By Tiffany L. Rehbein
The Blue Sky Eagles girls' track team looks to take some points away from the favored Big Sandy Pioneers at the District 9C track and field meet.
"We would like to believe we are going to challenge them (Big Sandy) at the district meet," Head Coach Bill Mulvaney said. "We need to get a good performance out of all our kids."
Throughout the season, Natalie Strissel has put together some good performances for the Eagles.
Strissel, on the Havre track, notched a first-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 51.27. However, on the same track, she had a personal-best mark of 50.50 in the event at the Rocky Boy Invite.
Strissel is also a point-getter in the 100-meter hurdles. She has a season-best time of 17.85 in the event, which she ran at the Rocky Boy Invite.
Strissel also has a mark in the long jump (13-3/4) and the 400 meters (69.10).
Lindsey Letang is a fine middle distance runner. Letang has a time of 2:37.7 in the 800 and a time of 5:53 in the 1,600, which she set at the Cut Bank Invitational recently.
Carlye Reddig brings a lot to the track for the Eagles.
Reddig competes in both the long and triple jumps, and the 100 and 200 meters.
She has a mark of 15-11 in the long jump and 32-6 1/2 in the triple jump.
She has a time of 13.7 in the 100 and a time of 28.71 in the 200 meters. Both times, her fastest of the season, came on the Havre track.
Anna Warhank in the shot put and Naomi Lipp in the 400 meters and pole vault should also do well for Blue Sky.
"We hope, with the rest of the team, that they can step up and get us some places with some fourths and fifths," Mulvaney said.
At the Big Sandy Invitational, the Eagles gave the Pioneers a run for the top spot, finishing just six points off the lead.
On the boys' side, Matt Johnson, Mitchell McKinley, and Dan Mikulecky should fare well at the meet.
"We are hoping to challenge for a trophy," Mulvaney said.
Johnson is strong in the shot put, and McKinley and Mikulecky in the 400 meters.
"We are hoping that the rest of the team will step up and do well so that we can challenge for a trophy," Mulvaney said.
Jeromy O'Neil, Murray Warhank, and Mike Hutchinson could also get some points for the Eagles.
O'Neil has been improving in the sprints, hurdles, and triple jump, while Warhank could compete in the discus and 1,600.
Hutchinson is also a distance runner.
The Eagles will look to both relays for both the boys and girls to do well.
The meet is slated to begin with the field events at 10 a.m. and the running events at 10:30 a.m. at the Havre Middle School track on Thursday.
