Three Forks Track and Field dominates at John Cheek Top 8 event in Anaconda

It was a phenomenal performance for the Three Forks High School Track and Field team at last week's John Cheek Top 8 event in Anaconda.

The Wolves girls' team finished first with a team total of 98.5, well above Jefferson High School, which was second with 76.5. The Three Forks boys' team also shined in Anaconda, finishing in fifth place out of 21 teams with a score of 60.5.

Head Coach Dillon Gongliewski said it was a fantastic meet for the team. The girls' 4x400 team of Bella Jones, Devynn Judd, Julia Kotter, and Hailey Williams finished in first place and broke the meet record by three seconds with a time of 4:21.52.

Also finishing in first for the Lady Wolves were Hailey Williams in the 400 meters with a PR of 1:02.49, Teegan Gifford in the 3200 meters with a PR of 12:36.46, Kylie Rowan in the shot put with a mark of 34'3, and Maya Noble in the pole vault at 8'0.

Noble was fifth in the 100 meters and third in the high jump, and Kotter was fifth in the 200 and 400 meters.

Jones was third in the 800, and Gifford was third in the 1600 with a PR of 5:53.95. Williams was third in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the pole vault, and Rowan ended the day fifth in the discus.

The 4x100 relay team of Noble, Reichman, Madelyn Tesoro, and Kotter finished in fifth place.

On the boys' side, Colten Hayder continued his blistering 2024 campaign, finishing first in the 100 meters with a PR of 11.66 and third in the 200 meters.

The Three Forks 4x100 relay team of Isaiah Gather, Hayder, Shane Williams, and Jace Kopp finished in second place with a time of 46.98.

Micha Gather was fifth in the 1600, Marcus Pestel was fifth in the 110-meter hurdles, and Josh Delger was eighth in the shot put.

The Wolves were once again strong in the javelin, with Cole Sloan finishing fourth, Sawyer Andersen ending the day in sixth, and Trevor Davis placing eighth.

Shane Williams was third in the pole vault with a PR of 10'6, and Hayder finished in fourth.

The 4x400 relay team of Micah Gather, Olson, Kanon Reichman, and Williams finished in fourth place.

Brady Olson finished in sixth place in the triple jump for Three Forks.

"Once again, we had to battle elements where it was snowing sideways, but again, the athletes competed and put their best foot forward. In conditions like that, it is all we can ask for," said Gongliewski. "Overall, there really isn't anyone who should be disappointed with how they competed. Now, all of us, athletes included, are just ready for the good weather to come around and let the numbers really indicate how hard these athletes are working. They deserve to be rewarded with some pretty big PRs".

Along with some great results in Anaconda, Gongliewski added that a highlight of the day had to be the throwers' relay and the sprint medleys with team members who did not qualify for the Top 8 portion of the event.

"I think the throwers have a newfound respect for what the sprinters have to do on the daily," he said.

Three Forks also had two runners compete at last week's Midland Roundtable Top 10 in Laurel. The event featured teams from all four MHSA Classes, including six Class AA teams, with Cass Violett finishing fifth and Bryon Fanning placing seventh in the 3200. Gongliewski said it was a great opportunity for the two to get a feel for the track before they compete for Divisionals and State later this month.

Three Forks wrapped up a busy week on Saturday, April 4, at the Al Walker Memorial Stillwater Meet in Laurel, with several student-athletes finishing in the top ten.

The Three Forks Girls' team finished in an impressive fourth out of 26 teams led by strong days from Gifford, Jones, and Rowan.

Gifford was second in the 3200 at 12:47.38 and third in the 800 with a PR of 2:38.97. Jones finished second in the 1600 with a PR of 5:45.79, and Rowan was second in the shot put with a PR of 37'05 and seventh in the discus at 94'04.

Noble was third in the shot put at 9'0 and eighth in the 100 meters at 13.53.

Karly Holler placed sixth in the 400 meters with a PR of 1:08.38, and Judd placed fourth with a finish of 1:08.63.

Williams was ninth in the pole vault at 7'06, and Reichman was 10th in the long jump at 14'05.

Violett finished fourth in the 1600 with a PR of 4:38.87, and Fanning was fifth in the event with a PR of 4:43.76. Violett was also ninth in the 800 with a PR of 2:09.80.

Pestel finished third in the 110-meter hurdles at 17.46, Delger was sixth in the shot put at 39'08" and seventh in the discus at 113'11".

Sloan placed eighth in the javelin with a PR of 145'04", Williams placed tenth in the pole vault at 10', and Olson placed sixth in the triple jump at 38'01.50.

Three Forks will next compete on May 9 at the 5B District Track meet in Belgrade.