P.C. Track Teams at Cal Wearley Memorial

Last Tuesday, April 26, Northstar High School hosted the long-awaited Cal Wearley Memorial track meet in Havre, a meet that was originally scheduled to happen on April 6, but was rescheduled due to weather.

At the Cal Wearley meet, all four Phillips County Schools were present including Dodson, Malta, Saco, and Whitewater.

The Saco girls placed the highest amongst the teams in the Girls Varsity Meet by taking second place, while the Mustangs were third in the boys' meet.

The Glasgow girls team won the girls' meet with 89 points. Saco was second with 68 points. Havre took third with 60 points, Malta was fourth with 43.33 points, Whitewater was fifth with 42 points, and Chester-Joplin-Inverness was sixth with 34.

Havre won the boys' meet with 109 points, Glasgow was second with 85.5 points, Malta was third with 66 points, Chinook was fourth with 64 points, and Fort Benton was fifth with 45. Saco was the only other Phillips County team to score points, taking thirteenth with eight points.

The PCN caught up to a few Phillips County athletes at the meet.

At the meet, Malta senior Cash Salsbery led the Malta boys track team with a pair of first place finishes in shot put and discus. He won shot put with a throw of 46-8 in the finals and discus with a throw of 149-4.

"I'm feeling pretty good, but I think that I can do better," Salsbery said. "I'm excited."

His throw was 23 feet further than his previous season's best, and five feet shy of his personal best set in 2021. He was asked how he was able to improve.

"A lot of trial and error," he said. "I have been messing up a lot and I just kind of figured things out from how it feels, and working on it. Everyday."

Salsbery was joined in the finals by two teammates, fellow senior David Pitman, who placed third in the event with a throw of 128-6, and Davin Slade, a sophomore, who competed in the event for only the second time in his career. Slade took fourth with a personal best of 121-01.

"I love it," Salsbery said of his teammates pushing each other. "It's always fun in practice. It helps me push myself."

Pitman took second in shot put with a throw of 42-7.

"We have been sweeping," Salsbery said of his throwing teammates. "We have been doing a really good job as a whole, team-wise."

As far as individual goals go, Salsbery wants to get closer to the 160 mark in discus and go past 50 in shot put. He also hopes to eclipse the school record.

Saco Sophomore Josie Brown led the charge for running events for the Panthers, but she was really excited about the team's short relay team who took second place with a time of 55.52 seconds. The team consisted of Brown, senior Jaycee Erickson, freshman Jessa Erickson, and sophomore Teagan Erickson.

"We did pretty good," Brown said. "We have a new person in here who doesn't really run and I don't think she was feeling very confident, but we did really good."

Saco Head Coach Barry Malone believes that this was the first Saco girls' relay team that they have had in nearly 30 years.

"We haven't had a girls relay team for a very long time, where it has been Saco by ourselves," Coach Malone said. "It's been awesome. It's only the second time that they have run it and they PR'd by a second and a half."

Coach Malone said that Teagan Erickson has set a new best of 35-11.50 in triple jump, which earned her a first place finish. She also won long jump with a leap of 16-10, and high jump by clearing 5-3.

Saco freshman Blaine Downing placed in two boys' events. He finished third in pole vault by clearing a personal best of 11-6 and fifth in triple jump with a new personal best of 36-11.50.

Downing said that moving up on a different pole helped, but he also said that having Hinsdale track legend and current Glasgow Coach Kirk Capdeville nearby to help coach was a big help.

Downing is still one foot away from meeting the qualifying standard in pole vault, so he was asked what will get him closer to his goal.

"I just need to work on form," Downing said. "I don't have hardly any form right now. Just swing and kick."

J. Erickson qualified for state in the girls' pole vault event after clearing 8-6, a height that was also good enough for third place.

"I haven't been vaulting very good lately, so it feels great," Jaycee said.

Her best is 9-6, so she was asked how she can improve and surpass her PR.

"Practice, and I have to heal up first," Erickson said. "My knee has been bothering me, so I have been pushing through and trying to heal up before I can move up on my poles and really start to get my form back."

The Whitewater Penguins girls relay short and long teams consisting of Paige Wasson, Kora LaBrie, Shelbi LaBrie, and Kendall Scheffelmear saw improvements in both races. The team took second in the long relay with a time of 4:32.39, and sixth in the short relay with a time of 56.12 seconds.

"It was probably just the nice weather and wanting to beat other teams," Scheffelmear said.

Scheffelmear took fifth place in triple jump with a personal best of 32-07. She was asked how she would improve upon her previous best prior to the event.

"I need to make sure all of my (approach) is even and my mark is on," Scheffelmear said.

M-ette Allie Kunze was eighth in the 200, posting a season's best of 29.24 in prelims, and then a finals time of 29.80.

"I think things have gone pretty good so far," Kunze said. "I have done three events so far and I have been improving this year in all of them but I just have to get to last year's (times and marks)."

Kunze is hoping to keep improving past the time of 27.82 which she set last season.

Prior to the Cal Wearley and Whitewater meet which was held on Thursday, April 21, Malta and other schools struggled to find meets due to postponements or cancellations due to the weather.

"After a while, practice is tiring, but I feel like it is making us better," Kunze said. "It's always good to get some meets in to improve."

Kunze was asked about the weather in Havre during the Cal Wearley meet.

"You obviously have to warm up for everything but it is nice not being so cold to the point where you are all bundled up," Kunze said.