54th annual running of the Dave Tripp Memorial meet in Polson Friday.

“We had a really good meet with a lot of the parts falling in place,” coach Jason Colyer said. “We are working hard, having fun, and getting results.”

With Ben Aldridge and Chase DePoe leading the way with the boys, and Kara Christensen and Kora Hensrude with the girls, the Savage Heat boys scored 45.5 points to place fifth in the team running and the Hot Springs girls finished with 31 points and ninth in final team standings.

Eighteen boys teams and sixteen girls squads competed in Hot Springs’ annual meet, putting hundreds of local athletes, including most of the District 14C squads and several from District 7B into track and field action, many for the first time this season, in Polson Friday. The 7B Plains boys and girls raced to the Tripp team titles (see other stories for more).

Colyer said his Hot Springs thinclads held up their end of the bargain in Polson and will practice this week and the next in preparation for the Savage Heat’s next meet the Seeley-Swan Invitational in Missoula April 25.

For his part, Aldridge continued his outstanding spring in many specialties on the track and in the field by winning the 300 meter hurdles (in 42.69 seconds) in the Tripp, placing third in the long jump and 110 meter hurdles, and fifth in the javelin.

DePoe also enjoyed a fine meet, edging out Aldridge by only one-half an inch (19-5.5 to 19-5) to win second in the long jump, in addition to placing second in the 300 hurdles, fourth in the 110 hurdles and tying for sixth in the high jump. “Chase stepped up huge with his 300 hurdles time,” Colyer said, “and by edging Ben in the long jump.”

Samson Jakabosky earned sixth place in the shot put to complete scoring for the Hot Springs boys in the Tripp.

Christensen paced the Heat girls by winning the discus, with a best throw of 115-9 and placing fourth in the javelin with a best effort of 104-4.

Hensrude earned fourth place in the discus and the shot put, and Erica Cannon picked up the Savage Heat’s other individual Tripp point with a sixth place in the shot put.

The Hot Springs girls 1600 meter relay quartet of Callie Cano, Eleanor Massey, Ava Bouquet and Alisha Jakabosky won fourth in that race and the 400 relay team of Cano, Bouquet, Christensen and Hensrude placed fifth.

The decision to put together a 1600 meter relay was done purposely and with clear intent, Colyer offered. “Our girls 4x400 was put together because we couldn’t find where Hot Springs has ran a girls 4x400 in over 10 years,” he said.

Can’t say that anymore coach, and now you have placing points in the Tripp to prove it.

Colyer is similarly upbeat about what his entire team is giving him now, and for the promise that lies within the program. One group in particular impresses him. “We have a few freshmen girls that are right on the cusp of doing some really great things,” he said.