What a day it was at Jefferson High on Apr. 3 as the Panthers christened their new track with the Avery Stiles Memorial Invite to open the 2026 track and field season. It was chilly and blustery and very, very warm, all at once.
Jefferson’s boys and girls both celebrated their first home meet in decades by taking first place. The boys scored 130.33 team points, besting Manhattan, with 103.5, Broadwater, 97, and Fairfield, 93. The girls won their title easily with 208 points, besting Manhattan, 111.5, and Three Forks, 73.
Amid the strong overall results were some impressive individual performances. Johnny Quigley took the high jump with 6’7” — besting last year’s state championship mark of 6’6” and nearly equaling the JHS school record of 6’9” set by Stiles himself. Quigley also won the long jump with 21’3”, another State-worthy mark.
And in the girls’ long jump, sophomore McKinleigh Doherty soared 18’ 9.75”, eclipsing her previous personal best by nearly two feet and last year’s State best by a foot. Doherty also won the 100-meter dash in 12.70 seconds, another personal best.
The Panthers’ other results hinted at a promising season for this young squad. In the boys 100, freshman Xavier Wetzel took 2nd in 11.87, with Zeke Dove 3rd, 11.92, Tyler Frydenlund 5th, 12.00, Caleb Morris 6th, 12.02, and Camden Redfield 10th, 12.17. Wetzel also placed 2nd in the 200 at 23.68, with Redfield 6th, 25.45, and Dylan Conner 8th, 26.58. Colin Gallagher finished 6th in the 400, 1:00. 82.
McKenon Boyd won the 800 in 2:08.12, with teammates Bridger Harris 3rd, 2:14.87. In the 1600, Pierce Ward was 6th, 5:22.29, and Blake Nordlinder 10th, 5:47.33. And Calvin Gillmore took 2nd in the 3200, in 12:31.16.
The Panther boys won both their relays. Richard, Dove, Morris and Frydenlund took the 4×100 in 44.68, a strong early-season time. And Quigley, Colten Thornock, Colin Gallagher and Harris won the 4×400 in 3:45.85.
In the field events, Andrew Rodriguez finished 11th in the shot put with a throw of 34’4”. Logan Frydenlund was 4th in the discus at 112’6.5”. And in the javelin, Tyler Frydenlund placed 5th, at 135’7”, Logan Frydenlund 6th, 132’11”, and Tyzer Zody 8th, 122’8”.
Thornock placed 2nd to Quigley in the high jump at 6’2”, with Tyler Frydenlund 3rd, 6’, Wetzel 4th, 5’10”, Spencer Bolles 7th, 5’8”, and Cobe Burnett 9th, 5’6”. Thornock was 6th in the long jump, 19’8”, Wetzel 7th, 19’ 6.75”, Tyler Frydenlund 9th, 19’, and Redfield 10th, 18’11.5”. Cooper Mikesell won the pole vault at 13’, with Wyatt Mosher 4th at 9’.
For the Lady Panthers, Ryleigh Doherty raced to 3rd in the 100, 13.12, with Allie Muffick 5th, 13.90, and Kinsley Talley 12th, 14.50. Josie Oxarart placed 2nd in the 100 hurdles, 18.21, with Emma Good 4th, 20.83, Marlee Sarchet 7th, 21.99, and Madelyn Zawacki 10th, 32.64. Jefferson’s Oxarart, Allie Muffick, and Ryleigh and McKinleigh Doherty took the 4×100 relay easily in 51.04.
Not unexpectedly, the runners from last fall’s championship cross country team put in a fine performance in the distance events: Peyton Stearns won the 400 in 1:05.24, with her teammate Juliet Bell 2nd, 1:09.82. Ava Carey won the 800 in 2:43.91, with Bell again 2nd in 2:44.66. Stearns took 3rd in the 1600, 5:46.02, while Carey was 5th, 5:58.28, and Dawson 6th, 5:59.59. And Willow Runde finished 6th in the 3200, 16:21.27,
The Panthers swept took the top five spots in the shot put, with Allie Muffick winning at 34’9”, followed by London Ostby, 33’1”, Brianna Layng, 31’4”, Josie Oxarart, 30’6”, and Quinn Michaud, 30’1”. Katie Maus was 9th, 27’3”. Ostby won the discus with a throw of 108’11”; Maus was 4th, 88’3.5”, Layng 7th, 78’, and Michaud 9th, 74’1.5”. And in the javelin, it was once again all Jefferson: Muffick threw 129’8” for the win, with Layng 2nd, 99’, Oxarart 3rd, 96’9”, and Genna Strozewski 4th, 83’7”. Zawacki was 7th, 74’9”, and Michaud 9th, 71’2”.
Ryleigh Doherty placed 2nd behind McKinleigh in the long jump at 15’6.5”; Parker Layng was 3rd, 14’6.75”, Kinsley Talley 4th, 14’6.25”, Serene Fox 7th, 13’4.75”, and Olivia Dean 9th, 12’10”. Ryleigh Doherty also won the high jump at 4’6”, with Addison Rieder 3rd, 4’2”, and Fox 5th, 4’2”. Parker Layng was 2nd in the triple jump, 29’1.5”.
A terrific start to the spring.
Tennis aces
Meanwhile, the Panther tennis teams opened their season Thursday in Great Falls. The boys’ doubles team of Izaak Luhrsen and Hunter Heinitz lost to John/Kelton of Fort Benton 4-8, and Austin Lachney and Hudson Hill lost to Fort Beton’s Brooks/Cooper, 1-8, Hudson Hill lost to Brooks of Chester-Joplin-Inverness, 1-8, and Austin Lachney defeated Everett of CJI, 8-0.
The girls number-one player, Bailee Silvonen, defeated Trinity of CJI 8-0, and Paetyn Templet of Fort Benton 6-0. Teagan Silvonen beat a CJI player, 6-0, and lost to Jacey Brunette of Townsend 4-6. Evelyn Hansen defeated Ali Good of Fort Benton 6-1 and Chloe Flynn of Townsend 6-3.
In doubles, Evelyn Hansen and Caia Dellwo lost to Tori/Reese of CJI 5-8; Lainey Wilson and Avery Wade defeated Rylee/Mariah of CJI, 8-5, and Kailyn/Grace of Fort Benton 6-1. And Wade and Dellwo lost to Elizabeth/Cora of Fort Benton 2-6.
The tennis teams have a packed week ahead. They’ll take on Superior and Loyola on Thursday in Missoula, then travel to Belgrade Friday to face Three Forks, Townsend Granite and Red Lodge.
Jefferson’s golf squad was scheduled to play at Cottonwood on Tuesday, then at the Old Baldy Invite in Townsend on Friday. The Panthers will host the JHS Invitational at Green Meadow Country Club in Helena on Apr. 13.
The track and field team will be in Hamilton on Saturday. Jefferson will host a meet on Apr. 24, and volunteers are needed; contact Sarah Layng at sarah.layng@jhs.k12.mt.us if you can help.
