Several Libby athletes qualify for Class A track and field championships

Libby track and field athletes earned several state berths and turned in multiple top-10 finishes at the Western A Divisional meet last week at Lyle Bagnell Stadium in Frenchtown.

The Loggers were led by strong performances in the distance races, javelin, pole vault and relays.

On the boys side, Tristan Andersen placed second in the javelin with a throw of 164 feet, 8 inches. He also placed fifth in the high jump at 5-10, giving him a second state berth. Urijah Bache was 15th in the javelin at 137-11, while Gabe Kosters tied for 19th at 127-11 and Hudson Hannah placed 27th at 114-4.

Libby also had a strong day in the boys pole vault. Kosters placed third with a personal-best clearance of 12 feet, Bridger Moe placed fifth at 11-6 and Bache finished seventh with a personal-best 11-6. All three qualified for state.

Cody Watson qualified for state in the boys distance races. Watson placed sixth in the 1,600 meters in a personal-best 4 minutes, 33.55 seconds. He was also listed as a state qualifier in the 3,200. Colter Anderson placed 16th in the 800 in 2:09.50.

The Libby boys 4x100 relay team of Isaiah Barks, Fortner, Anderson and Andersen placed ninth in 45.31 and qualified for state. The 4x400 relay team of Fortner, Anderson, Kosters and Watson placed eighth in 3:37.27 and also earned a state berth. 

Barks added a 26th-place finish in the 300 hurdles with a personal-best 48.27. Fortner placed 15th in the 200 in a personal-best 23.54 and 16th in the long jump at 19-1.5. Andersen also placed 29th in the long jump at 17-11, and Barks was 44th at 16-0. Porter Hollingsworth placed 16th in the triple jump at 38-1.

On the girls side, Capri Farmer qualified in three events. Last weekend, she led Libby with a runner-up finish in the 1,600 meters. Farmer placed second in a personal-best 5:00.13. She was also listed as a qualifier in the 800 and 3,200.

Hailey Misner qualified in the 200 meters, placing 10th in 27.08. Misner also ran 13.13 in the 100 preliminaries, placing 11th, and was listed as a qualifier in the 400.

The Libby girls 4x400 relay team of Misner, Evalyn Cliff, Ava Jensen and Farmer placed fifth in 4:16.59 and qualified for state. Cliff also placed 11th in the 300 hurdles in a personal-best 50.23 and 15th in the 100 hurdles in 18.68. Sarah Kosters placed 19th in the 100 hurdles in a personal-best 19.42.

In the girls field events, Alyssa Andersen placed 10th in the javelin at 91-10 to qualify for state. Kosters placed 24th in the javelin at 73-9. Olivia Keller tied for 11th in the high jump at 4-6, while Andersen placed 26th in the long jump at 14-1.75.