LPHS spring sports enter postseason

By Gabrielle Gasser ASSOCIATE EDITOR

BIG SKY – After an abbreviated regular season characterized by challenging conditions and cancellations due to weather, the three Lone Peak High School spring sports teams competed in district, divisional and state tournaments around Montana.

Below are results as of EBS press time for each sport.

Track and Field

The Big Horns continue to set records and improve their performance. Six athletes set school records at the district tournament on May 14 in the following events:

• Sophomore George Helms in the men’s 100-meter, 200-meter and 4×100 relay
• Junior Orrin Coleman in the men’s 3200-meter
• Junior Pierce Farr, sophomore Juliusz Shipman, junior Gus Hammond and Helms in the
  4×100 relay
• Freshman Aubrey Farr in the women’s
  100-meter hurdles

Eleven athletes also qualified for the divisional tournament on May 20-21 at Frenchtown High School including:

• Junior Ben Saad for men’s high jump and long jump
• Junior Orrin Coleman for men’s 800-meter, 1600-meter and the 3200-meter
• Junior Pierce Farr in the 4×100
• Junior Jessica Bough in the women’s 800-meter and the 4×100
• Freshman Haley Hodge in the women’s 400-meter and the 4×100
• Helms in the 100, 200 and 4×100
• Sophomore Astrid McGuire in the 800, 1600 and 4×100
• Hammond in the 200 and 4×100
• Sophomore Bryce Houghteling in the 100 and men’s high jump
• Freshman Grady Towle in the 800 and 3200
• Shipman in the 4×100

As a team, the Big Horns placed seventh and eighth overall in total points for the boys and girls respectively. Head Coach James Miranda congratulated Houghteling, Hammond and Helms for their standout performances. He also praised Coleman for his record-breaking effort in the men’s 3200, which was his only time running that event this year.

“I am excited to see how our athletes compete this coming weekend (May 20-21) with the hope of breaking more school records and getting more athletes to State,” Miranda wrote in an email to EBS.

The state tournament will take place in Great Falls on May 27-28.

Tennis

The tennis team headed to Missoula on May 13 and 14 to compete in the southwest division tournament. The Big Horns battled through tough conditions during the tournament, said Head Coach Libby Grabow.

Five athletes competed including lone boy sophomore Charlie Distad playing singles, sophomores Charlee Sue Dreisbach and Vera Grabow playing singles for the girls, and freshman Addie Malinowski and sophomore Maddie Miller teaming up to play doubles.

The three singles players each played three matches on Friday, fighting hard and even going to a tiebreaker in a couple of them. None of the singles players were able to claim a spot in the state tournament, though Dreisbach came close, Libby said, coming within one match of placing in the top six.

The doubles team, Malinowski and Miller, beat a team they initially lost to in the divisional tournament to claim fifth place and advance to state. This is both girls’ first year playing tennis and Grabow said it has been great to watch them both come a long way as tennis athletes.

“I’m really proud of everyone’s performance,” Libby said. “I’m proud of our players for enduring windy conditions, every match we had was crazy weather. They hung tough in the tournament.”

The state tennis tournament was moved up due to weather and took place in Bozeman on May 18 and 19. Libby said the tournament was a good opportunity to see different teams that the Big Horns had never played before.

Malinowski and Miller played two matches on the 18 against teams from Forsyth High School and Chinook High School. The girls lost both matches and did not advance to the second day of the state tournament.

Golf

The Big Horns golf team competed in the Western C Divisional Tournament at Marias Valley Golf and Country Club in Shelby on May 9.

Six athletes, three boys and three girls, golfed the challenging course, battling windy conditions.

Results from divisionals are below:

• Junior Josie Wilcynski: 108
• Junior Myla Hoover: 141
• Junior Skylar Manka: 118
• Freshman Garin Staudt: 129
• Freshman Walker Bagby: 132
• Freshman Cameron Pecunies: 109

Head Coach Jenny Wilcynski said the three freshman boys gained some great experience at the tournament and she was proud of all the athletes. Josie and Manka both finished in the top 25 and claimed spots in the state tournament in Sidney on May 17 and 18.

“Both girls had their best rounds to date,” Jenny said.

The State C tournament includes about 110 golfers from across the state representing 29 different schools.

On May 17, Josie finished the first day with a 106 and Manka shot a 121 in her first state tournament.

In day two of play on May 18, Josie shot a 129 bringing her two-day total to 235 and Manka ended the second day with a 124 bringing her total in the state tournament to a 245.