M-ettes at Lions Meet

The Malta M-ettes track teams both placed in the top five at the Havre Lions meet last Saturday, April 13, in Havre.

The M-ettes Varsity took fifth place with 54 points. Fort Benton won the meet with 129 points. Havre was second with 93, Chinook was third with 63, and Belt was fourth with 58.

The M-ettes JV team was fourth with 41 points. Havre won the JV meet with 111 points, Chinook was second with 45, and Fort Benton was third with 42.

The varsity team was led by Erica Smith who won the triple jump event with a distance of 33-01. Smith took third in long jump with a leap of 14-08.25. Smith took fifth place in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 52.33. Smith took seventh in the 100 meter hurdles in her first time trying the event.

Last week Smith told the PCN that she hit every hurdle, so she was asked about her hurdle events at the Lions meet.

“I did way better (today),” Smith said. “I did stutter but it was way better than my first time running the event. I have been working on my opposite leg so I could go over whichever one comes first, so that helped a lot.”

Smith has also been working to improve her jumps.

“I need to keep my speed up and quit looking down at the board,” Smith said. “I have been working on that a lot. I’ve been working on having a positive attitude as well.”

Freshman Justine Lamb won the 100 hurdles with a personal best of 16.94. Lamb was sixth in the 300 hurdles with a time of 54.29.

Senior Kyleigh Schipman took second place in javelin with a throw of 103-08. Schipman posted a personal best of 73-0 in discus.

Junior Carly Garfield took second place in shot put with a personal best of 33-0.

Freshman Kaylee Bishop took fifth in the 400 with a personal best of 1:06.95. Bishop took ninth in the 200 with a time 30.30.

Junior Jillian O’Brien was one of a few M-ettes to see their first action of the season. O’Brien placed sixth in the 100 hurdles with a time of 19.25. She was eleventh in long jump, leaving a mark at 13-.50. O’Brien was twelfth in the 300 hurdles with a time of 1:01.73.

“I feel pretty good about my 100 hurdles (time), my 300 hurdles (time) need a lot of work,” O’Brien said. “It’s my first meet of the season, so I was just excited and I was more confident than I was last year because last year was my first year doing hurdles since a couple of years ago.”

O’Brien mentioned that in order to improve on her jumps this season, she would pay attention to what Coach Sargent tells her to do.

Senior Raina Mortenson took eighth in the 1,600 with a time of 6:55.70. It was the first time Mortenson had run the 1,600.

Freshman Skylie Lefdahl also set a PR in the 200 with a time of 31.09, a time that was good enough for eleventh place.

The M-ettes long relay team consisting of Bishop, Lamb, Wylee Young and Leslie Young was fifth with a time of 4:44.80.

JUNIOR VARSITY

Freshman Nikki Nicholson won the 200 with a time of 31.85. Nicholson also took second place in both hurdle events, posting a time of 19.66 in the 100 hurdles and a time of 59.61 in the 300 hurdles.

“It’s a very long sprint,” Nicholson said of the 300 hurdles “And then you’re jumping in between. That’s always an addition to it.”

Though the 300 hurdle event can bring tears out of some of the toughest competitors, Nicholson said the event was her favorite.

“I can feel myself improving on them, so that’s always a plus,” Nicholson said.

Nicholson was asked to share what she has noticed to be the biggest difference between junior high to high school track meets.

“It’s more competitive,” Nicholson said. “It’s not a big change but it means a lot more to people.”

Skylie Lefdahl took second in the long jump with a leap of 12-09.50. Lefdahl was second in shot put with a throw of 25-05.50.