M-ettes headed to state

The Malta M-ettes took fourth place with 75 points as a team in the highly competitive Northern B Track and Field Invitational last Saturday at Scottie Field in Glasgow.

Glasgow won the meet with 103.33 points. Fairfield was second with 88 points. Choteau was third with 82.

Though the team isn’t expected to repeat their 2016 State Title win, the M-ettes will feature a couple of first time state athletes as well as a multiple time state champion.

The reigning 300 hurdle, long jump and triple jump state champion senior Sophia Stiles fared well at the Northern B, winning the aforementioned events as well as the 100 hurdles and high jump, making her a repeat Divisional Champ in each of those events.

Her times and distances were 19.27 in the 100 hurdles, a season best of 48.24 in the 300 hurdles, a 5-6 personal best in high jump, a mark of 16-5 ½ in long jump and a mark at 34-00.50 in the triple jump.

Stiles admitted that her day was better after participating in the 300 hurdles.

“It’s a long, really not fun race,” Stiles said. “I get really nervous for it and once it’s gone my day just gets better.”

Stiles had trouble leaving a mark in the triple jump only leaving one mark in the preliminary round and one in the final jumps. She nearly had a new personal best.

“I scratched an 18-2 today,” Stiles said in disbelief. “I want to get to 18.”

She also mentioned she would love to break the long jump record held by Janice Knudsen, though she knows that it is a tough mark.

“Janice’s school record is ridiculous,” she said with a smile. “It’s 19-4. She’s nuts.”

Stiles’ dominance in the Northern B dates back to her freshman year, where she won the 100 hurdles, long jump and triple jump. It wasn’t until her junior season that she added high jump and won the 2016 title.

Though she has been stellar in her career, she knows she needs to do a couple of things to prepare for next week.

“I think I need to relax a little more and have a little more fun,” Stiles said. “I need to work on my boards.”

The M-ettes will also feature a trio of returning state performers including senior Shay Garfield, junior TaChante Cole and sophomore Kyleigh Schipman.

Garfield will be making her first state appearance since the 2015 State B, where she participated in discus. Her 2016 season was cut short by injury but in this year’s Northern B Garfield was able to qualify for state in shot put after taking fifth with a throw of 30-10 ½ and taking sixth in discus with a throw of 91-2.

“I’m excited,” Garfield said.

Garfield plans to focus on things in practice to make sure she can post her best marks in her final meet.

“Just focusing at practice and working hard, making sure that my glide is where it needs to be,” Garfield said. “I need to make sure that my release is high.”

Cole will be participating in two events; the 1600, which she ran in last year’s state event and the 800.

During the 2017 Northern B, Cole took second in the 1600 with a time of 5.54.55 and placed fourth in the 800 with a time of 2:38.89, a new personal best.

Cole was nervous before the 800, given the competition in the race and the fact that she entered the event as the sixth ranked runner.

“I go through those emotions every single time,” Cole said. “I think it honestly ends up helping me in the race. This was only the third time that I had run the 800 this year.”

Stepping to the line it appeared as though Cole and her nearest opponent tried to box one another out.

“She wouldn’t get off me,” Cole said with a smile.

She fell behind a pair of runners that she eventually passed in the final seconds of the race.

“Towards the end of the 400 (first lap) I had two girls that got in front of me and they were taking away my place so that’s what really gave me a kick at the end,” Cole said.

Schipman set a season record of 111-03 in javelin, while taking second in the event.

“I just felt like today was a little more consistent in my throwing because each of my throws were around the same ball park,” Schipman said noting that most of her throws were in the 100’s.

Schipman has her sights on 116-0 as a goal with only one meet to go. She shared what needed to change for that to be a possibility this weekend.

“If I just work at my momentum in throwing and aim up and be positive,” Schipman said. “I had couple of extra coaches today, Kaitlyn Smith, Jace (Bishop), Coach Somerfeld and Coach Flatt telling me little things to work on.”

Some of the advice stuck out.

“Just work on my speed and have my tip in,” she said. “I have that problem with slowing down my speed and I’m also doing some extra stretches and sprints on the sidelines.”

Freshman Jillian O’Brien will be making her state debut in high jump having cleared 4-10 in an earlier meet as well as placing sixth in the event at the Northern B.

The long relay team consisting of Ashton Oxarart, Ella Schye, Schipman and Kelbee Denham took sixth with a time of 4:36.79, taking thirteen second off of her personal best.

The 2017 State B is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Bulldog Memorial Stadium in Butte on Friday, May 26.