M-ettes third at State

The Malta M-ettes were able to medal in their second consecutive season as the team took third place at the 2017 State B Track Meet held in Butte at the Bulldog Memorial Stadium last Friday and Saturday.

Bigfork won the event with 109 points. Baker took second with 53 and Malta was third with 44. Huntley Project was fourth with 40.

“Obviously, Sophia (Stiles) needed to have the kind of meet that she had for us to take third,” Malta Head Coach Tad Schye said. “We were hoping to get in some other placers in some spots and that just didn’t happen although we had a great effort.”

Stiles, a senior, led Malta, scoring all 44 of the team’s points, while taking first for the fourth consecutive year in the triple jump, taking first in long jump for the third consecutive year and winning the high jump title for the first time.

Winning the triple jump was her main focus and having won the event, Stiles has become the first M-ette to sweep an event throughout her high school career.

“That was pretty much my main goal coming into the weekend,” Stiles told the PCN. “To try and do that just because I know how hard it is to do it four times. It felt good to accomplish that.”

Stiles set a personal best of 37-10 in triple jump and left a mark at 17-9.75 in long jump. Stiles had been struggling with boards in the last couple of weeks and the issue continued with long jump at state.

“My boards in long jump weren’t that great but in triple jump they were right on,” Stiles said. “I just looked down in long jump so that I could make it into finals and then once I was in finals, I just refocused and tried my hardest to stay on the board.”

Stiles took second in the final heat of the 100 with a time of 15.86 after winning the preliminary heat with a time of 15.61 in the 100 meter hurdles, a season’s best.

She placed third in the 300 hurdles with a time of 47.71, a season’s best.

High jump was her last event in which she cleared 5-2, it was the first time that she had won the event at a state meet.

“That was really cool,” Stiles said. “I’ve really been enjoying high jump because it’s challenging, so it felt good to win that one.”

Stiles has had many accolades as an M-ette in basketball, track and cross country and with the State B being her final high school event, Stiles reflected on the blue and white M.

“Being an M-ette has actually meant a lot to me and I am really proud that I got to be an M-ette,” Stiles said. “It means a lot to me, so not being one anymore is sad, and I will miss it and I will miss Malta and everybody.”

Junior TaChante Cole took ninth in the 1600 with a time of 5:52.21. Cole also placed eleventh in the 800, posting a time of 2:33.39, a new personal best.

“She ran pretty well in the 1600, she was just off of her personal best,” Coach Schye said. “It gave her good experience, which I believe she is going to have a good chance to reach the podium next year.”

Freshman Jillian O’Brien took eleventh in high jump after clearing 4-8.

“She made the opening height at 4-8 and just missed 4-10 and it was a good experience for her to be there,” Schye said reiterating that she had qualified a as freshmen by standard.

Coach Schye and the team enjoyed one of their nicer meets of the season weather-wise at one of the nicest track and field venues in the state.

“The weather was very good compared to what it was projected to be on Monday,” Coach Schye said. “It’s a premier track facility in the state of Montana, so it is always nice to compete there.”

Senior Shay Garfield took fourteenth in shot put with a personal best of 33-8 ½. She also took eighteenth in discus with a throw of 85-1.

“She had been at the state track meet three times, her freshman, sophomore and senior year,” Coach Schye said. “She didn’t make it last year because of injuries. Shay has had a good career as a Malta track athlete.”

Sophomore Kyleigh Schipman took fourteenth in javelin with a throw of 101-4.

“It took a little bit more to place this year than it did last year but we are happy that she was there,” Coach Schye said. “She had a great divisional and I’m looking forward to great things with her.”

The long relay team consisting of Ashton Oxarart, Ella Schye, Schipman and Kelbee Denham placed nineteenth with a time of 4:42.92 placing two spots higher than they were ranked going into the event.

“It was good for them to get to run there,” Coach Schye said. “I think what affected them was that they kind of had to hang out all day Friday and Saturday for their race being the last event.”