M-ettes take fourth at State

The Malta M-ettes had a great showing at the 2015 State B Track Meet in Kalispell, taking fourth as a team.

Sophomore Sophia Stiles led the effort, not only retaining her triple jump crown, but taking first place in the long jump as well. In long jump Stiles left a mark at 17-09, which is also a new personal best. Her triple jump distance was 36-09.50.

“I feel good and it feels like lots of hard work paid off,” Stiles told the PCN.

Stiles also took third place in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 46.77, which is a new personal best.

Often called “The Sophomore Sensation,” Stiles felt more comfortable at this year’s State Meet than she did in her freshman year.

“I knew what to expect this year,” Stiles said. “I didn’t really know what to expect last year. It’s really overwhelming when you see all those people (Class A and AA athletes) there.”

Though she racked up three medals, Stiles also faced a little heartbreak in the 100 hurdles after triggering a false start.

“I flinched when I was in the blocks,” Stiles said.

She was more upset about letting her team down than her individual accomplishments.

“It was sad for me but I was mostly thinking that if I wouldn’t have false started, we probably could’ve came home with a first place trophy,” Stiles said.

Kaitlyn Smith fared well at her first State Meet finishing fifth in javelin with a throw of 127-03.

“I was hanging onto fourth place until a girl on her very last throw had a throw two feet further,” Smith said.

Smith took twelfth place in shot put with a throw of 33-04.

Darby Schye took sixth in shot put after posting a throw of 37-01.50. Schye threw a 92-03 in discus and finished sixteenth overall. Shay Garfield took twentieth in the event with a throw of 77-10.

Jada Nicholson took sixth place in the high jump after clearing 5-00. Hailey Nicholson tied for fifteenth after clearing 4-08.

Mary Grace Kalal placed thirteenth in discus after a throw of 96-09, which is a new personal best. She also placed seventeenth in javelin with a throw of 96-03. She took second in both of her events opening heats.

Marley Manoukian posted a new best of 50.24 in the 300 hurdles and finished thirteenth overall.

“It went pretty well,” Manoukian said of the State Track Meet.

Being a junior, Manoukian reflected on her year.

“I had a lot of fun and I improved in a lot of things, so that felt pretty good,” Manoukian said.

The short relay team consisting of Manoukian, Schye, Smith and Stiles took seventh after posting a time of 51.94 seconds in the final round of the race.

Riley Mortenson had a time of 2:35.52 in the 800, which is a new personal best. She took thirteenth in the event though she was placed lower than she finished. She finished twentieth in the 1600 with a time of 6:00.43.

“I thought I would’ve placed better in the mile, but I didn’t push myself enough,” Mortenson said. “In the 800, I went in ranked twentieth, and came out placing thirteenth out of twenty.”

Mortenson was also the second leg in the long relay, stepping in for teammate Kalal. The long relay team placed twelfth with a time of 4:25.16. The team consisted of Manoukian, Mortenson, H. Nicholson and Schye.