Lincoln track team places fourth in Districts, prepares for Divisionals

The Lincoln High School Track team put up a solid showing on their way to fourth place team finishes for both the boys and girls at last weekend's District track meet in Missoula.

"They did awesome. I was very proud of them all," said Coach John Beckman II. "We're excited for Divisionals now."

Beckman said he expects to take 14 of the schools 18 track athletes to the Divisional track meet in Frenchtown this week.

The Lincoln boys struggled a bit in the running events, but stood out in the jumping and throwing events, even in the face of the powerhouse Seeley Swan and Clark Fork teams.

Hunter Woodward scored the teams sole first place win by clearing 11 feet in the Pole Vault event, a foot-and-a-half more than his nearest competitor.

"He did excellent," said Beckman. He added Woodward has cleared 12 feet in the past, and hopes to borrow a longer pole for Divisionals.

Junior Aziah Blotkamp also turned in a surprise performance on his first-ever day of pole vaulting, picking up third place for clearing the nine-foot mark with a straight stick.

Blotkamp also brought in a 2nd place finish in the High Jump, while Woodward picked up a personal record with his 4th place finish.

Senior Payton Peterson turned in two 2nd place performances in the both the Javelin and the Discus events, and picked up fourth place in the Shot Put.

Despite placing 6th and 5th in the 1600 and the 3200 meters respectively, freshman Bradley Howard came out of the meet with two new personal records under his belt in those events and Blotkamp added a personal best with his 4th place finish in the 110-Meter Hurdles

In the end, the boys team found itself just two points shy of a third-place finish.

The Lincoln girls fourth place finish likewise belied several strong performances across the board.

Junior Maggie Jorgensen earned second place in the Long Jump with a distance of just over 15 feet, and picked up 3rd place in the girls 100 meters. Senior Karissa Ninahuanca meanwhile placed third in both the 1600 and 3200 meters, racking up personal records in the process.

In the throwing events, sophomore Alexis Cannon scored 2nd place finishes in both the Shot Put and the Discus.

"They did very well," Beckman said. "I was tickled with the bunch of them."

The current challenge is to prepare for the Western C Divisional meet in Frenchtown this week. "We're going to do some final touch ups this week. We've only got three days to prepare for Divisionals Thursday & Friday," he said.

Looking ahead, Beckman said he hopes to see at least six of the Lincoln athletes - three girls and three boys - make it to the State Track meet in Great Falls May 25 & 26.