KALISPELL — Hunter Loesch’s first javelin throw proved to be enough to win the event and help his team earn a third straight team title.

The Corvallis senior, the owner of the best javelin mark in the nation, threw for 209-04 on his first launch, the best mark of the day, earning 10 points for his team as the Blue Devils fended off Frenchtown by one point and wrapped up a three-peat at the Class A state track and field meet at Legends Stadium in Kalispell.

The Blue Devils finished with 76 points to Frenchtown’s 75. Laurel took third place with 64 points followed by Columbia Falls (55) and Whitefish (40).

Corvallis also got a first-place finish from Brennan Stuart in the 110 hurdles (14.53) and preserved the win with a victory in the 1,600-meter relay.

In the girls meet, Whitefish picked up its first team title since 2022 thanks to a pair of sprinting victories from Rachel Wilmot, who won the 100 (12.47) and 200 (25.05). Grace Sliman also delivered a victory for the Bulldogs with a mark of 5-4 in the high jump. Ginger Bergland contributed 16 points with a pair of second-place victories in the 100 hurdles (15.63) and 300 hurdles (45.79).

Havre took second place with 60 points, Hamilton came in third with 56, Miles City took fourth with 47 and Laurel was fifth with 40.

Miles City’s Peyton Frame won her second event after winning the 1,600-meter run on Friday as she delivered a first-place finish in the 800 with a time of 2.12:35, setting a Class A record.

The Polson boys also saw one of its own set a Class A record in the shot put. Senior Astin Brown threw for 64-07.75 on his first toss, shattering the previous record of 60-9.5 by nearly four feet.

INDIANAPOLIS –  The La Salle men’s and women’s track and field teams have four Explorers that qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Regionals. The Regional meet will be held in Jacksonville, Florida from Wednesday, May 28 through Saturday, May 31, with the men’s competition beginning Wednesday, and the women’s competition starting Thursday.  All events will stream on ESPN+.
 
Gwenno Goode and Helene Usher qualified from the women’s team, with Goode racing in the 3k steeplechase and Usher running in the 10k. This is Goode’s second straight year racing in that event for La Salle at the NCAA Regional meet.
 
Goode raced to a third place finish in the 3k steeplechase at the Raleigh Relays to start the outdoor season, finishing with a time of 9:56.8. Her time was the third fastest in the NCAA at the time, and is overall the seventh fastest time among the NCAA Division I East qualifiers. The event will commence at 5:40 p.m. on Saturday.

Usher qualified to run in the 10k thanks to her time of 34:13.65 that she ran at the Raleigh Relays. At that meet, she placed 10th overall with that performance. The 10k race at NCAA Regionals will happen at 9:10 p.m. on Thursday.

 

On the men’s side, MacCallum Rowe will make his NCAA track debut in the 10k, while David Butts will race in the 3k steeplechase in the NCAA Regional meet, his second appearance in the event at this stage.

 

Rowe’s time of 28:21.64 qualified him to race at NCAA Regionals, which he earned at the Raleigh Relays. At that meet, he placed 12th overall. Currently, his 10k time is the 14th fastest among the NCAA Division I qualifiers. He will race at 9:10 p.m. on Wednesday.

Butts made the Regional meet at the last second, qualifying with his time of 8:52.33 at the Princeton Elite meet, the most recent meet for the La Salle track teams. At that meet, he finished second overall. He last ran in the NCAA Regional meet in 2023. He will run on Friday at 5:40 p.m.

By:

Ted Sarneso


Saturday, May 24, 2025 | 4:39 PM

Previous

Next

North Allegheny was back in its familiar position of favorite entering this year’s WPIAL boys volleyball playoffs.

That wasn’t necessarily the case last year when North Allegheny lost to Shaler in the 3A finals, but the Titans subsequently dropped down to Class 2A and the Tigers brought back a team loaded with plenty of talent.

This year, North Allegheny was the hunted once again.

“This was the year we were supposed to come through and win it, and it put some pressure on us, but it’s good to check that box,” North Allegheny coach Dan Long said after North Allegheny defeated Seneca Valley, 3-1, in the Class 3A championship match Saturday at Peters Township. “I’m so proud of the way we competed.”

It didn’t look like the top-seeded Tigers (15-1) would come away with the win after they were dominated by second-seeded Seneca Valley (14-4) in the first set Saturday, but North Allegheny rallied to win the next three sets and come away with the Class 3A title.

“It felt like we were a bit tight in the first set, and we weren’t playing like ourselves and couldn’t find our comfort level,” Long said.

Everything that went wrong for the Tigers went right for the Raiders, who took the first set 25-17.

“It was all jelling,” Seneca Valley coach Brett Poirier said. “When you’re siding out, blocking, hitting and everything is going well, you’re going to play well.”

The Raiders set the tone early, exactly how Poirier had hoped they would, but he knows taking a set doesn’t guarantee another.

“I’ve seen so many times where you win by seven or eight points, and you turn around and you lose the next set,” Poirier said. “The guys knew they had to get that second set. We set the tone with the first set, so could we set the tone and get that second set and really push them to go.”

Seneca Valley senior Jordan Hoover led the way in the first set with four kills and a pair of blocks. Malach DeGraaf added three kills, and Chase Crawford added a pair. Abheek Nelikil had two blocks for the Raiders.

The Tigers got a pair of kills from Elijah Braun and three kills from Will Robertson. Dominic Laswell had two blocks.

After the set, Long asked his players in the huddle if everything was good.

“The responses I got back were pretty encouraging,” Long said. “They were ready to kick the dust off.”

North Allegheny roared to life in the second set, taking a 7-6 lead and not relenting in a 25-15 win.

Braun had three kills and a block, Garen White chipped in two kills and a block and Robertson had two kills.

What really opened it up for the Tigers was their service game, specifically the final two serves from senior Matthew LaMay, who closed the set with two aces.

“The biggest thing was losing that bad in the first set to a team we’re supposed to beat. It was a wake-up call for us and shocked us into working a lot harder and reaching levels we hadn’t reached yet this year,” said LaMay, who finished with five aces.

Robertson led the team with 17 kills, Brendan Moore added 10 and Jackson Failla dished out 25 assists.

Libero Emmett Morris led the team with 17 digs, and Elliott Swierczynski had 16 assists.

North Allegheny knew there would be added pressure this year being the top team.

“It’s something were familiar with having to play the teams we did in our section,” Long said. “We constantly preach first to five and 21-21 situations. We don’t fear those situations. We relish them.”

The Tigers won sets three and four by scores of 25-20 and 25-18.

“We were hoping this was going to be our day, but it wasn’t. It was their day,” Poirier said. “We face each other more than any other teams during the year. We know each other well. We hope to see them in states.”

Nelikil led the Seneca with 36 assists, DeGraaf had 11 digs and eight kills and libero Mario Ardolino had 12 digs.

Hoover finished the day with 17 kills and six total blocks for the Raiders.

“He’s a big-time player,” Poirier said. “He’s as good offensively as he is defensively, and he had 130 blocks last year, which is unheard of. He will carry it on to the next level at Division II, and I wish him the best.”

For North Allegheny’s LaMay, who had been to the championship match the last two years and came away with losses, this win was very fulfilling.

“It’s unbelievably satisfying,” LaMay said. “To come here again and come away with the win is a big deal for me and my fellow seniors.”

Tags: North Allegheny, Seneca Valley

State

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces PacificArmed Forces EuropeNorthern Mariana IslandsMarshall IslandsAmerican SamoaFederated States of MicronesiaGuamPalauAlberta, CanadaBritish Columbia, CanadaManitoba, CanadaNew Brunswick, CanadaNewfoundland, CanadaNova Scotia, CanadaNorthwest Territories, CanadaNunavut, CanadaOntario, CanadaPrince Edward Island, CanadaQuebec, CanadaSaskatchewan, CanadaYukon Territory, Canada

Zip Code

Country

United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People’s Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People’s Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth ofAustria, Republic ofAzerbaijan, Republic ofBahrain, Kingdom ofBangladesh, People’s Republic ofBarbadosBelarusBelgium, Kingdom ofBelizeBenin, People’s Republic ofBermudaBhutan, Kingdom ofBolivia, Republic ofBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswana, Republic ofBouvet Island (Bouvetoya)Brazil, Federative Republic ofBritish Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)British Virgin IslandsBrunei DarussalamBulgaria, People’s Republic ofBurkina FasoBurundi, Republic ofCambodia, Kingdom ofCameroon, United Republic ofCape Verde, Republic ofCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChad, Republic ofChile, Republic ofChina, People’s Republic ofChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombia, Republic ofComoros, Union of theCongo, Democratic Republic ofCongo, People’s Republic ofCook IslandsCosta Rica, Republic ofCote D’Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of theCyprus, Republic ofCzech RepublicDenmark, Kingdom ofDjibouti, Republic ofDominica, Commonwealth ofEcuador, Republic ofEgypt, Arab Republic ofEl Salvador, Republic ofEquatorial Guinea, Republic ofEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaeroe IslandsFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Fiji, Republic of the Fiji IslandsFinland, Republic ofFrance, French RepublicFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabon, Gabonese RepublicGambia, Republic of theGeorgiaGermanyGhana, Republic ofGibraltarGreece, Hellenic RepublicGreenlandGrenadaGuadaloupeGuamGuatemala, Republic ofGuinea, Revolutionary People’s Rep’c ofGuinea-Bissau, Republic ofGuyana, Republic ofHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)Honduras, Republic ofHong Kong, Special Administrative Region of ChinaHrvatska (Croatia)Hungary, Hungarian People’s RepublicIceland, Republic ofIndia, Republic ofIndonesia, Republic ofIran, Islamic Republic ofIraq, Republic ofIrelandIsrael, State ofItaly, Italian RepublicJapanJordan, Hashemite Kingdom ofKazakhstan, Republic ofKenya, Republic ofKiribati, Republic ofKorea, Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwait, State ofKyrgyz RepublicLao People’s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanon, Lebanese RepublicLesotho, Kingdom ofLiberia, Republic ofLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtenstein, Principality ofLithuaniaLuxembourg, Grand Duchy ofMacao, Special Administrative Region of ChinaMacedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascar, Republic ofMalawi, Republic ofMalaysiaMaldives, Republic ofMali, Republic ofMalta, Republic ofMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritania, Islamic Republic ofMauritiusMayotteMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonaco, Principality ofMongolia, Mongolian People’s RepublicMontserratMorocco, Kingdom ofMozambique, People’s Republic ofMyanmarNamibiaNauru, Republic ofNepal, Kingdom ofNetherlands AntillesNetherlands, Kingdom of theNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaragua, Republic ofNiger, Republic of theNigeria, Federal Republic ofNiue, Republic ofNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorway, Kingdom ofOman, Sultanate ofPakistan, Islamic Republic ofPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanama, Republic ofPapua New GuineaParaguay, Republic ofPeru, Republic ofPhilippines, Republic of thePitcairn IslandPoland, Polish People’s RepublicPortugal, Portuguese RepublicPuerto RicoQatar, State ofReunionRomania, Socialist Republic ofRussian FederationRwanda, Rwandese RepublicSamoa, Independent State ofSan Marino, Republic ofSao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic ofSaudi Arabia, Kingdom ofSenegal, Republic ofSerbia and MontenegroSeychelles, Republic ofSierra Leone, Republic ofSingapore, Republic ofSlovakia (Slovak Republic)SloveniaSolomon IslandsSomalia, Somali RepublicSouth Africa, Republic ofSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSpain, Spanish StateSri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic ofSt. HelenaSt. Kitts and NevisSt. LuciaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesSudan, Democratic Republic of theSuriname, Republic ofSvalbard & Jan Mayen IslandsSwaziland, Kingdom ofSweden, Kingdom ofSwitzerland, Swiss ConfederationSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan, Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailand, Kingdom ofTimor-Leste, Democratic Republic ofTogo, Togolese RepublicTokelau (Tokelau Islands)Tonga, Kingdom ofTrinidad and Tobago, Republic ofTunisia, Republic ofTurkey, Republic ofTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUganda, Republic ofUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom of Great Britain & N. IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe